Heat and humidity, the life-threatening twins
Reading Time: 2 minutesWITH the rising effects of climate change, heat waves have become more severe and intolerable around the world, posing dangerous health issues such as heat exhaustion, heat strokes, severe dehydration, and heat cramps which could even be fatal. Many places around the world have registered record-breaking high temperatures this year such as India, the UK, […]
From food scraps to fine dining cuisines
Reading Time: 4 minutesAT a recent US Soybean Export Council (USSEC) conference in Singapore, international delegates were feasting on “food scraps” during one of the official dinners. Eggshells, soy by-products from tofu processing, coconut chaff, and fruit peels were just some of the “food scraps”. None complained, cringed, or were even skeptical. In fact, everyone was full of […]
Upfront with BBC’s Frozen Planet II
Reading Time: 8 minutes Life on thin ice with a mix of wonder, fun, and a blunt lesson on climate change FOR people living remotely away from the large expanses of land in the Arctic and Antarctica, the tundra regions may seem nothing more than bare white plains and peaks, so unvaried and humdrum. But Frozen Planet II […]
Reducing emissions in Malaysia – Methane as a Policy Priority?
Reading Time: 3 minutesReducing emissions in Malaysia – Methane as a Policy Priority? BY YONG JIE WONG, MATTHEW ASHFOLD & HELENA VARKKEY THE climate clock is ticking, and our time is running out. Failure to take the steps needed in the next few years to limit global warming to 1.5°C will push the world further into cascading and irreversible climate effects on the […]
Soil – the neglected gold
Reading Time: 4 minutes“IT takes close to 200 years to form one cm of soil in the tropics and the process is even slower in the temperate regions,” says Dr Jeyanny Vijayanathan, a soil scientist at Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). Jeyanny who advocates environmental awareness says: “We cannot reverse soil erosion that is happening for centuries now, […]
Climate change vs air pollution: Two sides of a coin
Reading Time: 3 minutesAIR POLLUTION is considered to be one of the largest factors contributing to climate change. We are unenlightened that conversely – as climate change also causes air pollution and both can be portrayed as two sides of a coin. Associate Professor Dr Yusri Yusup, an atmospheric physicist from the field of Environmental Technology based in […]
Why Methane Matters?
Reading Time: 2 minutesTWO new signs of large natural methane gas leakages, which scientists on the spot are ascribing to warming conditions, underline the urgency of ensuring that human activity does not further increase the problem by pushing average global temperatures even higher. Researchers from Stockholm University on the icebreaker Oden in the Arctic Ocean reported from the site that “vast […]
Methane and Global Warming
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY DR ZELINA ZAITON IBRAHIM ON November 2, 2021, the United States, the European Union, and partners, formally launched the Global Methane Pledge during the twenty-sixth Conference of Parties meeting (COP26). Malaysia has joined the Pledge. More than 100 countries have committed to reducing global anthropogenic methane emissions across all sectors, by at least 30 percent […]
Is sustainable development achievable?
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY DR CHEE SU YIN TO SOME FOLKS, the words sustainable and development can never exist side by side. Their essence is on opposite sides of the spectrum. A juxtaposition. The term “sustainable” seeks to exhort nature while “development” is usually associated with destroying it. You cannot develop and conserve at the same time. Surely when […]
NTU S’pore produces oil from microalgae to replace palm oil in food production
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA TEAM of scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has developed a method to effectively produce and extract plant-based oils from common microalgae, using a newly discovered method that could serve as a healthier and greener alternative to palm oil. Palm oil is the world’s most popular vegetable oil, used in around half […]