Impact Stories
A passion for environmental causes
Climate crisis fuelled Foo Yu Lin’s work in environmental research
Her passion for environmental issues fuelled her decision to pursue an internship with the Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk (IPUR) to explore the differences in how individuals perceive and respond to the risks of climate change.
Foo Yu Lin was fresh out from graduating from the Bachelor of Environmental Studies and the University Scholars Programme when she decided to join IPUR in May 2020. Graduating in the COVID-19 era meant that many of her post-graduation plans and career options had to change. “I was initially disappointed that I would not be able to pursue my dreams of working beyond Singapore in South East Asian.” However this also presented her the opportunity to transit from university to the office and she feels that “there are many more skills I have to learn to address real world issues beyond what the classroom environment could have imparted, and thus such I view internships and apprenticeships as a way for me gain experience as a fledging working adult.”
Importance of risk communication in climate change
It was important that the work at IPUR was in line with some of Yu Lin’s interests, particularly closing risk perception gaps in the area of climate change. “It really resonated with me, especially after my honours thesis experience investigating the driving factors that affect how individuals in Singapore perceive climate change as well as how they act towards the climate crisis in terms of their private consumption and public engagement behaviours. Interviews with members of the public helped me to cognise the importance of making risk communication relevant to individuals, and the gaps that exist in Singapore’s risk communication landscape for climate change.”
The opportunity also appealed to her because she was interested to learn more from the ongoing research projects at IPUR about how scientific knowledge of environmental and climate risks could be better translated into information that is accessible to people of all backgrounds. “I believe in bringing the impact of research beyond academia, which I saw in the IPUR strategy,” she said.
Air pollution – haze in Singapore
Her time with IPUR thus far has given her exposure to IPUR’s research projects related to the environment and climate. Yu Lin has been deeply involved in the development of a case study regarding air pollution risk communication – specifically on transboundary haze episodes in Singapore. Having examined the communications strategy and public response during the 2013 haze crisis and subsequent developments in how authorities communicate about the haze since then, the aim of the study was to go towards a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on risk communications and hopefully highlight various considerations for policymakers to aid them in planning for air pollution related risk communications.
Yu Lin works under the mentorship of Dr Olivia Jensen, Lead Scientist (Environment and Climate) at IPUR, and has been involved in other projects examining interventions to encourage plant-based sustainable diets in Singapore, and another project surrounding climate change perceptions in Singapore.
“All of the projects have allowed me to explore various aspects of environmental issues that I am passionate about, especially with regards to climate change. I believe that many people of my generation do care deeply about climate change and how it will affect us and has already affected us,” said Yu Lin.
Although she is limited to the confines of her home during the internship, Yu Lin likens it to a student’s life as most of her work centres around conducting desktop research and reviewing literature for projects. The fortnightly Zoom researcher presentations allowe her to meet her fellow IPUR colleagues and she even had the opportunity to present some of her work during one such session. Like many of her peers, Yu Lin said she enjoys the ease of “going to work” without the long travel.
Looking back at her experience so far, her biggest takeaway would be learning how to make academic or scientific content more palatable and interesting for a general audience.
