Unwind and Read With Us 📚
Dear friend,
Time really flies. As our #TakeBack2050 campaign comes to a close, we are heartened to see a variety of creative submissions from a diverse group of respondents. Though we may have many ideas on what we want in our version of 2050, we all share a common vision of a more inclusive, equitable society based on principles of regeneration, and this is also the core of SG Climate Rally's ethos. We promise to continue fighting for climate action and justice, such that your visions will become reality in 2050.
We would also like to thank you for your support we have received so far for Project Open Doors! A joint collaboration by four civic groups, Project Open Doors seeks to raise awareness about migrant workers’ confinement and their mental health needs. Our petition calling for restoring freedom of movement for male migrant workers has reached over 750 signatures, with 1000 signatures being our next milestone! Sign the petition here. This month, we hope you have had the opportunity to take a quiet moment for yourself to relax and decompress amidst busy schedules. Unwind and read a good book from our book recommendations and join our book session if you’re up for engaging discussions! Once again, SG Climate Rally would like to extend a warm thank you to you, for your continued support.
For a better world,
W H A T ' S N E W ?
BOOK CLUB SESSION + UPCOMING ANNOUNCEMENTS
Following the dialogue on eco-anxiety during the Singapore Writers Festival, Nature Club brings you our very first book club session on "Eating Chili Crab in the Anthropocene". In this session, look forward to exploring what it means to learn in the climate crisis and to find the path forward from there. It features small group discussions followed by a wider conversation on the book and its complexities. Whether you are an environmentalist or someone unfamiliar with the scene, we welcome all to join us on this journey of holding space. This is a collaboration between SG Climate Rally, Speak For Climate, The Maju Collective, and Eco Youth Collective.
Save the date! 24 November, 8pm to 9.30pm.
Also, stay tuned for our announcements about the Asia Climate Rally very soon! This is the time for all of us in Asia to unite and stand in solidarity for our climate action. You do not want to miss it!
*Note: The book session will be conducted fully on zoom and excerpts of the book will be provided to registered participants.
S G C R W R I T E S . . .
STATEMENTS ON TWITTER
Throughout the month, we have published our thoughts on “cruises to nowhere”, the Omnibus Law in Indonesia and the recent laying off of workers in ExxonMobil. Follow us on Twitter @sgclimaterally for more updates!
C L I M A T E N E W S
THE MONTHLY ROUND-UP
"It's like corporate welfare at the highest level," said Scott Skokos, who heads a local environmental group, the Dakota Resource Council, regarding the state’s lawmaker’s approval of a proposal that sought to use the presently untouched $16 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to fund the fracking of new oil wells. State Rep. Joshua A. Boschee, a Democrat who voted against the proposal, said, "To divert funds away from addressing the public health needs of the citizens while this virus peaks is irresponsible." These funds could have been better spent helping nursing homes safely allow family visits, aiding struggling businesses or amplifying contact tracing, so the repurposing of money to frack new wells is baffling, to say the least.
On 26 October, Japan announced its intentions for the country to become carbon neutral by 2050. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he would speed up research and development on key technologies such as next-generation solar batteries and carbon recycling, and promised to “fundamentally change Japan’s long-term reliance on coal-fired energy”. However, Japan, the world’s fifth-biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, has struggled to cut emissions since the 2011 Fukushima meltdown forced the closure of dozens of nuclear reactors, only a small number of which have restarted. While Greenpeace Japan welcomed Suga’s commitment to carbon neutrality, they stated that there should be no role for nuclear power due to its radioactive legacy that has continued to plague the environment years after the Fukushima meltdown.
As the climate worsens, some scientists are considering turning to technology to buy precious time for humanity. The strategy in question is solar climate intervention or solar geoengineering that entails abruptly reducing global temperatures using methods like marine cloud brightening or injecting aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect sun rays. Michael Gerrard, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at the Columbia Law School mentioned, “I liken geoengineering to chemotherapy for the planet: If all else is failing, you try it.” Using the above analogy, such geoengineering will indefinitely bring side-effects. It is uncertain how implementing such strategies will impact the strength of hurricanes, yield of crops and other weather patterns. Thus, the feasibility of this strategy is still largely a grey area. Most importantly, are we willing to endure the possible implications of such solutions?
Meanwhile, a seagrass restoration project in Southeast Virginia, United States planted more 70 million eelgrass seeds across a 200-hectare plot off the southern end of Virginia’s eastern shore. Spearheaded by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and with assistance from The Nature Conservancy, the project has grown to over 3,600 hectares (8,896 acres) which became the largest seagrass restoration in the world.
“As the world settles into the era of the Anthropocene, and regulatory agencies worldwide seek to conserve and recover valuable ecosystem services, our study provides a positive example that successful marine restorations are possible on the scales that contribute directly to human well-being,” reads the study.
S G C R R E C O M M E N D S . . .
BOOKS TO READ
Last month, we recommended some documentaries and podcasts for you to watch and listen to. This month, we are recommending our favourite books to read. We hope you enjoy our selection for this month!
- On Fire by Naomi Klein:
An investigation of the climate crisis through extensive research and reporting, a warning about what happens if we failed to act in time, as well as the Green New Deal
- How the Man in Green Saved Pahang, and Possibly the World by Joshua Kam:
A fiction in relation to Malaysian folklore and history
- The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Ting:
Through tracing the commodity chain of the rare matsutake mushroom and how it is deeply enmeshed in multiple ecologies and histories, Tsing sketches out the possibility of post-capitalist ways of living
- All We Can Save edited by Ayana Johnson and Katherine Wilkinson:
A collection of inspiring essays from women in the climate movement in the US, showcasing a diversity of ideas on how we can radically reshape society
- Eating Chilli Crab in the Anthropocene edited by Matthew Schneider-Mayerson:
A collection of essays about environmental perspectives on life in Singapore. Do read it if you are coming to our book club session!
Take care and see you again in November!