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2024 is "virtually certain" to be the hottest on record. In recent months, the world has seen back-to-back hurricanes, catastrophic flooding, devastating typhoons and severe drought.
It is against this backdrop that global leaders gather at the COP29 UN climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, where a draft text of the new climate finance target was published. The finance agreement - also known as the New Collective Quantified Goal - would apply when the current US$100bn per annum target ends in 2025, and will be crucial for scaling up finance for climate action around the world.
With more than a week of talks ahead, the final outcome is still uncertain. However, the text contains many options still under consideration, as world leaders and negotiators work out a new financial target to support developing countries in their climate actions post-2025.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Sophie Sirtaine, CEO of CGAP - an international partnership housed in the World Bank Group, dedicated to promoting inclusive financial ecosystems - weighs in on what’s at stake.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: Unsplash/Atul Pandey
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Until now, geologists have been divided as to whether this superdeep, superhot resource can be tapped.
Rock under high temperature and pressures - more than 373 degrees Celsius and 220 bars of pressure - is ductile, or gooey, as opposed to a smashable stone from your backyard.
So far, data shows that rock that fractures at superhot conditions can be ten times more permeable than rock that fractures at conditions closer to the Earth’s surface, and can also deform more readily.
Scientists have found that in the Taupō Volcanic Zone, supercritical conditions are as shallow as 4 km, making it one of the rare places in the world where supercritical development is both accessible and technically feasible. So far, only Iceland, Japan, the United States and Kenya have successfully drilled superhot wells.
On today’s Climate Connections, Sheena Thomas, Interim General Manager Research Strategy and Partnership from GNS Science shares her insights on the economic potential and viability of superhot geothermal in New Zealand, and why proper environmental impact studies and collaborations with local indigenous Maori communities are absolutely critical in ensuring minimal environmental impact. She’s also a speaker at the Singapore International Energy Week this year.
GNS Science is leading a multi-year research programme 'Geothermal: The Next Generation’ - to investigate New Zealand’s ‘supercritical’ (high temperature/superhot) geothermal conditions and evaluating the economic opportunity for supercritical geothermal heat and electricity generation in New Zealand.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: GNS Science
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Fehlende Folgen?
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Algae are microscopic organisms that live in aquatic habitats and they use photosynthesis to produce energy from sunlight, just like plants. So far, there are over 50,000 species of living algae documented currently. And one thing that people sometimes forget is that algae are the base of many food webs and are an integral part of a healthy aquatic ecosystem.
But, algae can also grow out of control if the water around them contains too many nutrients, resulting in harmful algal blooms. And did you know that toxins from these harmful algal blooms could get kicked up into the air as airborne algae?
With the focus on climate change growing, scientists are continuing to document the effects of climate change on algae, and how airborne algae in turn interact with our environment.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Mickey Rogers, Pauling Fellow and Chemist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, who is researching airborne algae and its impact on atmospheric processing, shares her insights. She's currently also developing new methods of aerosol generation and online gas flux monitoring of biological cells including acoustic levitation of small particles.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: Mickey Rogers / Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
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Industrial waste makes up at least 50% of waste generated globally. And much of that waste is the result of poor quality products from manufacturing processes, as well as the sheer complexity of manufacturing and supply chain management.
As consumer awareness about the environmental impacts of waste increases, recycling is expected to grow considerably in the coming years. By 2032, the global waste recycling services market is forecast to have surpassed a value of US$90 billion, registering a compound annual growth rate of 4.7 percent during the forecast period 2023 to 2032.
But cost is often an issue. So, what can be done to scale up recycling within industries?
On this episode of Climate Connections, Susie Burrage, President, Bureau of International Recycling, who will be actively involved in the World Recycling Convention, held in Singapore from 28th to 29th October, shares her perspectives of being a fourth-generation recycler.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
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Nature films tell the stories of the world's flora, fauna, and landscapes - often a journey into the secret lives of what exists around us. These stunning visual tales show us how we are interconnected with nature in many ways. This, in turn, allows us to better understand the current conversations about climate change, sustainability and biodiversity, and put us in a better position to be agents of hope and change.
That’s exactly what the inaugural ‘Earth in Focus’ Singapore Nature Film Festival 2024 hopes to achieve. Running from 1st to 3rd November this year, the festival will showcase local and international films, photography and ecological art exhibitions, as well as workshops run by conservation NGOs - covering a wide range of conservation topics, from ocean and land conservation to water scarcity and technology for conservation.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Daphne Ong, Conservationist & Festival Director of Earth In Focus, and Andy Ridley, CEO of Citizens of the Reef & Co-founder, Earth Hour share their insights ahead of the festival.
Find out more about Earth In Focus and register for film screenings and workshops here: https://www.earthinfocus.co/festival-happenings
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: Earth In Focus
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Nature is our life support system, but right now, it’s in trouble. WWF’s latest Living Planet Report reveals that the average size of wildlife populations have declined by a staggering 73% since 1970, providing a stark warning “that the world is fast approaching dangerous tipping points”.
Habitat loss and degradation, driven primarily by our food system is the most reported threat to wildlife populations, followed by overexploitation, invasive species and disease.
With Australia’s role as a regional food supplier growing in importance as global food demand surges, an Australian farmer-owned mutual - Regen Farmers Mutual - is working hard at giving landowners greater access to the growing environmental goods and services markets as the world transitions to net zero.
More than 80 farmers, conservationists and landcarers behind Regen Farmers Mutual have designed a new brokerage model to reduce transaction costs and enable farmers to aggregate their market power to sell environmental services. They are raising $51 million from mining and energy players to fund a series of regenerative farming projects. The mutual has agreed to $100 per unit for the first 1,000 of 18,500 available carbon credits across 750 hectares of land.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Rohan Clarke, Co-director, Regen Farmers Mutual shares how they’re tapping on carbon markets and regenerative farming to preserve their lands.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: Regen Farmers Mutual
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About 180,000 chimpanzees, gorillas and bonobos could be directly or indirectly threatened by current and future mining projects for these transition metals, particularly in West Africa.
With the world focusing its attention on clean energy transition, a boom in African mining activity is expected as critical minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel and cobalt are needed for clean energy technologies such as wind turbines and electric cars. This surge in demand is driving destruction of tropical rainforests which are critical habitats for Africa’s great apes.
In a recent study, researcher Jessica Junker and a team of scientists found that the overlap between mining exploration and preparation areas and important ape habitats was particularly high in West Africa, especially Guinea.
On this episode of Climate Connections, lead author of the study, Jessica Junker, Researcher, Re:wild shares her insights on the delicate balance.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: Re:wild
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Solar power saw a boom in 2023, making it the fastest growing source of electricity generation for the 19th year running. This comes as countries around the world push for a transition towards greener sources of energy.
Australia has given the go-ahead for a A$20 billion (US$13.5 billion) solar project that plans to ship energy from a giant solar farm in the country's north to Singapore through a 4,300 km undersea cable. The approval comes with strict conditions to protect nature and the project must avoid the habitat of greater bilby, which are small rabbit-like marsupials with long floppy ears.
A final investment decision is expected in 2027. If eventually approved, the project aims to deliver up to 6 gigawatts of green electricity to large-scale industrial customers in Darwin, the capital city of Australia's Northern Territory, and in Singapore.
But how challenging are such large scale energy projects and are cross-border collaborations the most important key to renewable energy adoption?
On this episode of Climate Connections, Hanwei Wu, Editorial Director, OPIS shares his insights. He heads the Asia-Pacific team in producing price assessments and proprietary data for the oil, petrochemical, renewables and carbon markets.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: SunCable
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Despite being highly threatened, only a few langur populations have been studied in detail, owing to their elusive nature, arboreality and the challenging terrains where they inhabit. As a result, conservation of these species has been challenging.
Over 85 per cent of Asian langurs are threatened with extinction, making them one of the continent’s most threatened primate groups.
A new landmark Asian langurs (Presbytis) Conservation Action Plan 2024-2034, combining the efforts of international primate experts and conservationists, has just been launched, in a bid to galvanise conservation for Asian langurs across Southeast Asia.
On this episode of Climate Connections, lead of the initiative, Dr Andie Ang, Head, Primate Conservation & Singapore Programmes, Mandai Nature shares her first-hand insights on putting together the conservation plan and her experience out in the field.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: Andie Ang
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Platinum group metals (PGM) - a group of precious metals - such as platinum, palladium and rhodium, are traditionally recovered through underground and open pit mining within a linear economy, where the ore is mined, transformed into products and then disposed of as waste at the end of their lives. These metals are often used in catalytic converters for cars, buses, trucks, and other industrial processes.
However, the process of mining for these precious metals could directly or indirectly lead to environmental impacts including deforestation, water pollution, and habitat destruction.
With the aim of creating a circular economy while fulfilling the high demand for these finite precious resources in a sustainable way - one company called BR Metals is recovering these metals from metal scraps and reintroducing them into the supply chain.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Frank Chen, Founder & Managing Director, BR Metals shares more about how his company is recovering precious metals from car scraps and his latest ventures into the gold and silver space. BR Metals was also crowned Champion in the Business For Good category at this year’s Brands for Good Awards.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: BR Metals
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To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C - as called for in the Paris Agreement - emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
But as the days pass, the world is staring at a growing emissions gap.
Back in 2021, Speed & Scale - a global initiative aimed at pushing leaders to act on the climate crisis - built a plan based on 10 objectives, each with its own set of milestones, or “key results” - to zero out the world’s 59 gigatons of annual greenhouse gas emissions, before it’s too late.
And just recently, Speed & Scale released a global progress report, tracking where the world is making good headway on the road to net zero and where it’s lagging. Most importantly, it points to where we need to go from here in the transition to clean energy, in scaling renewables and cleantech and also in phasing out fossil fuels.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Anjali Grover, Managing Director, Speed & Scale shares more about their blueprint, challenges in tracking some key areas and strategies that can be undertaken to push the world ahead.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: Speed & Scale
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Singapore could be at risk of a tsunami, if an undersea volcano in its neighbouring region erupts.
Globally, tens of thousands of submerged volcanoes lurk beneath the ocean's surface, often going unnoticed and are vastly understudied.
With the help of published data sets and sea-floor topography information, new research has revealed that there are some 466 submarine volcanoes in the waters of Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Scientists say in the event of an undersea volcanic eruption, volcanic ash can blow towards Singapore, blanketing the surface with fine ash, similar to an eruption of a land-based volcano. Additionally, lava flows and volcanic rock avalanches can damage undersea cables in the region, causing internet outages and disrupting financial transactions.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Dr Andrea Verolino, Research Fellow from the Earth Observatory of Singapore at NTU elaborates on his study aimed at uncovering the secrets these submarine volcanoes hold within.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: NTU
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Like other sea turtles, hawksbill turtles are critically endangered due to the loss of nesting and feeding habitats, excessive egg collection, fishery-related mortality, pollution and coastal development.
Currently, hawksbill turtles are protected by international agreements like the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species. This level of international cooperation is essential to the conservation of hawksbills given their wide geographic range.
In Singapore, a small few hawksbill turtles return to the shores during the nesting season between May and October every year. After hatching, these turtles essentially run as quickly as they can to the ocean before a predator can eat them, and then, they are “lost”. Lost, that is, as most would not see them again until they return as juveniles and subadults to their birth shores several years later. That gap of time is called the lost years and has proven to be a challenging life stage to study.
On this episode of Climate Connections, hawksbill turtles researchers Assistant Professor Kim Hie Lim from NTU’s Asian School of the Environment and Regine Tiong, PhD student at NTU share more about their DNA study that’s set to uncover some of the secrets behind lineages of hawksbill turtles that visit Singapore's shores and where they go to nest and forage after hatching.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: Asian Geographic / NTU
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A new environmental movement is gathering pace: “Nature Positive”.
The concept of "Nature Positive" envisages a planet where the current rapid loss of biodiversity is halted and reversed, and nature is restored. Since the term was coined in 2020 amid negotiations for the Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity, world leaders, businesses and civil society have rallied behind the ambition.
With calls for action growing stronger, there’s an increasing recognition that reversing biodiversity is critical for combating the global climate crisis, preventing future pandemics of zoonotic origin, addressing water and food insecurity, as well as supporting sustainable and equitable development. In December 2022, the goal of halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 was codified in the mission of the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Its adoption under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity has been described as the ‘Paris moment’ for nature.
However, experts warn that vigilance is needed to prevent the concept of a Nature Positive world being threatened by greenwashing, with some pledges lacking the rigorous scientific framework needed to achieve real impacts.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Professor Lawrence Loh, Director of the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at NUS Business School shares his insights on nature positivity and what companies should consider in order to avoid falling into the greenwashing trap.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: Nature Positive Initiative
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Can Singapore meet its “30 by 30” food sustainability goal?
With the passing of the five-year mark since that goal was set - this question has been cast into the spotlight, following a series of delays, failures or re-configurations of high-tech farms of late.
It hasn’t been easy for local producers, with indoor vegetable farm I.F.F.I shutting down, and VertiVegies abandoning plans to build a mega vertical vegetable farm - both of which had been awarded funding under the government’s 30 by 30 express grant. Other agri-food casualties include aquaculture, with the Barramundi Group ceasing sea bass farming, and novel protein, in particular with the cultivated meat industry seemingly in limbo.
Despite those shake-ups, farmers and relevant stakeholders are still hard at work in pushing the little red dot towards its goal of producing 30% of its nutritional needs locally by 2030.
On this episode of Climate Connections, we explore the issue with a range of stakeholders, including:
- Ma Chin Chew, CEO of N&N Agriculture, a local egg farm that has successfully tapped on technology to scale up its productions, and improve its yield and sustainability.
- Ken Cheong, CEO of Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation (SAFEF), who dives into consumer demand trends, and how SAFEF is working hand-in-hand with local farmers to get their produce on the shelves and stay competitive.
- Andy Chang, Director, Fresh and Frozen, FairPrice Group, who sheds light on what drives consumer choices in today's context, and what local farmers need in order to stay ahead of the game from a retail perspective.
Special thanks to the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: SFA website
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Back in historical times, volcanoes played a crucial role in the evolution of the planet and early life, and are constantly reshaping the morphology of Planet Earth.
Today, about 500 active volcanoes presently exist on the Earth’s surface, with some 50 erupting each year, and more than 800 million people living within 100 kilometres (60 miles) of an active volcano. As populations continue to grow around volcanoes, these impact events will likely continue to affect communities.
With modern society heading into uncharted territory as the world grapples with unprecedented climate change effects, many concepts adopted by policymakers and scientists to deal with volcano-related hazards will quickly become outdated, and hence making ongoing research so crucial.
While extensive research has been done on explosive eruptions, there has been limited studies on how lava flows are impacting communities. These streams of molten rock are one of the most common volcanic hazards and can be disastrous for communities.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Dr Elinor Meredith, Research Fellow in Volcanic Risk, University of Twente and Susanna Jenkins, Associate Professor, Earth Observatory of Singapore, NTU share insights from their extensive study on the frequency and severity of these lava flow impact events, and whether they are an increasing threat to communities.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Assistant Producer: Simone Chuah
Photo credits: Iceland Review
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“It's about sowing the right seeds. Seeds which will sprout, which will take root. And so how do we do that? We can't have change overnight, but we need to create a pipeline of the next generation of inventors, thinkers. Though we’re a little dot in this globe, we have that opportunity to nurture them. Many times, I go back to Lee Kuan Yew. He dreamt big. We’ve enjoyed the bounty, how do we take it forward?”
Inspired by Singapore’s Founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s love for nature, environmentalist Kirtida Mekani mooted the country’s Plant-A-Tree programme back in the day. It’s an initiative where organisations and individuals can, for a donation of $300, plant a tree in the green spaces managed by the National Parks Board, or NParks.
Fast forward to today, she’s an ardent advocate of biomimicry adoption. With the urgency to tackle climate change growing, she strongly believes that biomimicry is the path forward for science and engineering
On this episode of Climate Connections, Kirtida Mekani, Environmentalist & 2024 Inductee, Singapore Women's Hall of Fame shares insights from her decades-long commitment to environmental causes, and the eureka moment that got her on this green journey.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: NParks
Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributorsFind out more on how to take part in the Plant-A-Tree Programme below: https://www.gardencityfund.gov.sg/our-programmes/plant-a-tree/howtotakepart/
You can also join the OneMillionTrees movement here: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/treessg/one-million-trees-movement/upcoming-activities
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Imagine experiencing climate change effects first-hand right under the hole in the ozone layer.
That's something that most people would not be able to fathom, but celebrated British polar explorer Robert Swan, the first person to have walked to both the North and South Poles unassisted, experienced just that.
On his very first expedition to the South Pole in the 1980s, the prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light during parts of the trip which were directly under that ozone layer hole - permanently altered his eye colour from dark blue to light blue. Some years on, his team nearly drowned at the North Pole due to the premature melting of glaciers in the Arctic. Robert later founded the 2041 Foundation, an initiative dedicated to the preservation of Antarctica.
Fast forward decades later, Robert's son, Barney Swan is following in his father's footsteps. In 2017, Barney became the first person to walk the South Pole powered only by renewable energy.
Today, Barney himself is on a mission to combat climate change through his non-profit, ClimateForce, with a seven-year mission to reduce 360 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions before 2025.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Barney Swan, CEO of ClimateForce shares his personal insights walking on this green journey with his father.
Robert Swan was a speaker at Ecosperity Week 2024, aimed at being a metaphoric springboard to accelerate climate and nature-positive action, seeking to deepen the collective ownership and commitment needed across all stakeholders, with a focus on radical yet regenerative solutions, to restore the one planet we call home.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Emaad Akhtar
Photo credits: Barney & Robert Swan
Music credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributorsSpecial thanks to Temasek for making this possible.
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India is currently thought to have around 29,000 wild elephants, especially in the biodiverse Western Ghats region, including Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It’s also the country home to more than half of the global population.
Although poaching, trafficking and trading of elephants and ivory in India is prohibited according to 1972’s Wildlife Protection Act, poaching has remained a constant threat.
Today, around 20-25 elephants are lost to poaching each year.
On this episode of Climate Connections, Emmy-award winning Canadian filmmaker Richie Mehta, who’s the director of Poacher - shares more about his dramatisation of the largest ever elephant poaching case in India.
The eight-episode series was based on the real-life events of Operation Shikar, a sprawling investigation that took place between 2015 and 2017 into elephant poaching in the southern state of Kerala, which led to 72 arrests across India, including elephant poachers, government officials, carvers and high-end ivory art dealers.
Also on this episode, Rohit Singh, Director of Wildlife Enforcement and Zero Poaching, WWF-Singapore , who has first-hand experience coordinating law enforcement activities in India, weighs in on the challenges behind wildlife crime law enforcement.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: WWF-Singapore / Richie MehtaDrama sound effect credits: Richie Mehta / Amazon Prime
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The world is in an era of dire warnings from many scientists and increasing natural disasters, record-breaking temperatures and rising tides. Time is running out to solve the climate crisis, and catastrophe looms.
By now, you're probably used to seeing such headlines. But how can that doom-induced uncertainty be spiralled into meaningful change?
On this episode of Climate Connections, Hannah Jones, CEO, The Earthshot Prize shares her insights on why these messages must be used wisely and how a spark of optimism goes a long way in this fight against climate change. As they continue to support the scale-up of innovations with a potential to repair our planet, she also delves into what she and The Earthshot Prize has been up to as they prepare to hold this year's award ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa.
Feature produced and edited by: Yeo Kai Ting ([email protected])
Voiced by: Audrey Siek
Photo credits: The Earthshot Prize
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