In 2015, when Benjamin Tay came back to Singapore after his studies in Australia, he got smacked by the worse transboundary haze event in Southeast Asia. “The haze was all around Indonesia, Malaysia, and way up to Philippines. It was quite bad.” He shared with me on a phone call. …

A story of motorbikes and sidewalks — There is something magical about the streets of Hanoi. The city is an organized anarchy both practical and in a certain way beautiful. The streets of Hanoi are a pleasing chaos. They were built and then left to the imagination of the city dwellers, arranging them as they wished. For…

The ecological processes behind one of the world’s most popular beverages — You drink it everyday. It’s black. It smells good. It tastes good too. A lot of people drink it just like you. They order a “cup of coffee” and drink it quickly before work, or during a break. Among the millions of people drinking this black fluid, only a few…

Before its rapid development in the 19th century, the Mekong delta was inhabited by a few thousand people taking advantage of its rich natural ecosystems to live. The delta was a large wetland of swamp forest ecosystem full of fauna and flora providing food to its dwellers. Not much of…

The climate and ecosystems are moving polewards. Will trees be able to keep pace? — There is a bleak future outlined for our planet. Climate change and the dilemma it brings. We’ve all heard of it. Global warming — rising global temperatures — is one of the biggest problems we face currently, and it’s setting off a chain of more events, like melting glaciers and…

A data story of shrimps, rice, and water — Originally published on the Third Pole For generations, Vietnamese communities have used the ample water resources and fertile soil of the Mekong Delta to feed the nation. The fisheries and paddy fields of Vietnam’s southernmost region, fuelled by the Mekong’s constant supply of rich sediment, have long been the bedrock…

I heard voices outside in the darkness of the night. People were dragging something on the ground. A quick look at my phone, it was 4 a.m. Still drunk, I fell back into slumber. Rain was drumming on the wooden roof. In the morning, I realized farmers woke up at…

The first legs leaving the capsule and touching the rocky ground of the planet were from an adventurous dog. Four paws, all excited to wander this unknown land. The following legs belonged to Sara, a human from a distant planet called Earth. …

The room was simple: two small windows to let some light in and enough space to fit three cows. The bed was a slim wooden mattress put on a metallic base. Food was given two times a day, lunch, and dinner. There was no breakfast. …