While Singapore is transforming into a City in Nature, natural habitats have been lost to development, leading to more human and animal clashes. How can wildlife and humans live in harmony?  Synopsis (headphones recommended): Green Trails is a four-part environment podcast special for 2024 where The Straits Times hits the ground with experts. In this fourth episode, our trails won’t be entirely green. Instead of a nature park or a green space, we head over to an urban place surrounded by...

The amount, quality and access of climate finance among key issues to be discussed at COP29. Synopsis: Every first and third Tuesday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. Expectations are mounting on negotiators at COP29, the UN climate conference, to produce an outcome on climate finance. The annual summit, from Nov 11 to Nov 22 in Baku, Azerbaijan, is shaping up to be a “finance COP”, where...

International carbon markets can help to channel funding to developing countries and help them take action to tackle climate change. Synopsis: Every first and third Tuesday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. What is the difference between carbon avoidance, removal or reduction? This question is one of a few key ones holding up global consensus on the establishment of a global carbon credit...

Unlocking new sources of financing for nature, ending harmful subsidies and benefit sharing among issues to be discussed Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. It has been two years since the Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted, and almost 200 countries are set to gather in Cali, Colombia, from Oct 21 to Nov 1 to discuss the way forward. The framework,...

Powering up: The world is warming up to nuclear energy as nations scramble for zero-carbon electricity. Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. For years, nuclear energy has been reviled as an energy source over safety, cost and the time taken to build the power plants.  But with the world’s growing need for clean electricity to fuel everything from electric...

In the bid to make alternative protein palatable to the consumer, South-east Asian cuisine offers some advantages.  Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. Home to glitzy bars and Michelin star restaurants, Singapore is a foodie paradise. It is a reputation that extends well beyond the dinner plate – and it is not just diners who are noticing.  The country’s...

Businesses are buying into new financial products that could help save nature, but funds for nature’s protection have not reached the scale required.  Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. Coral reef bonds, biodiversity credits and schemes that enable national debt to be forgiven in exchange for conservation efforts. These are just some of the financial...

New episodes from our rebranded podcast channel will drop here: https://str.sg/wB2m Synopsis: Every first and third Monday of the month, get a headstart in your personal finance and career with The Straits Times. Our previous Money and Career podcast channel is now rebranded HeadSTart on Record, taking on a fresher and sharper approach on how to chase your aspirations and grow your money.  Hosts Sue-Ann Tan and Tay Hong Yi will speak with guests on how to navigate jobs and finances in a...

Love or loathe them, could insects also become a food source in the wider context of the global population? Synopsis (headphones recommended): Green Trails is a 4-part environment podcast special for 2024 where The Straits Times hits the ground with experts. "Can this be eaten?” is an oft repeated question that every nature guide is familiar with. In July, Singapore approved 16 species of insects for human consumption, to the delight of sustainable food firms and disgust of some...

Climate and environment data disclosures are vital. But real action is needed for cutting emissions and nature protection. Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. There’s a saying in sustainability circles: What gets measured, gets changed.  And this applies particularly to companies, which are the major source of carbon emissions heating up the planet. Companies...

In the quest for renewable hydropower, indiscriminate dam building in the basin of the Mekong is changing the landscape and negatively impacting local communities and ecosystems. Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. Unilateral and indiscriminate dam building has been taking place in the quest for hydropower and control over water in the basin of the Mekong river...

As more carbon dioxide accumulates in the atmosphere, the urgency is growing for safe and sustainable methods to remove this main greenhouse gas from the air to limit the impact of climate change.  Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. CO2 is the main greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. We can’t see it, we can’t smell it but we can definitely feel its growing...

Humans can and must cooperate to manage climate-driven mass migration, as a heating planet forces the poor and vulnerable, particularly in the global south, to move in order to survive.  Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. The concept of the modern nation state is a relatively recent construct, and distorts humans' innate capacity - notwithstanding our tribalism - to...

While the future Long Island will guard against sea level rise, the trade-offs to marine life and the East Coast’s character must be addressed, stakeholders told host Shabana Begum.  Synopsis (headphones recommended): By end-century, Singapore’s mean sea level is expected to rise by up to 1.15m. Now a top attraction in the area, East Coast Park would be a place to avoid if nothing is done.  Frequent floods are likely to put the beach underwater in the future, as climate change continues to...

South-East Asia has big plans to become a regional carbon storage hub. Can it work or are the risks too great? Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. For years now, we’ve heard a lot about carbon capture and storage as one possible solution to climate change. CCS, as it is known, involves capturing carbon dioxide emissions from polluting operations, such as power...

Local solutions are critical for vulnerable millions as the scorching heat rapidly melts snow and ice across the fragile "third pole". Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. As the planet warms, with north India’s plains sweltering under an unprecedented heat wave, Himalayan glaciers are melting faster than ever before. On current trends, glaciers in just the...

Investors are on the hunt for companies that not only cut greenhouse gas emissions but also transform industry and society.  Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. There’s growing investor interest in companies at the cutting edge of green tech innovation. Specifically, companies whose solutions aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions while helping industry wean...

Migratory species are broadly in decline, disrupted by alteration of field and forest habitats, and by hunting in the case of South-east Asia. Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. The East Asian migratory bird flyway is perhaps the most diverse of the world's nine north-south migratory bird flyways, with millions migrating north to south, from freezing latitudes...

Why mudflats are vital for dwindling numbers of birds that stop over seasonally. Synopsis (headphones recommended): In this new 4-part environment podcast series for 2024 - Green Trails - The Straits Times hits the ground with experts in spaces that are critical to the interlinked crises the planet faces: climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. The next episode drops in June. For this inaugural episode, our team heads to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, the local haven for birds that...

Carbon credit ratings can bring much needed transparency and accountability to the market – but is it enough to overcome years of mistrust? Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. Depending on who you speak to, carbon credits hold great promise as a tool to achieve deep cuts in carbon emissions to fight climate change. Or they are a scam that fails to deliver what...

In a storied career, the diplomat Professor Tommy Koh also chaired the Earth Summit in 1992 and negotiated the Law of the Sea. Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. The framers of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea did not foresee global warming affecting oceans to the extent that it does - causing acidification and the death of coral reefs -...

Humanity will never achieve net-zero emissions by the middle of the century unless the building sector figures out how to become truly green. Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. Who hasn’t escaped a scorchingly hot day by seeking refuge in a nicely chilled shopping centre? Or, for those in cold climates, in a toasty warm office or cafe?  But have you ever...

The role of militaries, and conflicts, in driving global warming can no longer be ignored. Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. Even in peace times, militaries are huge emitters of the greenhouse gases that drive global warming. The US military with its global network of bases, has a particularly large carbon footprint - and outsources it to host countries who...

Tipping points are a grave threat but it’s not too late for humanity to reduce the risks.  Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. The world is on the brink of major changes to the natural world that could have truly devastating consequences for billions of people.  These are parts of the natural world that are at risk of abrupt and irreversible changes. For...