Climate Connections

One insect species you probably never knew you needed - dung beetles!  Dung beetles are found worldwide, on every continent except Antarctica. They live in habitats ranging from desert to forest and are classified into three basic groups: rollers, tunnelers, and dwellers. Those words describe how these beetles use the dung they find. They may seem like unlikely environmental heroes, but these little creatures might just be a weapon in the battle against global warming and other biodiversity issues. On this episode of Climate Connections, Eleanor Slade, Associate Professor, Asian School of the Environment, NTU, and Zann Teo, PHD Student from NTU, who is currently putting together a species checklist for dung beetles in Singapore, which are understudied to date, especially in the tropics - explain why dung beetles are so important to our wider ecosystem and what they are doing to chart a better future for these beetles. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Audrey Siek Photo credits: Marx Yim, Tropical Ecology and Entomology Lab / NTU Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors, Kamaboko Sachiko, Noru 

Lions are the apex predators of the African savanna, or what ecologists call - a keystone species. They play the critical role of managing large herbivore populations of impalas, zebras, buffalos, and even elephants and giraffes. In a balanced ecosystem, the number of herbivores needs to be kept in check because if you have too many herbivores, vegetation will be overgrazed and habitats will inevitably degrade. As an umbrella species, lions also help maintain a healthy and resilient herbivore population and regulate disease transmissions because they typically hunt and kill those that may be afflicted with parasites, disease or are feeble from a hereditary defect. Without lions, disease spread is more likely across species, and vast savanna grassland ecosystems would disintegrate into dysfunctional, barren landscapes impacting all other species, including humans.  However, African lion populations are declining - due in large part to habitat loss due to development and human-wildlife conflict. With humans now living closer to predators like lions, having mitigation measures to reduce that conflict is growing in importance as these predators also pose a threat to the local communities and their livestock. On this episode of Climate Connections, Dr Jess Isden, Coexistence Coordinator, WildCRU - who is working very closely with the local communities through the Trans-Kalahari Predator Programme - shares her insights on how effective human-lion conflict mitigation strategies in Botswana, Africa, can contribute to sustainable development. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Audrey Siek Photo credits: Yeo Kai Ting Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors, Hayashi Yu, Makooto 

Farmers in India are contending with the impact of climate change every day as their crops are often subject to weather conditions, which are evolving as climate change becomes more deeply entrenched. Every year, about 30% of agricultural produce is wasted before it leaves the farms. And did you know this food waste contributes to greenhouse gases? On this episode of Climate Connections, Nidhi Pant, Co-Founder of S4S Technologies, who has seen how deeply intertwined challenges of food waste, rural poverty and gender inequality are, shares the journey she embarked on together with five other university friends, to help smallholder female farmers preserve and market surplus produce. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar Photo credits: The Earthshot Prize Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

At the COP28 Summit, for the first time since nations began meeting some three decades ago, nearly 200 countries convened by the United Nations approved a milestone plan to ramp up renewable energy and transition away from coal, oil and gas. With all eyes on the new deal - that is not legally binding and can’t, on its own, force any country to act - “transition finance” is shaping up to be one of this year’s most important topics in the climate space but how just is this transition?  On this episode of Climate Connections, Sharan Burrow, Former General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation and Global Board of Director, World Resources Institute shares her insights on why a just transition is so important and why people must be at the center of this green transition. Sharan recently spoke at the 2024 Ecosperity Week spearheaded by Temasek. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar Photo credits: The Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

Did you know that in just Singapore alone, an average person can eat nearly 390 eggs in a year? Every stage of egg production contributes to greenhouse gases and other harmful emissions. Scientists from the University of Oviedo in Spain found that the carbon footprint of eggs is similar to that of other basic foods of animal origin, like milk. So, is there a way to be more environmentally friendly with our eggs? On this episode of Climate Connections, Vinita Choolani, Founder and CEO of Float Foods lets us in on why she embarked on that journey to create a plant-based egg that can hopefully substitute our love affair with chicken eggs, and where the business is at right now.  Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Audrey Siek Photo credits: Float Foods Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

Climate change is caused by the rise in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Such gases include carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, which are long-lived compounds that can remain in the atmosphere for several years. But you might be wondering if climate change in turn impacts the quality of the air we breathe.  On this episode of Climate Connections, NTU Professor Stephan Schuster, Research Director of the Meta-o’mics & Microbiomes cluster at the Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering reviews the connection between air pollution and climate change, as well as the tell-tale signs that scientists look out for when measuring air quality. Professor Schuster also reveals some potential solutions that actually already exist in Singapore! Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar Photo credits: NTU Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

Calling out to plant parents, as well as those thinking of getting succulents to spruce up your homes!  Increasingly, many popular ornamental plants are plucked from their natural habitats instead of being grown in nurseries. The consequences of this go beyond our living rooms, impacting entire landscapes and the livelihoods of communities that depend on them. The highest number of native succulent species - drought resistant plants which are slow growing, long lived, and occur in arid areas - are found in Africa. It might not occur to you that your plant purchase is fueling plant poaching - but since 2019, more than 600,000 illegally harvested succulents, representing 450 different species have been seized by authorities as they transit Southern Africa to overseas markets.  On this episode of Climate Connections, Dominique Prinsloo, Project Manager from TRAFFIC - who’s done quite a bit of research into the succulent plant poaching crisis - explains what's driving the trade and how you can differentiate between a wild harvested succulent versus a nursery-grown one. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Audrey Siek Photo credits: TRAFFIC Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

Have you been to Phillip Island Nature Parks in Australia?  It’s home to the largest little penguin population - better known as fairy penguins - globally. They’re the smallest penguin species in the world.  But today’s focus is on another seabird - short-tailed shearwaters that use Phillip Island as their breeding grounds! From this week, four-month old fledglings are starting their migration and the Phillip Island Nature Parks is calling for individuals and businesses on the island to switch off their lights at night. Short-tailed shearwaters are mid-sized migratory birds that travel from the Southern to Northern Hemisphere each year, migrating from Australia towards Japan, then across to the Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea to the north of Alaska. They manage this massive 16,000km journey in under four weeks, all before returning to the shores of Phillip Island (Millowl). Among the most vulnerable are seabirds, with shearwaters facing the greatest risk. In a series of studies by Phillip Island Nature Parks exploring the negative effect of artificial lights on shearwaters, light pollution is now at the forefront of negative factors disrupting the delicate balance of ecosystems.  On this episode of Climate Connections, Dr Duncan Sutherland, Senior Scientist, Phillip Island Nature Parks why the night lights are so detrimental to the short-tailed shearwaters during migration season, conservation efforts under the "Dark Sky So Shearwaters Fly" campaign and how you can do your part. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Audrey Siek Photo/Sound credits: Phillip Island Nature Parks Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

Quite unsurprisingly, demand for batteries is expected to increase 30% each year until 2030. A greater need for batteries to power more electric vehicles means increased demand for metals like lithium, a finite resource whose extraction has raised ecological and human rights issues.  Lithium mining takes a heavy toll - trees are often cut down to make room for mines, chemicals used in the process can poison waterways, and meanwhile, millions of tonnes of batteries are expected to be decommissioned over the coming decades, creating hazardous waste. But have you ever thought about how sustainable your batteries are?  On this episode of Climate Connections, Justin Hung, CEO & Co-Founder of GRST (which stands for Green, Renewable, Sustainable Technology) and 2023 Earthshot Prize winner shares about the cleaner process he developed to make batteries that pollutes less and uses components that can be more easily recycled. The eco-friendly lithium batteries technology start-up aims to raise US$50 million over the next two years. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar Photo credits: Earthshot Prize Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

Rice is a key staple in many diets around the world. But did you know that rice production accounts for over 10% of global methane emissions? These emissions in turn contribute to climate change. Bali is an Indonesian island known for its stunning landscapes, famous for its terraced rice fields that cascade down hillsides, creating a picturesque environment. But beyond aesthetics, the Bali rice fields and the Subak system are closely intertwined and they represent the lifeblood of Bali's cultural and agricultural heritage.  The Subak system, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, refers to the traditional irrigation system developed by Balinese farmers to manage water distribution and cultivation in flooded rice fields. It is a cooperative and democratic system that emphasises harmony between nature and the community. On this episode of Climate Connections - Sharadha Sathiakumar, Research Fellow, Earth Observatory of Singapore shares more about her project exploring potential solutions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in the rice fields of Bali located in Indonesia, the fourth-largest producer of rice worldwide. She found that the Intermittent Wetting and Drying technique allowing local farmers to improvise based on their experience could very well be the solution to reducing the greenhouse gases emitted by the rice you eat! The results of this experiment were very promising: both methane and nitrous oxide emissions reduced, and rice yield increased. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar Photo credits: Sharadha Sathiakumar, Joanne Petrina, Earth Observatory of Singapore Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors