Climate Connections: Climate change is impacting the air you breathe. But scientists say, the future solution already exists in Singapore!

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…

Climate Connections: Plant Poaching Crisis: How can you tell if your succulents are legally sourced & sustainable?

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 la…

Climate Connections: Turn off for Take-off - Dark Sky So Shearwaters Fly

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 Islan…

Climate Connections: Water might be the secret ingredient to greening batteries!

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 mini…

Climate Connections: The rice you eat contributes to carbon emissions! So, how do we cut it?

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 th…

Climate Connections: Restaurant to Reef: An Oyster’s Journey - Ecologists braving stinky oyster shells to build "pearls" in Singapore's waters

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 Wit…

Climate Connections: Plastisphere - Colonies of potential plastic-eating bacteria & harmful microbes on our shores

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…

Climate Connections: Reviving ancient indigenous practices to fight degradation of the Andes and secure water for millions

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 …

Climate Connections: Sumatra's Forest Guardian - Leading a generation of powerful women to save Leuser’s last pristine rainforests

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 Intern…

Climate Connections: How this 11-year-old eco warrior is fighting back at climate change

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 …