My Story:
I grew up in sunny Singapore where it has always been summer all year round. For a big part of my childhood, I never saw snow, nor did I truly understood what autumn feels like. I had always longed to see snow. When I came to New York, I finally did. However, it was appalling that the weather on 8th February was 62 degrees, and on the 9th of February, it dropped to 29 degrees with a snow storm. For this to happen within my first few encounters with the snow that I had always romanticised, it really struck me how much global warming is affecting our climate.
One of the worst experiences I have had with environmental was the Sumatra forest fire, in fact, it happened a few times over the last decade, but I only recall that of 2014 and 2016. I remember walking around and going to school wearing a mask that I know does not block up all the harmful particles. At some point when it got really serious with the PSI at 390 and way over the health limit, I remember tearing in the fog. All I could smell was burnt wood and I could not really see anything beyond 10 meters.
Me as a child clothless, because it was so humid.
My Mother’s Story:
My mother grew up in Singapore as well. She recalls the temperature there being lower in her teens. It was always hot and humid in Singapore, but not as hot. In recent years, the temperature has increased from roughly 87 to about 95 degrees. My mom is now 50 and laments about how the ozone layer is broken and how she fears skin cancer.
My mom also recalls living in a kampung (a Malaysian word for a hamlet or village), all the villages are replaced by concrete buildings. She also witnessed the blooming of factories around Singapore and she now feels that there are more harmful chemicals in the air. My mom appreciates the efficiency in the city, but if given a choice, she would choose nature.
