By Olivia Koh, mentored by Yap Pei Yin The emergent: An aerial view of Singapore’s conservation The developed world’s focus on finding sustainable solutions is not misplaced. After all, sustainable solutions such as carbon credits, carbon capture technology and developments in renewable energy help a developed nation like Singapore to maintain or improve its economic standing while emitting less carbon. However, I argue that while such developments are important, the sustaina

By Isabelle Teo Zi Ning, mentored by Vimaljit Kaur and Dominic Tayco I. Introduction A. The purpose behind legislation 1. A commonly held assumption is that a society’s constitution incorporates its values into its legislation and statutes.[1] Indeed, this seems to be the ideal. Article 152 of Singapore’s Constitution records the country's commitment to its racial and religious minorities, but also making it the responsibility of the Gov

By Oi Lu Yi, mentored by Tracy Xie I. Introduction The Polluter Pays Principle (“PPP”) provides that those who cause environmental degradation should bear the proportionate costs of mitigating or preventing such harm.[1] However, the enforcement of the PPP is hindered by the challenge of the insolvency of polluters that hinder their full compensation of all environmental damages they cause. Mandatory environmental pollution liability insurance can be seen as a possible so

By Riya and Sharvari, mentored by Elizabeth Wu and Anil Changaroth 1. Introduction Imagine a courtroom in The Hague, unremarkable except for what hangs in the balance: the emissions trajectory of an entire nation. The judges are not scientists or elected officials, yet their ruling will decide when and how fast a government must cut carbon. This is not hypothetical. In 2019, the Dutch Supreme Court ordered the Netherlands to reduce emissions by at least 25%, reasoning that th

By Qaisarah and Jolyn, mentored by Marius Toime About 5km deep at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean lies the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (“CCZ”).[1] It is a real-life Bikini Bottom of sorts, but far stranger than fiction. A westward sloping seafloor with scattered hills and seamounts,[2] the CCZ is a region rich in biodiversity. 90% of the species it houses are new to science. The ecosystem is supported by stalked glass sponges attached to polymetallic nodules (“PMNs”),[3] which ar

By Angel Chua, mentored by Ho Jean Nie Climate change is a deeply politicised issue1 — the very countries that negotiate and execute climate policy each carry their individual histories, interests and rivalries to the table. While geopolitics has indeed hindered climate action, this essay argues that the relationship between the two is not inherently antagonistic; geopolitics also carries the potential to accelerate climate action through competition, energy security and

By Fionn, Cassie and Vera; mentored by Elizabeth Wu Introduction Indigenous people make up a small fraction of the world’s population, yet the land they hold or manage is estimated at half or more of the world’s remaining land area, including many untouched ecosystems. Accordingly, climate and environmental policies increasingly depend on communities who have very little say in how that policy gets made. This essay argues that indigenous people are central to environmental go

By Ho Rey-En I. Introduction 1 It is all too easy to be cynical about the world today. As our planet's destruction heads towards a point of no return, it becomes questionable whether environmental law has ever been taken seriously. Eleven years ago, most of the world signed the Paris Agreement, committing to limiting the global temperature increase caused by the greenhouse effect to 1.5°C by 2030. Despite the precautionary tales of irreversible damage, the world is on tr

By Ong Min Yi, Shervyn Eng Kia Ngee and Yvette Loo Zhi Yuan, mentored by Rachel Ooi and Elizabeth Wu I. ​Introduction 1. In the 21st century, indigenous communities are finally beginning to gain formal recognition of their longstanding roles as customary owners and custodians of their lands and resources, after decades of historical non-recognition. There has been a growing understanding of the importance of including indigenous communities in decision-making processes

By Charmaine Goh and Shernace Seet, mentored by Quak Fi Ling Introduction Fashion no longer moves in seasons. It moves in micro-trends that sweep through TikTok and Instagram and vanish just as quickly. Within days of a look going viral, ultra-fast fashion platforms like Shein and Temu flood the market with cheap replicas. Within months, once the trend dies, those same garments end up in landfills or are shipped off overseas as tightly packed bales of textile waste.[1] This