Economic or GDP growth is often taken for granted to be what all economies strive for. But does higher economic growth always mean a society that is better off? What is not measured by this number, and what are the social and environmental trade-offs in our pursuit of growth?  Degrowth is one academic and social movement trying to understand the relationship between the earth’s biophysical limits, social well-being and our economy, and find out what can help economies deliver on “a good life for all” within planetary boundaries. If you have heard of degrowth / post-growth / donut economics before and want to find out more about how it’s connected to climate justice, this episode is for you!  On this episode of the Climate Kopitiam, join hosts Sammie, Isaac, and our guest, Yong Feng, a masters student at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and SG Climate Rally member, as we give an overview of degrowth’s main arguments - how economic growth leads to environmental degradation and does not necessarily lead to better welfare. We then explore the possibility of various degrowth ideas in policy and ground-up initiatives, whether proposed or already in practice, outside or within Singapore.   The podcast cover is inspired by this quote from Degrowth: A Vocabulary for a New Era: “Degrowth is not about making an elephant smaller, it is about turning an elephant into a snail”. Shownotes: (00:00) Introduction (02:33) Economic Growth and Biophysical Limits (07:10) Sociopolitical Aspects of Degrowth (14:34) Example of Policies for Degrowth (17:40) Ground-up Degrowth Initiatives in Action (23:36) Reflections of Degrowth during Covid-19  (26:32) Possibility of Degrowth Policies in Singapore (28:28) Degrowth and Climate Justice  (34:45) What brings you hope when it comes to degrowth? References: Oxfam Climate Equality Report - https://makerichpolluterspay.org/climate-equality-report/ Our World in Data on Production versus Consumption Emissions- https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/production-vs-consumption-co2-emissions?country=USA~GBR~CHN~IND~SGP Deforestation Footprints - https://www.carbonbrief.org/scientists-calculate-trade-related-deforestation-footprint-of-rich-countries/ Decoupling Debunked report by European Environmental Bureau - https://eeb.org/library/decoupling-debunked/ Ground Up Initiative (GUI) in Singapore - https://www.facebook.com/groundupinitiative/ Article about Majulah Universal Basic Income - https://www.ricemedia.co/current-affairs-features-universal-basic-income-inequality-interview-part-one/  Rutger Bregman. 2014. Utopia for Realists: And How We Can Get There.  Can Batllo (example of urban commons in Barcelona) - https://cooperativecity.org/2023/11/10/measuring-social-return-the-case-of-the-community-centre-can-battlo/ Additional Resources: [Book Chapter] Bertrand Seah. 2020. Another Garden City is Possible: A Plan for a Post-Carbon Singapore in Schneider-Mayerson eds. Eating Chilli Crab in the Anthropocene  Degrowth Singapore Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/3844872028890880/?mibextid=oMANbw  Database of Degrowth Resources: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18Z7kTs0smhOU9S3DyGNJ_MBQeu3XKW2qdxa3unOEn6I/htmlview# [Book] The Future is Degrowth: A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism by Matthias Schmelzer, Aaron Vansintjan and Andrea Vetter [Book] Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World by Jason Hickel

In September, clashes erupted between villagers and security forces on Rempang Island, part of the Riau Islands which includes Batam. At least 43 people have since been arrested. The cause of this conflict lies in a planned Rempang Eco-City development, an industrial and tourist project on the island. The Eco-City would lead to the displacement of around 7500 villagers from their land, which the local communities have been living on since 1834. The villagers have said that the compensation offered is inadequate, and they were not meaningfully included in the discussions before the decision was made to develop the Eco-City.  Adding to this complexity is how a solar panel factory will be part of the Eco-City, and will likely produce solar panels to be used in a solar farm project jointly undertaken by Singapore and Indonesia, where the electricity generated will be exported to Singapore. To talk more about this complex issue, we speak to Satrio, a policy analyst from Friends of the Earth Indonesia (WALHI) and Fadilla, a researcher from Trend Asia.  More information: Statement from The Indigenous People's Alliance of Indonesia (AMAN) on the Rempang Eco-City project: https://tinyurl.com/OnRempangAMANEnglish  Fundraiser for legal efforts on the ground Rempang's Eviction Crisis: Absence of Eco City Planning Raises Questions, Suspicions Surround Government Officials in Batam's Solar Power Plant Project by Trend Asia  Keadilan Timpang di Pulau Rempang (Unequal Justice in Rempang Island) by WALHI  TIME STAMPS: (00:00) Introduction (03:55) Background context of the conflict (06:16) Impact of relocating the villagers (09:56) Timeline of the development of the project (12:03) What are groups like WALHI and Trend Asia doing in response? (17:11) What would a just energy transition for Indonesia and the region look like? (19:34) Regional responsibility and what Singapore can do on this issue (23:11) “We never want electricity to come from the blood of the people”

In the run-up to our rally on 23 September at Hong Lim Park, SG Climate Rally will be featuring the voices and stories of climate activists in our region; after all, the climate crisis is an existential threat that transcends national borders, affecting people, ecosystems, and economies worldwide.  In the second episode of this series, we speak with Mitzi Jonelle Tan, a full-time climate justice activist based in Metro Manila, Philippines. She is the convenor and international spokesperson of Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP), the Fridays For Future (FFF) of the Philippines. In an illuminating chat, we talk about how YACAP aims to educate people about climate justice in the Philippines, Mitzi’s experience engaging with local communities on the ground, the sometimes dangerous reality of being a climate activist in the Philippines, and how regional collaboration on climate action can look like (follow the capital!).  Check out the first episode of this series with Aroe Ajoeni from Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY) if you’ve not done so already here. Links: Mitzi’s Instagram: @mitzijonelle YACAP’s Instagram: @yacaphilippines Environmental activists abducted in the Philippines Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction/Who are YACAP? (03:22) YACAP’s organisational strategy and using storytelling to introduce climate justice (06:26) How is climate justice viewed in the Philippines? (08:26) Takeaways from engaging local communities on the ground (11:25) Challenges for climate activists in the Philippines (14:21) “That’s why we have no choice but to fight back” (19:11) The possibilities of a better world (22:26) Regional and global collaboration with other groups (24:55) What is your ideal form of regional collaboration? (25:44) How can Singaporeans support climate activists in the Philippines? (29:45) Outro

In the run-up to our rally on 23 September at Hong Lim Park, SG Climate Rally will be featuring the voices and stories of climate activists in our region; after all, the climate crisis is an existential threat that transcends national borders, affecting people, ecosystems, and economies worldwide.  In this episode, we speak with Aroe Ajoeni, a student and Communications Director of Malaysian climate justice and feminist organisation Klima Action Malaysia (KAMY), where she focuses on the production of media content in the formation of a people-based discourse on the climate, and leads KAMY's in-house media production team, Climatea. Aroe shares more about Malaysia’s climate activism scene, how local communities have tackled the climate crisis, and how regional climate organisations can collaborate to foster greater regional solidarity, amongst other interesting insights! Links: KAMY Report - CLIMATE AND ENERGY TRANSITION REPORTING IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA'S MAINSTREAM NEWS MEDIA KAMY Instagram: @klimaaction Aroe’s Instagram: @aroeajoeni Aljazeera article on Sabah’s Nature Conservation Agreement  Clarification: Malaysia latest installed renewable energy capacity target is 70% by 2050, not 2040, as stated in the episode Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction/Who is KAMY? (04:02) Malaysia's climate activism scene (07:03) What are the major challenges faced by Malaysian communities? (12:17) What have been the major challenges for Malaysian climate activists? (13:33) How should international organisations work with local indigenous communities in rural areas? (16:30) How have local communities responded to the impacts of climate change? (18:10) How the Malaysian government support local communities in building climate resilience (20:10) Collaboration with regional organisations in SEA (24:40) KAMY at COP27 (27:15) What does a Green Malaysia look like? (33:08) More on SG’s involvement in the Sabah NCA/Outro

Is Singapore a developed or developing nation? What do these terms mean, and what implications do they have in the world of climate finance and negotiations, and more broadly, climate justice?  On this second episode of the Climate Kopitiam, join our hosts Isaac, Debby, and Sammie, as well as our guest for this episode, Yi Feng, a coastal ecologist from SG Climate Rally, as we talk about the differences between these two terms, the historical context of development, the Loss & Damage fund and the links between development and climate justice.  Sources mentioned in this episode: SYCA statement Hansard transcript Orang Laut SG Wan’s Ubin Journal Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction/What's your favourite Kopitiam Brew? (01:45) SYCA Statement and the Loss & Damage Fund (07:30) The diplomatic context to the Developing/Developed divide (13:00) Indigenous communities and development (22:00) The Developing/Developed divide and climate finance (29:05) How does the Developing/Developed divide link to climate justice? (36:20) "Poorer countries are not underdeveloped, they are overexploited"

Introducing SG Climate Rally’s very own podcast - Climate Kopitiam! Through this podcast we hope to go deeper into some of the issues surrounding climate justice and also get other perspectives by chatting with invited guests. In this first episode, we introduce ourselves (Debby, Isaac and Sammie), share about what we do at SGCR, and ramble (quite a bit) about climate justice and its importance to the climate movement. Brew a cup of your favourite kopi or teh, and join us as a kopi kaki in Climate Kopitiam, now available on Spotify and other streaming platforms.