Nostalgia at Chek Jawa and Cyrene

I went to Chek Jawa (24 May) and Cyrene Reef (25 May) the days before the Festival of Biodiversity, and while I was there, I was feeling very nostalgic and sentimental.

Sunrise at Chek Jawa

I’ve been to both places often enough (though of course, one can never get enough of these places) to feel a sense of attachment and familiarity. These places never fail to put a smile on my face, and they are simply wonderful places to go.

Sunrise at Cyrene Reef with Pasir Panjang Container Terminal in the distance

But in light of the fact that for the next few years or so, I will hardly be visiting them, I wonder, when I come back, will they still largely be the same, for better or for worse? Or will there no longer be such a place in existence?

Land reclamation in the process…

Yeah, I guess economic growth is vital for singapore, else everyone will start migrating. But although PM Lee says it’s a means to an end and not an end in itself, and that it’s not growth at all cost, it doesn’t seem so to me. And anyway globally, I think we all need to start shifting to a more sustainable way of development, and with Singapore’s growth being still one of the most impressive in the world, i think amongst all the countries out there, we can probably be the first few to afford this shift.

But of course, there will be people who say this will make us less competitive and we will lose out to other countries if we do so. I don’t know, your call I guess. Perhaps when we eventually run so dangerously low on natural resources that prices start shooting up wayyy higher than what we can ever imagine or expect now, and people start fighting for clean water, clean air and food, then we’ll realise that having a more sustainable rate of growth with more concern towards the environment (biodiversity conservation and not just pollution/energy consumption) would have been a better plan.

Sights at Chek Jawa