130 students from Asia groomed to champion environmental issues

Monica Kotwani Channel NewsAsia 18 Nov 13;

SINGAPORE: Some 130 students from ASEAN, India and China will be groomed over the next five days to champion environmental issues under a new collaboration.

The STEP-NUS Sunburst Environment Programme is the result of a collaboration between the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Singapore Technologies Endowment Programme (STEP).

It was launched on Monday by Minister in Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu.

About 80 of the students, aged between 13 and 15 years, are from Singapore.

They will attend lectures delivered by scientists, and take part in workshops.

They will also make study visits to places like the Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve and the Tropical Marine Science Institute's St John's Island Marine Laboratory.

Topics of discussion will range from climate change and conservation to sustainability issues.

Most of the students are budding environmentalists, and were hand-picked by their teachers. Some were picked to participate after writing essays on environmental issues, while others were chosen based on their participation in their school's science programmes.

Organisers hope students can go home with a better awareness of environmental concerns affecting their countries and the region.

Krish desai, a 15-year-old student from Mumbai, India, who attends the Cathedral and John Connon School, said: "Sometimes we tend to be lax in the name of development... for (example) setting up industries, sometimes forests are felled, or for mining, sometimes the land is destroyed.

"It completely ruins the climate. What I would like is for a little tighter security... stricter laws -- that if you're felling forests, get it replanted. It's your responsibility. That's what I want for India."

Jonathan Chee of Bukit View Secondary School, said: "I hope that at the end of this week, this programme will ignite passion in terms of environmental awareness.

"If you have a heightened awareness of the environment, it will motivate you to put a step forward and help the environment."

Addressing the students at the RELC Auditorium, Ms Fu said environmental issues cannot be solved in isolation as the issues do not observe physical and sovereign boundaries.

She cited the recent haze problem as an example, and said an approach of global inclusion and shared responsibility is needed.

Ms Fu said: "The youths of today, the leaders of tomorrow, must develop a thorough understanding of the issues. Getting all parties involved -- a globally inclusive process -- is a good way to start understanding the issues.

"Engaging and collaborating with one another could then lead to a solution for global problems."

Speaking to reporters after the event, Ms Fu acknowledged it is not an easy time for many countries politically, especially as many are preoccupied with solving economic problems.

She said many are thinking about reducing spending, rather than expending resources on environmental issues.

She said: "We are in a difficult phase of trying to find a consensus, but I would urge everyone to continue to pursue, because obviously this is an important issue that affects the future of the planet, and we as human beings must be the species that can find options that can ensure our survivability.

"It is us that hopefully have the wisdom -- scientifically, politically and economically -- to find solutions that are tenable for the majority."

- CNA/al

Singapore, Antarctica suffer similar effects of climate change
Stable temperatures at the poles and the equator are making it hard for animals to adapt: Scientist
Neo Chai Chin Today Online 19 Nov 13;

SINGAPORE — The Republic and Antarctica may be far apart, but the two are not so different when it comes to experiencing the effects of global climate change.

Stable temperatures at the poles and the equator have reduced the ability of the animals in both regions to cope with rapidly-changing environments, said a scientist with the British Antarctic Survey yesterday. As such, they are likely the first to be affected by climate change.

Already, tropical animals are almost living at their upper temperature limits and it is “quite likely” that many will struggle with climate change, said marine ecophysiologist Simon Morley.

Rising sea and land temperatures may lead to a migration away from the tropics, threatening food sources for those living in the tropics. No one knows what will fill the void left by these animals, he said.

“We don’t know yet, we need to do more research,” Dr Morley added.

Speaking at the launch of the Sunburst Environment Programme to nurture youths as future leaders in protecting the environment, Dr Morley told 130 students from South-east Asia, India and China that the Antarctic peninsula is one of the fastest-warming places on earth.

Its mean annual temperature has risen 3°C in the last 50 years and sea surface temperatures have risen by 1°C.

Such an increase has a big impact on animals there, as ocean temperatures only vary between -2°C and 2°C.

Numbers of a shrimp-like crustacean called krill — which larger animals like fur seals and penguins depend on for food — have dipped by 70 per cent since 1976, due in part to the melting sea ice. Some molluscs called limpets have also lost their ability to flip over, leaving them susceptible to predators, which in turn affects the food chain.

Acidification of the oceans and the El Nino effect also pose threats to wildlife, he said.

Dr Morley said youths who want to do their part to slow climate change could become scientists or teachers, volunteer in the environment field and practise simple everyday acts like walking more and not using plastic bags.

The programme is an annual event initiated by the National University of Singapore and Singapore Technologies Endowment Programme.

Officiating the launch, Second Minister for Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu, who is also Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, called for an approach of global inclusion and shared responsibility in finding solutions.

Participants, including 80 Singapore students, will attend talks and visit St John’s Island and nature reserves this week.

Bukit View Secondary student Jonathan Chee Xian Kuan said he hoped to increase his classmates’ understanding of the ecosystem, while 15-year-old Krish Desai from India said he wanted to venture into research and politics to increase food security and tilt laws in favour of the poor.