FACE TO FACE: Prof Dr JEFF OBBARD
Interview with Prof. Dr. Jeff Obbard, Environmental Scientist
Prof. Dr. Jeff Obbard is an environmental scientist, ecologist, environmental engineer, and entrepreneur. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science (Chemistry & Microbiology), and a B.Sc. (Honours) in Ecology (1st Class) from the UK. He spent 17 years at the Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS), and has recently returned from Qatar, where he was Director and Professor at the Environmental Science Centre, Qatar University. What made you come into the field of environmental science and engineering?
It is basically down to my boyhood fascination with the natural world. As a boy, I was very fortunate that my parents owned a family holiday house next to the ocean on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales in the UK. I spent long summers there – either in, on or under the ocean and the surrounding hills and forests. I became fascinated with how the natural world functions and this led me to study natural sciences at the university for my degree – then later a Ph.D. in terrestrial carbon cycling.
The engineering part came later when I started my professional career as an environmental consultant and joining the Faculty of Engineering at the National University of Singapore. I’m interested in how to work with nature to solve some of the most challenging problems facing humanity today – water, energy and food security, not least climate change. Recently I have returned from working in Qatar as an academic professor and the Director of the Environmental Science Centre at Qatar University.
Before this, I spent 17 years at NUS in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, and as Director of the Sustainable Development & Water Alliance, and as Research Director at the Tropical Marine Science Institute. Whilst at NUS, I was also fortunate to work as Vice President for Science & Technology on a renewable energy venture by Royal Dutch Shell Petroleum in Hawaii, USA. These experiences have strengthened my resolve to use my science and engineering skills to protect the natural environment and help the world to become more sustainable.
Since returning to Singapore from Qatar, I have joined an environmental consultancy company – Tembusu Asia Consulting, as their Executive Director and Consultant for Environment, Sustainability & Climate Change. The company has been established by Er. Tan Seng Chuan, the former Chairman of the Institution of Engineers Singapore. Tembusu Asia aims to be the leading environmental sustainability company in Asia by combining its expertise in environmental science, engineering, finance and management. The company places the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations at the heart of its business, and I am looking forward to getting involved in many exciting projects in Singapore and the Asian region.
Could you share the current research or project you are working on?
Currently, I am very interested in researching how to reduce people’s exposure to air pollution in the form of PM 2.5 – these are the tiny particles that are associated with land clearance, fossil-fuel combustion and the haze. At NUS, I set up a spin-off company called AiRazor Technologies to provide affordable, clean air technology to everyone.
Also read: AiRazor Technologies wins InnoFrugal 2018!
The World Health Organization is telling us that 9 out of every 10 people on the planet breathe air that exceeds their safety guidelines. I believe that breathing clean air is a human right, and the ability to apply environmental engineering to protects people’s health and welfare is what drives me on this research. I have recently returned from China where I have collaborated with partners to bring the technology to the people of China. This is exciting for me as it mixes my interests in science, engineering and entrepreneurship.
I am also working on a technology in Indonesia that is about using the fastest growing plants in the world – tiny microalgae found in the world’s oceans to absorb carbon dioxide and turn it into biomass for energy and high-value chemicals. This type of work took me to Hawaii to work on the technology with Shell Petroleum. To me, it is a neat way to use my knowledge of the carbon cycle to mitigate climate change and to produce a sustainable source of energy and non-polluting chemicals. This is exactly what the world needs right now, and it is motivating to be involved in projects like this.
More locally, In Singapore, since returning from Qatar, I have been involved in projects evaluating the impact of urban development on Singapore’s natural resources and also advising the government on the potential impacts of climate change on Singapore – and the opportunities for investment in the world’s rapidly growing renewable energy markets. This is very exciting as it allows me to combine my knowledge on climate change with opportunities to mitigate and adapt to its impacts, whilst making financial returns for investors.
Marine plastic is a well-known pollutant of oceans. What is your take on marine plastic?
Back in 2006, when I was Research Director of the Tropical Marine Science Institute I became concerned about the amount of plastic litter that I was finding around Singapore’s coastline. I decided to investigate the occurrence of small plastic items – so-called microplastics, in Singapore’s marine environment. We found evidence for the presence of microplastics in the beach and mangrove sediments in Singapore.
The scientific data that was published turned out to be one of the very first data sets on microplastics in the marine environment in Asia. I also published the first data on marine microplastics in the Arabian Gulf when I was in Qatar.
My take on marine plastics is that it is a growing problem that represents a clear and present danger to marine life in multiple ways at all levels of the food chain. It has also become a human health issue as microplastics (less than 5 mm in size) have now been found throughout the ocean – from the arctic to the Antarctic, and from the ocean margins to the deepest ocean trenches. As well as being found in marine food, plastic particles have now been detected in the water we drink (including bottled water) and the air we breathe. As yet, we do not fully understand the ecological or human health implications. There is much more work to do, but the implications do concern me.
In your opinion, do you think we have made progress in terms of meeting the goals set out in the Paris Agreement?
The Paris Agreement was quite remarkable in its political achievement, where every nation on the planet signed up to pledges to reduce carbon emissions to avoid what the United Nations has called ‘dangerous anthropogenic (man made) climate change’ by avoiding a 2o C rise in average global temperatures compared to pre-industrial times – and to even further by attempting to cap the rise to 1.5o C.
Despite the unfortunate announcement of the USA – the world’s 2nd largest carbon emitter (after China) to pull out of the agreement – there is still strong momentum to cut carbon emissions. However, to me as a scientist, the question is whether cuts are deep and fast enough? Unfortunately, my answer to that would have to be ‘no’.
The United Nations has already warned that the pledges under the Paris Agreement, even before the USA announcement, were not enough to avoid breaching the temperature goals by the year 2100. In other words, not enough is being done. To stand a reasonable chance of not exceeding the goals, then the world’s carbon emissions need to peak immediately and then be reduced to zero soon after mid-century. Great progress is being made in transforming the world to a low-carbon economy through the very rapid take-up in renewable energy sources (especially wind, solar and hydro) but more is needed in terms of research, development and application of technologies to achieve to goals under the Paris Agreement.
