SG Climate Rally

I usually spend my weekends holed up in my room, but I had to get out of my house today. Today marks Singapore's first Climate Rally, and I think physical presence is very important in convincing the government that more needs to be done for climate change. It is easy to dismiss social media campaigns, but a large crowd of supporters is concrete proof that people want ACTION.

I donned my red tee, the colour designated to represent the urgency of the crisis, and headed to Hong Lim Park. Only Singaporeans and Permanent Residents were allowed to participate but several foreigners turned up. There were fringe activities before the speeches began (e.g. postcards to urge Members of Parliament to take action and an information-sharing session). Six speakers, ranging from a 11-year-old to a researcher, shared their views on the climate change crisis and appealed to the government to recognise it as an emergency. I recorded parts of the speeches and hopefully I have time to edit them soon.

The rally ended with a 'die-in'. Honestly, I was not a fan of the 'soothing and relaxing' vibe of the die-in, where an instructor guided the crowd to relax and feel the Earth. I prefer going straight to the point - if we have passed the threshold, we will all die. Everyone collapses. That is it. I am not the only one who shares this opinion though - lots of commenters on The Straits Times' Facebook post thought the die-in was overly dramatic and a big joke. I support the message behind the die-in, but I just feel it is not the best method to convince Singaporeans.

Here are the photos I have taken. Many people turned up with cameras to record the first climate rally.