Some 130 students from ASEAN, India and China will be groomed over the next five days to champion environmental issues under a new collaboration.
The STEP-NUS Sunburst Environment Programme is the result of a collaboration between the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Singapore Technologies Endowment Programme (STEP).
It was launched on Monday by Minister in Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu.
About 80 of the students, aged between 13 and 15 years, are from Singapore.
They will attend lectures delivered by scientists, and take part in workshops.
They will also make study visits to places like the Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve and the Tropical Marine Science Institute’s St John’s Island Marine Laboratory.
Topics of discussion will range from climate change and conservation to sustainability issues.
Most of the students are budding environmentalists, and were hand-picked by their teachers. Some were picked to participate after writing essays on environmental issues, while others were chosen based on their participation in their school’s science programmes.
Organisers hope students can go home with a better awareness of environmental concerns affecting their countries and the region.
Krish desai, a 15-year-old student from Mumbai, India, who attends the Cathedral and John Connon School, said: “Sometimes we tend to be lax in the name of development… for (example) setting up industries, sometimes forests are felled, or for mining, sometimes the land is destroyed.
“It completely ruins the climate. What I would like is for a little tighter security… stricter laws — that if you’re felling forests, get it replanted. It’s your responsibility. That’s what I want for India.”
Jonathan Chee of Bukit View Secondary School, said: “I hope that at the end of this week, this programme will ignite passion in terms of environmental awareness.
“If you have a heightened awareness of the environment, it will motivate you to put a step forward and help the environment.”
Addressing the students at the RELC Auditorium, Ms Fu said environmental issues cannot be solved in isolation as the issues do not observe physical and sovereign boundaries.
She cited the recent haze problem as an example, and said an approach of global inclusion and shared responsibility is needed.
Ms Fu said: “The youths of today, the leaders of tomorrow, must develop a thorough understanding of the issues. Getting all parties involved — a globally inclusive process — is a good way to start understanding the issues.
“Engaging and collaborating with one another could then lead to a solution for global problems.”
Speaking to reporters after the event, Ms Fu acknowledged it is not an easy time for many countries politically, especially as many are preoccupied with solving economic problems.
She said many are thinking about reducing spending, rather than expending resources on environmental issues.
She said: “We are in a difficult phase of trying to find a consensus, but I would urge everyone to continue to pursue, because obviously this is an important issue that affects the future of the planet, and we as human beings must be the species that can find options that can ensure our survivability.
“It is us that hopefully have the wisdom — scientifically, politically and economically — to find solutions that are tenable for the majority.”
