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Public
Forum on "Environmental
/ Climate Change and Biodiversity "
Jointly
organised by the Singapore Institute of Biology & Science
Centre Singapore
Saturday
23 August 2008, 9am - 12:30 pm
Maxwell Auditorium, Science Centre Singapore
Programme
| 9:00 -9:15am |
Registration |
| 9:15 -10:00am |
Session 1
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Marine
biodiversity and climate change: observations
based on events that simulate climate change impacts
in Singapore
by
Professor Chou Loke Ming (Professor,
Department of Biological Sciences, National
University of Singapore).
|
| 10:00 -10:30am |
Tea Break |
| 10:30am -12pm |
Session 2 |
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Cities
and Climate Change – The
Issue of Policy Response and Mitigation
by Professor Ooi Giok Ling
(Professor, NIE,NTU) and Dr Chang Chew Hung (Ast/P NIE, NTU)
|
| 12:00 - 12:30pm |
Panel discussion |
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END
OF EVENT |
Sypnosis...
Marine
biodiversity and climate change: observations based
on events that simulate climate change impacts in
Singapore
by
Professor Chou Loke Ming (Professor, Department of Biological
Sciences, National University of Singapore).
Expected
impacts of climate change on biodiversity can be predicted from
existing knowledge. While laboratory investigations are
useful for determining physiological responses of individual
species, studies in the field provide a good indication of community
and habitat system responses. Some recent events give
good simulations of climate change scenarios. Climate change
impacts on the marine environment include temperature elevation,
ocean acidification, and sea-level rise, together with accompanying
changes of erosion, sedimentation, and salinity depression following
heavy precipitation. Four case studies on biodiversity impacts
are presented from existing situations in Singapore that simulate
various aspects of climate change.
Cities
and Climate Change: the issue of policy response and mitigation.
by
Professor Ooi Giok Ling (Professor, NIE,NTU) and Dr Chang Chew
Hung (Ast/P NIE, NTU)
Cities are physical, social
and cultural co-constructs which have become conspicuous landscapes,
in terms of their footprint, against the backdrop of global environmental
issues. In the age of global warming and climate change awareness and activism,
the conventional way of regarding cities must change to respond
to the concerns of rising temperatures, more frequent storms, incidence
of natural hazards, altered biophysical environments and their
impact on society. This presentation will outline the main areas
of physical and social impact, with particular focus on cities
such as, Singapore. While predictions and forecasts of future climate
are less than optimistic, there is much that can be done at societal
and individual levels to address and perhaps, even reverse
the impacts of climate change.
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