SG Climate Rally is back this year at the Speakers Corner at Hong Lim Park! Swing by between 3pm and 7pm to watch musical performances by Cactus Cactus, RENE and Woes, hear speeches and participate in other activities! More details below:
What is this event?
SG Climate Rally is an event bringing together climate-concerned everyday Singaporeans who want to stand for a greener and fairer Singapore for everyone. The impacts of climate change in the forms of heatwaves, floods, and rising sea levels are already being felt in Singapore and in the region. We gather today because we believe that Singapore must take stronger and swifter action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and offer robust support to communities most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Who organised this event?
We are a completely volunteer-run and ground-up group. Many of us are youth and students, but the group also has working professionals like artists, scientists, writers, engineers, and more.
Why organise this event?
At the heart of SG Climate Rally’s work is climate justice: the recognition that those who are least responsible for the climate crisis are often the most vulnerable. While we are heartened that the government has taken on some of our previous recommendations, such as setting a target of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, Singapore’s climate efforts must be more ambitious and inclusive for a liveable future for all of us.
We believe that gathering together at Hong Lim Park today in large numbers is a way for us to demonstrate our commitment to climate justice, signal that climate change is a bread-and-butter issue, and that much more needs to be done. Gathering at the Speakers’ Corner is also a way to be a part of a longer history of active citizenship, claiming public space, and making our voices heard.
What is climate justice?
Climate justice is about making sure that nobody gets left behind in Singapore’s transition to a green future. This means urging governments to adopt policies to support groups that are most impacted by the climate crisis. It also means holding the major climate polluters responsible for their fair share of climate action. Most importantly, it means listening to and supporting marginalised groups e.g. low-income families, Indigenous communities, migrant workers etc.
What are the goals of the Rally?
We are organising the Rally to call for a just and inclusive roadmap to net-zero emissions. We have three demands:
Accelerate the transition:
We call for more transparent and ambitious goals in Singapore’s plan to transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy. This includes strengthening the carbon tax, investing in green and public transportation, and mandating carbon reduction targets for large companies.
Protect the ecosystems:
We seek stronger environmental laws and consultative processes to protect and restore Singapore’s precious ecosystems. More institutional support is needed in financing conservation and facilitating biodiversity research and engagement.
Empower the people:
We appeal for meaningful engagement with the broader public, especially low-income communities, indigenous communities, and workers in sunset industries, in developing Singapore’s climate action strategy and initiatives. On top of strengthening environmental education in schools, sustainability must centre Indigenous histories and cultures.
We have also produced a long and detailed list of policy recommendations that we want the Singapore government to take action on. You can find them on our website, or by scanning the QR code on the poster.
What activities are happening at the Rally? What can I do today?
From 3 – 5pm, there is a wide range of activities happening:
Postcards to my MP
The main activity for all Rally-goers is to write a Postcard to their Member of Parliament (MP), or any other political representative of their choice (e.g. PM Lee, Minister Grace Fu, President Tharman) You can write or draw anything you want on this Postcard, as long as it communicates to the government that we need to do more to stop the climate crisis.
Your Postcard can include the climate action policy changes you want to see (based on our Calls to Action), or something more personal like why you personally care about climate justice in Singapore.
The thousands of Postcards that we collect today will be mailed to our MPs, and help push for more ambitious climate action policies in Parliament!
Community Booths
Visit the 12 different booths to meet various environmental and civil society groups, and learn about how the climate crisis intersects with the work they do.
Learning Corner
Visit our pull-up banner area to learn more about the climate crisis in Singapore, and why climate justice is so important.
Climate Games
There are two game booths with fun and simple activities, suitable for anyone above the age of 5.
- Soup Toss: Try throwing soup at paintings like climate activists worldwide!
- Giant Jenga: Answer our climate questions and help the tower of collective action stand!
Placard Art Jam
This is a creative art space where you can make a sign if you didn’t bring one, or use face paint to get your message across.
Earth Emotions
This is a social activity where you will get to have casual conversations about the climate crisis, with a focus on the difficult emotions that most of us feel when it comes to climate change. You can have these conversations either with who you came with, or meet new people!
Climate ARcTion
This is a showcase of local art inspired by the climate crisis and environmental justice movement.
Nature Nook: Kids’ Play Station!
This is a family-friendly space for children to learn about climate change through books and art activities.
From 5pm – 7pm, we will be gathering in front of the stage for a special programme of speeches and performances.
Who is performing at the Rally?
From 5pm onwards, we have 3 performances by Singaporean musicians:
- Cactus Cactus is kicking us off with an energetic performance. They draw from diverse genres to create a dizzying combo of experimental garage-rock fury.
- Next up, RENE is an independent artist from Singapore. Meaningful and relatable lyrics, rich vocals, and catchy guitar lines are what create her signature sound.
- Woes is the final performer. Woes is a 5-piece math rock band based in Singapore. By juxtaposing uplifting choruses with poignant lyrics, Woes weaves narratives that are sincere and invigorating.
Who is speaking at the Rally?
We will be hearing from 5 inspiring residents about their lived experiences of climate change and why and how Singapore must take bolder climate action.
- Ho Xiang Tian is a youth climate activist who will speak about the need for stronger corporate climate action.
- Nor Syazwan Bin Abdul Majid is a descendant of the Ubin Orang Pulau and he will highlight the importance of indigenous practices as climate action.
- Madhu Ardhanari is a sustainability strategist and researcher who will speak about the importance of regional climate action.
- Marlina Yased is a community worker and mother who will speak about the impacts of climate change on low income families in Singapore.
- Dr. Geh Min is a doctor and former Nominated Member of Parliament who will highlight how the climate crisis impacts both human and planetary health.
What accessibility services or other support is available?
The Rally hopes to welcome Singaporeans and PRs regardless of age, disability, languages spoken, and more. To make this event as inclusive as possible, we have:
- Priority entry for senior citizens, wheelchair-users, and anyone with accessibility needs.
- A Rest Area and First Aid Zone if you are feeling unwell, with volunteer first-aiders on standby.
- Volunteer translators are available for translation in Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil.
- Singapore Sign Language interpretation from 5pm onwards, for the speeches.
- Reserved seating with chairs for those needing sign language interpretation, or proper seating with a back-rest.
- Dedicated Accessibility volunteers if you need any additional assistance.
- Rented portable toilets and water refill stations for use in case of emergency. Otherwise, we encourage you to use the toilets at the Havelock 2 or Chinatown Point malls.
How is the Rally funded, and where is the money going?
The rally is fully crowd-funded through the kind support of members of the public. All the money raised has been used to organise programming including sign-language interpreters, acquiring logistics and equipment such as tentage and sound systems, and ensuring safety and security measures such as first aid and crowd control.
I have already made significant lifestyle changes such as recycling, using public transport, gardening, doing beach cleanups etc. Isn’t that enough?
That is great, and you should continue! There are also many other organisations that focus on individual actions, which are important since Singapore has a high emissions per capita. However, even with personal changes, our impact is limited as households are only responsible for 7.6% of our national emissions as reported in 2020. Also, not everyone has the time or resources to make these changes. Thus, we believe that collective action is just as important — protests and rallies all around the world like this one have helped to push governments to enact stronger climate policies. You can check out our community booth to learn more about what has changed since our 2019 rally!
For more information, visit them at https://www.sgclimaterally.com/, and instagram.com/sgclimaterally/
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