Land System Science – integrating different disciplines in the study of land use change. IAS@NTU STEM Graduate Colloquium talk by Asst Prof Janice Lee
Asst Prof Janice Lee from Asian School of the Environment gave a talk in the IAS@NTU STEM Graduate Colloquium series on Monday, 7 Oct. In the talk "A Land System Science Perspective on Southeast Asia's Haze" she discussed causes and consequences of haze from Indonesian peatland fires, and why the problem remains despite causing both ecological and humanitarian disasters. She explained how Land System Science integrates various disciplines that deal with land use change from different perspectives, like social, economic, political and biological sciences, to create long-term solutions to Southeast Asia’s haze problem, and related land use practices.
Asst Prof Lee emphasized that local solutions must be seen in a larger context of telecoupling, or global links of supply and demand. E.g. the global demand for palm oil will still remain, even if cultivation of palm oil should be prohibited in one country or region, and the complex systems of global trade require equally complex solutions to become more sustainable.
Watch an interview with Janice published by the CoS here