Dr. Shawn Lum, the former President of the Nature Society (Singapore) and Senior Lecturer at the Nanyang Technological University Asian School of the Environment, teaches plant diversity, forest ecology, and conservation. He joins Classical Pacific to discuss the state of nature and nature conservation in a global context, with a focus on the Pacific.
In this episode, Dr. Lum discusses the recent impacts of extreme weather on the islands, from the Kona low storms in March to Hurricane Lala a few weeks ago. He addresses the need for critical short-term responses to climate-related disasters, but stresses the importance of a longer-term approach that reduces the risk to communities from future disasters. Dr. Lum presents the ideal of addressing the root causes of climate-linked disasters at the local, national and global levels, where non-government organizations, grassroots groups, and even faith-based communities have an important role to play.
Dr. Lum touches on the start of the Season of Creation and the Christian spiritual connection to water, which resonates with the importance of wai, or water, that is deeply embedded in Hawaiian culture. Water is indeed life, and its thoughtful use and wise stewardship can help bring peace, abundance and life wherever the rivers flow.
Dr. Lum’s conversation concludes with "Lacrimosa" from Malhar: A Requiem for Water by composer Reena Esmail.
This classical conservation conversation aired on Aug. 31, 2026, on Classical Pacific.
