SINGAPORE – The world is facing a triple whammy of planetary crises: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Singapore is no exception.

Economics and social trade-offs hamper efforts to combat the crises in the near term, but inaction would result in an increasingly unliveable planet.

Young people today are caught in this dilemma.

In The Straits Times’ new podcast series, called Green Trails, journalists Ms Ang Qing and Ms Shabana Begum visit spaces that lie at the heart of these tensions while documenting their sounds, which are at risk of disappearing due to climate change or unfettered development.

In each episode, the hosts, who are in their 20s, will tackle one of the crises with people who know these spaces well and what the future holds for them.

In the series’ inaugural episode, Ms Ang Qing speaks to the Nature Society (Singapore) at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve about the plight of migratory birds and what the messages carried by these feathered travellers reveal about the natural world.

Ms Veronica Foo and Mr Tan Gim Cheong from the society’s bird group explain how the local haven for migratory shorebirds has changed over the years and the threats it faces.

Migratory birds are among the creatures most vulnerable to the effects of climate change because they stop over at a string of countries while travelling hundreds of kilometres across the globe in their yearly journey to avoid winter. Any loss of habitats along their route, which are vital stopover points to rest and refuel, can be fatal.

With its warm weather and rich mudflats, Singapore lies at the intersection of two major flyways that thousands of migratory birds follow: the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and the Central Asian Flyway.

ST podcast editor Ernest Luis said: “The idea of Green Trails is to transport our listeners along with us on a special audio journey.”

He added: “Our producers use the latest gear to capture our hosts and guests and record nature’s sounds along the way.

“It’s quite unpredictable, but it’s also an audio snapshot of that day itself in our little nature spots.

“With Green Trails, we’d like to evolve and make local biodiversity topics more relatable with our core youthful listeners below 35.”