Just a few weeks ago, Singapore endured its worst haze on record. Why after so many years, is the haze problem still so bad? Are we, the people of Singapore, really so helpless?

Join our discussion as we present 3 different perspectives on what causes the haze and what you can do to stop it. For further enquiries, contact Yi Han <yihan.creates@gmail.com>

Date: 29th July, Monday
Venue: NTUC Centre (One Marina Boulevard), Level 9, Room 903

7pm        Mingling & Registration
7.30pm  Start of presentations
9pm        Discussion
9.30pm  Official programme ends

1st speaker: Tan Yi Han
Sick and tired of enduring the haze year after year and hearing the same old blame-game, Yi Han embarked on a 5 week journey through Malaysia and Indonesia in June and July this year. As he worked with NGOs on the forefront of the haze battle and interviewed farmers living next to the massive fires, what he discovered paints a different story from what we hear through the media…

2nd speaker: Dr Liew Soo Chin
Dr Liew is Head of Research of the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP) in the National University of Singapore.  A physicist by training, Dr Liew’s research is focused on applications of physics and imaging technology in extracting information about the environment from  earth observation satellite data. He has published numerous research articles on fires, haze and deforestation in the Southeast Asia region.

Satellites are eyes in the sky. They  carry sensors that enable us to monitor the environment and study the changes. In this talk, Dr. Liew will show how satellite imagery can help us understand the fires and haze. Basic principles of satellite imaging will be introduced and illustrated with satellite images of fires and fire affected areas. Satellite images collected over the years help us to identify fire-prone areas and the probable causes of fires. Deforestation in the region and how it is related to fires will be discussed.  

3rd speaker: Dr Jackson Ewing
J. Jackson Ewing is Research Fellow and Coordinator of the Environmental, Climate Change and Food Security Programme at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. Dr. Ewing’s research interests include both traditional and non-traditional security issues throughout the Asia-Pacific, and his past work has focused on the capacity for environmental factors and processes to contribute to the causes of instability and civil conflict. Since joining the RSIS Centre for NTS Studies in 2010, Dr Ewing has focused on Asian food systems modernization, connections between environmental changes and migration patterns, the role of natural resources and environmental stress in regional separatist movements, and a range of regional resource development trends. He is currently leading a research project that seeks to explore and map the linkages between environmental, food and energy security challenges in Southeast Asia.

This talk will explore the primary economic and social drivers of the haze, recent response efforts and the reasons behind their shortcomings, and the prospects for future actions. The speaker will draw upon a range of discussions with government officials, civil society actors and members of the international policy community dealing with land-use issues in Indonesia.