Our Environment

Coping with climate change (reclamation, reducing carbon emissions, new techniques to cope with sea-level rising), fighting dengue fever transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, building up freshwater generation capacity, desalination and recycling, instilling a sense of graciousness in behaving responsibly (taking tougher stand on littering, introducing of tray-return scheme at hawker centers) are images from our local landscape which make up our environment. At the center of “environment” is the Latin root viron, meaning “circle”. This simple, yet profound image reveals the interconnectedness of air, water, plants, animals and all of our ecosystems.

Recent years have revealed human acts on these natural spaces and the consequences of climate change on our small country. These “hot topic” appears as headline news, whether it is air pollution due to fires in Indonesia, global rise in sea level as a result of warmer world, flash floods due to abundant rainfall especially the monsoon seasons, the dengue epidemic with weekly dengue-fever infections surging to a record or public campaign on littering. There are those who are less affected and think, “This does not have much to do with me.” But for others, these changes dominate their daily lives and the option to ignore the issue does not exist. Voices across the world are joining the call for new techniques and solutions and are taking action to reverse the trend of environmental decline. It is time we teach our young – our students: “If you make a mess, clean it up!”

I believe that our students, of all levels, can develop understanding of and respect for our environment. They can acquire a vocabulary that will allow them to participate in conversation and develop informed ideas about such topics such as carbon consumptions, rising sea-level, clean water and graciousness of behavior. Knowing that our planet is dynamic, they can consider which of our actions protect and preserve and which cause irreparable harm. Knowledge and the ability to respond can join to create among citizens living in our small country to ensure that we are prepared for the worst and not take anything for granted.