Climate Connections

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 

Soil is often an overlooked aspect of nature. Now, if you dig deeper, you’d realise that healthy soils serve not just as the backbone of safe and sustainable agriculture, but also helps with carbon sequestration.  In many parts of the world however, poor management and climate change have led to soil degradation and a huge amount of carbon released by the top layer soil over the past 12,000 years. On today’s Climate Connections, Aadith Moorthy, CEO & Founder of Boomitra, and 2023 Earthshot Prize Winner shares how his company is working with farmers to reverse that through technology & soil credits.  Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Audrey Siek Photo credit: Boomitra Carbon Farming in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (Credit: Boomitra) Music/sound credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors 

Through half a million years of isolation, primates of the Mentawai Islands evolved into five distinct species, totally different from their relatives on the nearest mainland, Sumatra. These endemic species include the pig-tailed snub-nosed langur, Mentawai gibbon, Mentawai langur, Pagai macaque, and Siberut macaque. Except for the last, the other four species are Critically Endangered or Endangered, as red-listed by the IUCN. And with the threat from logging and clearing for oil palm and timber plantations growing, the survival of the forests of Mentawai and these primates is dimming.  On this episode of Climate Connections, Andie Ang, Head, Primate Conservation & Singapore Programmes, Mandai Nature and Professor Rizaldi, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Andalas University share more details on their research into these endangered primates, and how they are developing a conservation plan to save them.  Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar Photo: Adult male Presbytis potenziani (Golden-bellied Mentawai Island Langur or simply 'Mentawai Langur') encountered one morning in degraded primary forest on South Pagai island in 2023.  (Credit: Dr Andie Ang) Music/sound credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors 

Difference in standards across countries and regions can sometimes make sustainability reporting tricky. So how can such differences be better reconciled?  Simon Schillebeeckx, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Handprint and Ramki Ramakrishnan, Managing Director, Temenos APAC share about the challenges involved in collecting, streamlining and ensuring quality of ESG data, and how knowing how to identify impact projects can help companies with their ESG initiatives.  Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Audrey Siek Music/sound credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors  Photo credit: Handprint

Changes in climate and the effects resulting from climate change control how plants grow, how animals behave, which organisms thrive, and how they interact with the physical environment, especially within forests. Through the fossils that ancient forests left behind, scientists who have tracked their movements over decades say that heat stress is one of key factors pushing forests to migrate. But with global warming rising at an unprecedented rate, can forests move fast enough to escape climate change?  On this episode of Climate Connections, Shawn Lum, Senior Lecturer, Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University shares his insights on the resilience levels of plant species in forests and how tropical forests are holding up compared with their counterparts. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar Music/sound credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors  Photos: Yeo Kai Ting

Did you know that cows burp and fart just like humans?  Each time a cow burps or passes out gas, a little puff of methane wafts into the atmosphere. In fact, a single cow can produce 70 to 120 kg of methane a year.  On this episode of Climate Connections, we shine a spotlight on 2023 Earthshot Prize Finalist Sam Elsom, Co-Founder and CEO of Sea Forest - a climate startup that has come up with a way to utilise red seaweed to reduce methane emissions from cows and other livestock. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Audrey Siek Music/sound credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors  Photo credits: The Earthshot Prize

Hotels or lodging are an essential part of travel, which is seeing a rise once again as the pandemic retreats into the shadows. As you wind down this year-end, perhaps take some time to think about how much carbon footprint you contribute when it comes to where you stay on your travels.   With the voice on climate change growing louder, some hotels have joined the bandwagon to do their part for the environment. In this episode of Climate Connections, Elaine Chan, Director of Marketing Communications & Sustainability at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay Singapore shares more. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Ryan Huang & Audrey Siek Music/sound credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors 

A little climate threat lurks in the form of a substance with a sight and smell that we are hardwired to be disgusted with - sewage. Little is known about the real extent of industrial discharge that ends up in our wastewater systems, but researchers have found that untreated sewage discharge brings more harm to the environment and living communities than surrounding land use. But, wastewater management isn’t always affordable or accessible. And to top things off, it consumes more energy than you think.  In this episode of Climate Connections, find out how 2023 Earthshot Prize Finalist, Orianna Bretschger, Co-Founder & CEO of Aquacycl is reinventing the entire wastewater treatment process to make it simpler and friendlier to the planet. Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar Music/sound credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors  Photo credits: The Earthshot Prize