Climate Connections

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

Ice-cold, juicy oysters definitely sound like a good idea, as we search for ways to beat the heat in recent weeks! But have you ever wondered what happens to the oyster shells afterwards? On this episode of Climate Connections, we feature two local ecologists - Yukie Yokoyama and Erika Ng from Witteveen+Bos - who are giving discarded oyster shells a new lease of life in Singapore by creating the country's first artificial oyster reef at the jetty near Changi Sailing Club. Find out more about their journey to find ways to help Singapore fight pollution, improve marine biodiversity, and protect against coastal erosion - through the help of oyster reefs. And as they say - "The world is your oyster!" Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Audrey Siek Photo credits: Yukie Yokoyama & Erika Ng Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

Plastic consumption has increased exponentially in recent years. When plastics enter the ocean, microorganisms attach to and colonise them, forming an ecological community known as the ‘Plastisphere’. But we don’t really know much about these colonies. What we know, is that plastics can be silent killers of marine life. Plastics also carry other chemical compounds called additives in addition to the polymer resin, and these materials can actually leach into the environment.  To understand the plastic-microbes interaction, NTU researchers extracted DNA information of plastispheres gathered from 14 coastal locations in Singapore, and they found both potential plastic-eating bacteria and harmful microbes thriving on the samples. On this episode of Climate Connections, we feature:  - Jonas Koh (NTU doctoral student, Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering) - Professor Shane Allen Snyder (Executive Director, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute) Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Audrey Siek Photo credits:NTU Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

The Andes stands out for its striking species richness and endemicity that characterise many emblematic Neotropical clades distributed in or around these mountains. It's also a vital region, with its highland forests providing water for millions of people downstream.  However, this rich ecosystem is increasingly threatened by rapid development, mining and climate change. With the glaciers melting and forests disappearing, 2023 Earthshot Prize winners Florent Kaiser, CEO of Global Forest Generation and Constantino Aucca Chutas, President & Co-founder of Acción Andina are working hard to restore the degraded ecosystems of the Andes and secure the water supply for local communities.  On this episode of Climate Connections, we go on a journey to find out how they are reviving ancient indigenous practices and galvanising the help of multi-generations of locals and partners to conserve the Andes and beyond. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar Photo credits:Acción Andina, Earthshot Prize  Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

In the heart of Sumatra lies the Leuser Ecosystem - the last place on Earth where several of the key Sundaland mega-fauna species can still be found together: the tiger, orangutan, elephant, and rhino. But all that are under extreme threat due to unsustainable development.  In the spirit of International Women’s Day, on this episode of Climate Connections - we feature the Chairperson & Co-Founder of Forest Nature and Environment Aceh, Farwiza Farhan, a fearless female voice who has succeeded in advocating for law enforcement against companies operating illegally and launched a citizen lawsuit that empowers local communities to have meaningful involvement in policy making. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar Photo credits:HAkA, Joel Sartore, Paul Hilton, Ruben Hoekstra, Junaidi Hanafiah, Citra Drone, leuserconservationforum IG Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

What does sustainability mean to you? Challenges surrounding going green often involve an intricate web of complex problems that are interlinked. On this episode of Climate Connections, 11-year-old Aurvi Jain, Eco Warrior & TEDxSingapore Speaker explains why every single little action counts more than age. She also lets us in on a little secret project that she worked on together with renowned filmmaker Damon Gameau, that will be released later this year. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Audrey Siek Photo credits: Aurvi Jain & regenerators (Instagram) Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

Life in oceans has evolved for three times as long as life on land, and it holds clues to four billion years of our evolutionary heritage. But although an estimated 2 million species inhabit our oceans, up to 90% remain undescribed. This longstanding void in the knowledge and observation of marine biodiversity is a growing worry, with potential unrecorded extinctions and declines aggravating the prevailing biodiversity crisis.  On this episode of Climate Connections, Oliver Steeds, Chief Executive of Nekton Foundation and Director of Ocean Census shares more about Ocean Census' initiative by scientists who have set themselves an ambitious goal of discovering 100,000 new species in a decade, before overfishing and global warming drive entire populations to extinction. Take an exclusive look at some of these new species & the expedition on Instagram page @climateconnectionsbykt (Video courtesy of Ocean Census) Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Audrey Siek Photo credits: Ocean Census Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors

We’re just hours away from ringing in the Chinese New Year, and also the Year of the Dragon. It’s also typically a time when many might consider getting a pet that coincides with the zodiac for the year for good luck - bearded dragons in this case, even though they might be prohibited, depending on where you live. Chinese families will also be feasting on a range of delicacies like abalone and sea cucumbers.  But before you do any of that, think again - because you might be fuelling illegal wildlife smuggling, or organised criminal and drug syndicates!  On this episode of Climate Connections, Serene Chng, Senior Programme Officer at TRAFFIC International - Southeast Asia weighs in on why trafficking poses a severe threat to many endangered species, and challenges involved in trying to nip this issue in the bud. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar Photo credits: TRAFFIC Music/sound credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors, Astrine Leoung

Today marks World Wetlands Day.  The swamp forests, reedbeds and flooded grasslands of the Lower Mekong basin form one of the most biologically important regions on the planet. But these ecosystems are vanishing at an alarming pace, along with riverbank collapse, which has led to coastal communities losing their homes. Researchers believe that this is because the Vietnam Mekong Delta is currently being robbed of its very foundations - sand.  On this episode of Climate Connections, Rachel Lau, Research Assistant, National Institute of Education, Earth Observatory of Singapore, NTU and Assistant Professor Edward Park, National Institute of Education & Principal Investigator, Earth Observatory of Singapore, NTU weigh in on why the Mekong Delta is drowning in 'sand debt'. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar Photo credit: NTU Music/sound credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors