By Shermaine Lim
On the 30th of January, NTUSU’s Ministerial forum for Open Discussion and Events (MODE) organised a Youth Talk to share about the considerations of climate change within different organisations. The forum encourages students to participate in voicing their concerns and opinions about the matter, acting as a platform to allow for more concrete understanding of our current climate policies and our direction.
Students were able to gather opinions from three distinguished speakers.
Dr. Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Health, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, opened the forum on the topic of sustainable development, giving insight into the already present prioritisation of climate change within the government sector. She also discussed the possible consequences brought about by the combination of environmental damage and our ever-present need for resources.
Ms Nor Lastrina Hamid, the co-founder of Singapore Youth for Climate Change, shared the experiences she amassed through volunteer work and university programs. She referenced the recent SG climate rally, encouraging the student body to explore different approaches towards tackling climate change.
Ms Pek Hai Lin, the manager of Zero Waste SG discussed the various frontiers of activism her company engaged in to confront the issue of wastage through single use disposables. She brought up BYO Singapore, a movement initiated in 2017 that encourages retailers to offer incentives to customers who bring their own utensils.
The floor was opened for various students to address their concerns. Topics such as the goal of reducing global emission were brought up. Concerns like the resistance from older generations were also voiced out. This broadened the discussion to include the issue of responsibility.
With a growing need to reduce emission, there was also anticipation of more waste management related services and industries in the future, with a single goal of reducing energy usage in Singapore.
Overall, the students felt that the talk was promising and enriching in terms of understanding the climate situation in different contexts.
Xaiver Sim Le Jing, the president of the Asian School of the Environment Club, found the sharing beneficial, and emphasised the need for awareness of climate change.
“The improvement of Singapore’s environmental scene is quite heartwarming. The upcycling and recycling of plastic and the implementation of initiatives works well in tackling our current issues. We should also be focused on our own personal consumption,” he said.
Gwen, a year 1 student, voiced her appreciation for the forum.
“It brought up a lot of interesting points for the different schemes, especially concerning what everybody is doing to help. A lot of students were very passionate and there was a lot of participation from the audience,” she said.
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