Balancing the Yin and the Yang: In search of the art of not making trade-offs

• Main Author: TAN, Eugene K. B.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2015
• Subjects: Asian Studies; Environmental Law; Law and Society
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/2409; https://search.library.smu.edu.sg/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma99318001102601&context=L&vid=65SMU_INST:SMU_NUI&lang=en&search_scope=INK&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=INK&query=any,contains,Singapore%202065:%20Leading%20insights%20from%2050%20Singapore%20icons%20and%20beyond%20on%20the%20economy%20and%20the%20environment&offset=0
• Institution: Singapore Management University

I recall how awestruck I was by the stunning offerings of nature when I camped in Kandersteg in the Swiss Alps in 1992 with scouts from around the world. It left a very strong impression on me of how human beings are emotionally connected with nature. While we have fairly significant biodiversity on our small, urbanised island, we are not privileged to have a vast natural landscape in our backyard. Hence, our conception of the environment is very much influenced and limited by the clean and green definition and the instrumental trade-offs that we are familiar with in this “city in a garden” of Singapore.