My last reflection after my final interview with Dr. Jeffrey Low:

 

And, here is an image of our Zoom call!

Here is my audio reflection post-interview with Mr. Stephen Beng

Here is an image of our Zoom

Attached below is my recorded reflection after my interview with Dr. James Guest.

Here is an image of our Zoom call

Attached below is my audio recorded reflection upon my interview with Ms. Ria Tan.

Additionally, here is an image of our Zoom call.

One of the important International Baccalaureate Global Politics courses is to take part in engagement activity. This engagement activity usually comes in the form of taking part in an internship or volunteering that is related to a political issue. This engagement activity would also involve traveling. However, due to the unfortunate circumstances of COVID-19, I was not able to participate in engagement activity in-person. Therefore, I used active online research and interviews via Zoom in replacement for face-to-face participation.

The topic I have chosen for my engagement activity is on environmental sustainability in Singapore. The key research question was how land reclamation as a form of economic development affects marine biodiversity and conservation in Singapore. Until recent years, rapid development involving extensive coastal reclamation in Singapore appears to have rendered little consideration for the marine environment. As a result of these activities, the marine habitats in the entire southern coast of the Singapore mainland and large areas of the north-eastern coast have been considerably affected. I wanted to learn more in-depth the current situation and future prospects, diverse political views on this issue (i.e. developing Singapore as a global economic hub versus protecting the natural environment), and the ways forward through interviews with relevant stakeholders such as researchers, marine activities and government officials.

The motivation for the choice of this topic originates from my interest in marine life as a young boy. Indeed, I began developing my interest in a blue planet very early in my childhood by reading books and watching documentaries that covered sharks alongside with other marine species. My love for and interest in oceans and underwater world later encouraged me to obtain PADI Advanced Scuba Diver certification. The certification provided me with a unique and ample opportunity to dive with my dad and fellow instructors in different places around the world. During these diving trips, I often notice that many coral reefs have been damaged beyond repair. The destroyed coral reefs were in stark contrast with colorful and beautiful reefs and seabed that I had seen on TV. It was immensely shocking to me. I came to learn that on a global scale, there were several causes behind the loss and destruction of coral reefs such as rising ocean temperatures, acidic water and pollution as well as costal development and agricultural activity. All of these were in many ways attributable to human actions.

While living in Singapore for almost 4 years, I have also begun to learn that reclamation has been a big part of the country’s infrastructure development which is often essential to meet the needs of a variety of sectors including industry, military, fisheries, housing and recreation. In short, reclamation plays a highly significant role in supporting Singapore’s economic growth and this inevitably affects marine environment. Give my interest in marine biodiversity, I thought that Singapore’s land reclamation would be a good case study to demonstrate the political issue concerning development versus environmental sustainability. After conducting some reviews of literature and media reports, I set out to further explore this topic