Hello Prof! Hello friends! When we did our research on light pollution, we realised that suggested initiatives in mitigating this issue are rather limited. Most of the articles focus on limiting energy wastage. While that is a no-brainer solution to light pollution, we felt that there could be other ways to work towards reducing light…
Like a Moth to Flame
Hello Prof and friends! In Singapore, flying ants are very common. We always see them crowding around street lights and even the lights in our homes, as seen in the figure below. However, did you guys know that light pollution can drastically affect animals and even insects? Source: Simone De Peak / Getty…
An EnLightening Post
Hello Prof! Hello Friends! One of the most interesting, new things both of us came across in this module is Light Pollution. When we look at light, all we think about is how bright and beautiful it is, how it makes the darkest area a safer place. Who knew light sources can be a…
Haze It Cleared Up Yet?
Hello Prof and friends! Today we will be talking about how countries have managed this transboundary pollution throughout the years. In 2002, member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed a legally binding agreement called the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) (ASEAN Agreement On Transboundary Haze Pollution, n.d.)….
Hazed and Confused
Hello Prof and friends! In our previous blog posts, we talked about the causes of haze in Southeast Asia. Today, we will be talking about its disastrous impacts not only to Indonesia, but also to neighbouring countries. Flora and fauna as well as the human population are affected. As haze particles travel across long…
The Hazy Topic
Hello Prof and friends! Living in Singapore, transboundary haze is no hazy topic to us. Transboundary Haze in Southeast Asia has been a problem that engulfs SEA nations almost every year since 1972 (Lee, 2015). Periods of haze also coincides with the El Nino Southern Oscillation phenomenon, which brings drier weather and droughts in Indonesia,…
Flights to Nowhere
Hello Prof and friends! So far, we have explored how air pollution has changed – for better or for worse – worldwide due to the pandemic! In this blog post, we will delve into something we have read about recently: flights to nowhere. Literally nowhere (as depicted in the picture below)! Source: User…
PM2.5 – Fine is not fine
Hello Prof and friends! In Tutorial 2, we delved into comparing Singapore’s Pollution Standards Index (PSI) with other Air Quality Indices (AQI). It has been noted that during major haze events, as determined by the National Environment Agency (NEA), the primary pollutant is always PM2.5. To refresh your memory, the primary pollutant in this context…
Worse Air
Hello Prof and friends! Today we will be talking about how air pollution was exacerbated, mostly post-lockdown. While the previous post gave us a gleam of hope, the reality is air pollution oftentimes reverted to normal once activities resume. China’s levels of air pollution increased and returned back to normal (CNA, 2020). This is…
Better Air
Hello Prof and friends! In Week 5, we saw that the circuit breaker has resulted in a decrease in air pollution levels in Singapore. Looking at the broader scheme of things, this trend is not only limited to Singapore’s borders! Even in the rapidly polluted countries such as China, there has been a…