In tandem with Global Climate Action Day on Friday (25 Sep), SG Climate Rally (SGCR), a youth-driven environmental movement, has launched its public visioning campaign titled ‘#TakeBack2050‘.
The campaign aims to inspire hope in audiences by encouraging all those who call Singapore home to share what they want their Singapore to look like in 2050.
Seeking to reframe the crisis-laden 2020 as an opportunity for positive structural changes, the campaign aspires to unite members of the public with the hope that bold climate action today can create a better future for everyone.
Commenting on the motivation behind this digital climate rally, SGCR organiser Tan Heng Yeng said: “Something we hear often is that people are afraid of taking decisive action on climate change, because they worry that it demands sacrifice. They fear it will worsen the quality of life. But we want to challenge this.”
“There is a better future awaiting us if we can execute a green transition that centres socio-economic justice and marginalised communities. With an intersectional climate action policy, we have the opportunity to reshape the parts of society that are not working for us, towards a kinder, healthier, and more inclusive Singapore for all,” added the 24-year-old.
Starting from today, members of the public will be able to submit their personal vision and share their ideas for a more sustainable and equitable Singapore via SGCR’s official website.
Participants are encouraged to be creative with their submissions, which can include written posts, photographs, illustrations, videos, and sound recordings. While users are highly encouraged to share their name and age, they can choose to post anonymously as well.
The campaign will be running until November 2020. Submissions will be collated and used to inform SGCR’s new Calls To Action, a set of demands for Singapore’s leaders to secure a better future for all who call Singapore home.
At the end of the campaign, SGCR will be sending these submissions to relevant stakeholders such as ministers, government agencies, and other affiliated institutions.
The #TakeBack2050 page has already attracted a number of responses, including a video by Member of Parliament (MP) for Nee Soon GRC and animal rights advocate Louis Ng, who remarked: “By 2050, we don’t need to run climate change campaigns anymore, because everyone will be conscious of how our daily lives and daily activities have an impact on this planet.”
Other posts include original sketches and graphic designs from people of all ages, including a pencil sketch by 9-year-old Darren depicting cars powered by cow dung instead of petrol, and a sharing by a 70-year-old grandmother, who wrote: “We are glad we had overcome all odds to bring our nation to realise the importance of family, friends and above all to love our Mother Earth.”
25-year-old Yang also shared an ambitious vision of what Jurong Island will become in 2050: “Jurong Island has since been vacated by Big Oil companies, and reforested. It now sits undisturbed to pay its debt as a carbon sink to a world trying to heal…There are also talks of MOE opening a Forest School on Jurong Island, as indigenous flora and fauna begin to thrive again.”
If Singapore overcomes climate change, what would 2050 look like?
A handful of individuals – ranging from politicians and artists to civil society leaders and everyday Singaporeans – have shared thoughtful responses to this question in a video uploaded by SG Climate Rally.
The video featured prominent names from various sectors including former Nominated Member of Parliament Anthea Ong, newly elected MP for Sengkang GRC Raeesah Khan, 12-year-old climate activist Oliver Chua, and actress Oon Shu An.
The diverse group of respondents shared their dreams for a post-carbon economy, a transformed public transport system, greater social equality, and improved emotional literacy, among others.
This video marks the beginning of the #TakeBack2050 campaign.
