Ecosperity Conversations: Special Edition
Global Warming, Melting Ice Caps and Rising Sea Levels:
Impact on Singapore and the Region
Hear from an inspiring explorer and an internationally recognised geoscientist share about their experiences and work on the climate and environment in this special edition of the Ecosperity Conversations series.
As part of the programme, participants will get to go on an exclusive tour of the Ecosperity Showcase, where some of the most innovative technologies in energy, circular economy and food will be on display.
Admission is free. For more information on this special edition of the Ecosperity Conversations, please contact us.
This special edition of the Ecosperity Conversations is part of the line-up of events during Ecosperity Week in June 2019.
Programme
There are two tour options available - one before and one after the talks
Robert Swan, OBE, is the world’s first person to walk to both the North and South Poles. Robert's Antarctic expeditions helped shape his life goal: to ensure the preservation of Antarctica, the Earth’s last great wilderness. Since 2003, Robert has led annual expeditions to Antarctica with students and business executives to heighten awareness of the Antarctic and build advocacy to ensure its survival as a wilderness. Robert’s talks are thrilling, uplifting and stimulating – all while fostering courage, vision and teamwork. His core themes are inspiration, leadership and future thinking for business, society and the environment.
Robert Swan, OBE
Polar Explorer
Sea levels are rising due to melting ice sheets and warming oceans. The rate at which sea level is rising is accelerating primarily due to melting ice. Globally, most estimates suggest that sea level could rise by another metre or more by the end of this century. If all the Earth's land ice were to melt, our oceans would rise by more than 60m. So what would this mean for Asia's coastlines? By the end of the century coasts in Asia will no doubt be pushed inland, threatening the long term existence of major cities such as Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, Singapore, Jakarta and Manila. Sea level rise is also compounded by subsidence and increases the threat of tsunamis and storm surges. It is very likely that land that is currently home to more 700 million people in Asia will be lost to the sea, forcing coastal populations to retreat inland, leaving behind some of the continent's largest and most prosperous cities to be flooded by the ocean.
Adam Switzer
Principal Investigator, Earth Observatory Singapore
There are two tour options available - one before and one after the talks
About the speakers
Robert Swan, OBE
Polar Explorer
As with the great explorers and adventurers in history, Robert Swan is the first man in history to walk to both the North and South Poles. The successful completion of his North and South Pole expeditions marked the beginning of a new phase in his life. On both expeditions, he experienced, firsthand, the effects of environmental damage on the Polar icecaps. This shaped Swan’s lifetime goal – to work for the preservation of the Antarctic as the last great wilderness on earth. He then founded 2041, an organisation dedicated to this goal.
With his presence and integrity, accomplishments and reflections, Robert Swan has an extraordinary ability to move people and motivate audiences. It is through his expeditions and lectures that Robert works to inform, engage and inspire the next generation of leaders to take responsibility, be sustainable, and know that now is the time for action in policy development, sustainable business generation and future technologies.
Assoc Prof Adam Switzer
Associate Chair (Academic), Asian School of the Environment
Principal Investigator, Earth Observatory of Singapore
Adam Switzer is a geoscientist with interests in coastal landscapes and natural hazards. He is an Associate Chair in the Asian School of the Environment (ASE) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and a Principal Investigator at the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS). Adam uses interdisciplinary techniques to solve contemporary coastal problems at local, regional and international scales. An internationally recognised expert in coastal hazards, insurers, government agencies and those involved in coastal development and risk in Asia often seek his input.
