I would like to applaud the organiser of Ocean Week Brunei for doing such a stellar job in raising awareness on environmental conservation, especially among our youth. Unless one has been living under a rock, we all know that the threats of climate change are real. So to see a group of passionate individuals spreading the message in such an organised manner gives me hope that we might have a way out of the current sticky situation.
Ocean Week Brunei is not yet over but I’m optimistic of its success in shining lights on the pressing environmental issues of our time.
I can only hope that it would result in a more informed populace, including the authorities, who would do anything in their power to safeguard the environment for future generations.
Having a healthy ocean is of course important in regulating climate, thus reducing the impacts of climate change. But it would be good if such a large-scale initiative could be extended to forest conservation. A recent letter in the Opinion page, ‘Protect forested land amid climate change threats’ got me thinking quite a bit about the costs of deforestation.
The author, Concerned Resident, brought up a very good point about supply and demand.
If no one is renting the shophouses that seem to be cropping up everywhere these days, why are more being built seemingly every other month? Should the authority not step in and say, “Enough is enough. We have an environment to protect here.”
This is where the whole-of-nation mentality is absolutely vital. We need authorities to steer us in the right direction, both economically and sustainably; and at the same time. It’s a balancing act that we can ill-afford to ignore for much longer. But we can’t just copy the masterplan off other countries either. We have our own unique way of doing things, after all. So the ball is now on the authorities’ court. How do we navigate the intersection of climate change and economic stagnation?
Green Warrior
