March-April . 2024 | @ green

Coral bleaching phenomena .

We must improve students ’ knowledge about environmental issues by providing them with the right learning environment

BY THE GREEN DUDE

Climatic changes are mainly the result of human activities . Hence , we see climate change and environmental movements keep the fire burning in communicating and reminding all stakeholders about the consequence of not taking action to prevent impending disasters from happening , especially in the immediate future .

Take the haze issue , for example . I wrote about the haze some months ago , but thankfully , the worst has not happened in the last eight months or so . It must have resulted from constant monitoring and enforcement by the various authorities in the ASEAN region . We also note that the weather is experiencing changes in its pattern from what we usually expect .

We now find ourselves experiencing four seasons in a day ! Hot , very hot , wet and very wet ! The mornings will be cool , misty and sometimes damp , and suddenly , by noon , the sun comes up , and by 2.0pm , it will be scorching , reaching 36 to 41C . The weatherman has been issuing heat wave warnings these couple of weeks to last till May . And then we sometimes have thunderstorms , heavy rain , and flash floods in the evenings . The night will then be cool .

Research shows that most Malaysians are aware that it is because of bad management of our environment , but they are usually resigned to the fact that this is God ’ s will , such as the annual floods on the East Coast . But flooding is also now happening all over the country . This attitude must change only if the younger generation understands and acts as a group .

IT BEGINS WITH EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS

One of the key ways a school can improve the students ’ knowledge about environmental issues is to provide a learning environment to equip them with valuable living skills .

A school in Hulu Yam is involved in disaster preparation as the area is prone to flash floods . While the area already has early warning systems installed , and the local fire and rescue department is also part of that ecosystem , the involvement of school children is essential as it starts at home . They are being advised to prepare plastic bags to keep their valuable documents , books and other essentials for possible evacuation to flood relief centres .

While water is abundant in our country , ironically , we could face a water crisis . Selangor has been facing frequent water cuts due to pollution and the discharge of affluence in some of its rivers that supply water to treatment plants . The culprit has always been the owners of factories , both legal and illegal .

Besides that , the rivers are experiencing silting and hence cannot hold enough water to supply the treatment plants adequately . Water levels at the various dams have been reduced to critical levels . One way is to get students not to take water for granted by monitoring the water usage in their schools .

I find the mosques and suraus are places of high water wastage due to the wrong concept of performing ablution . Most people turn the tap for water to flow at its maximum level , which is a misconception about using flowing water for ablution .

Because of this misconception , they

Kepala air phenomena .

Water wastage during abulation . avoid using the pool , which is available in some mosques . The Quran says that ablution means washing the face , the arms up to the elbows , wiping the head and washing the feet up to the ankles . As one is usually already relatively clean , a bottle of 500ml of water is enough to perform ablution . Very few mosques control the water flow at a very minimum level .

ENCOURAGING STUDENTS TO INVESTIGATE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

The oceans are experiencing rising water levels due to ice melting in the North Pole . The temperature rise will trigger increased volcanic activities , earthquakes , and even tsunamis . Research has indicated that a climate apocalypse may occur in the next 20 years if this trend continues .

Rising sea temperatures can also bleach the corals as the colourful algae living on the corals dies , depriving food and threatening global food security . I have personally experienced seeing this phenomenon while scuba diving in the Perhentian Island area .

The corals were all bleached white , sometimes described as the “ Chinese cemetery ” syndrome , especially in slope areas . It is quite an eerie feeling , like a bad omen .

Students should also be encouraged to investigate local environmental issues . Those living in coastal areas should investigate if there is an increase in the jellyfish population , as this is a sign that pollution is threatening sea life .

Recently , there was a case of food poisoning where several people were taken ill , two of them in serious condition , after eating mussels in Port Dickson . The Department of Fisheries concluded that hot weather was one of the main causes of harmful algae multiplying faster , contaminating the water and the mussels and making them unsafe to eat .

Students should also examine the cause of a sudden surge of river water levels known as ‘ kepala air ’ and be careful when camping or swimming in a river .

They should also study the causes of the disappearance of certain fishes like the sepat or the green frogs in the paddy fields .

Schools must also intensify educating and involving students in creating a school recycling project , reducing the waste they produce , reusing products as much as possible and recycling any materials for new purposes .

Recycled art can also communicate awareness while growing fruits and vegetables in a school garden , which creates awareness of food security and the importance of preserving nature .

Many are now glued to their digital platforms and smartphones , creating a false sense of reality . There is a need for new pedagogy in education so students don ’ t simply memorise things for exams instead of thinking students who question , evaluate and make intelligent conclusions .

It requires high-order thinking skills , or HOTS , which make students effective problem solvers and form the building blocks of critical and creative thinking on a broader scale .

Our current education system seems to create lower-order thinking skills or LOTS , which is only about gathering information , especially from the information superhighway , but not about processing it to form creative solutions to problems .

There is a need to sift the grain from the chaff . It starts by catching them at an early age in the education system . – @ green

THE GREEN DUDE feels that to save the future generation from a climate apocalypse is to catch them young via a creative and inclusive education system that creates high-order thinking skills ( HOTS ).