Commentary: With so many green spaces in Singapore, why aren’t youth more interested in nature?

WHY ENGAGING WITH NATURE MATTERS

Time spent in our green and blue spaces helps young people develop not only an interest in the natural environment, but also a sense of ownership of their living space. This is important as the climate crisis deepens – young people have a stake in the sustainable development of future cities.

The world that our youths inhabit will require them to make deliberate lifestyle choices to slow the deterioration of the environment. They must also fend off the consequences of climate change like increased energy prices, rising temperatures and more extreme weather – and apathy to these issues will only worsen them.

Interest in and for the environment can be developed through various avenues: Learning from the formal school curriculum, engagement in extracurricular projects like community gardens and volunteering in citizen science activities.

Such extracurricular activities are available to students in Singapore. Commonwealth Secondary School, for instance, is teaching sustainability in its geography, science and language curriculum, and features eco-habitats on campus for students to take part in hands-on learning.

The Friends of the Parks initiative, supported by the National Parks Board (NParks), brings volunteers together to serve as stewards of our green spaces. Non-government organisations such as Nature Society Singapore also actively promote nature conservation through public education and activities.

CONNECTING YOUTH WITH NATURE

But what more could be done to reach out to youths like Alice to increase their interest for the environment?

We conducted a study in May to understand what matters to youths when it comes to issues related to the natural environment, climate change and sustainability. We measured the students’ Connection-to-nature Index (CNI) before and after a three-day non-residential camp at St John’s Island.

CNI was calculated using a 17-item questionnaire in four areas – enjoyment of nature, empathy for other living things, sense of oneness with nature and sense of responsibility for the environment.