Member Profile: Ai Leen Teh

Ai Leen Teh was one of our first bloggers, and since joining up to A Climate for Change she’s written 16 blogs, and shared with us photos, videos and some really fascinating climate material from around the web. Ai Leen is one of the growing numbers of people who are avid about preventing catastrophic climate change. We spoke to this 20 year old Arts student about why climate change is such a serious issue, and how she’s helping to do something about it.

Hi Ai Leen! Firstly, please tell us about yourself.

Hello. I'm Ai Leen and this is exciting, I've never been interviewed or featured before. I'm only turning 21 in August and I've learned so much about climate change over the years. I'm currently completing my final year of my Arts degree at Melbourne University, double majoring in Environmental Studies and International Studies. I hope I can contribute a great deal to the environment after I graduate. As much as I'm passionate about this global problem, I'm quite a fun person.

You must feel passionate about climate change since you are a member of A Climate for Change. What convinced you that climate change was a serious problem? And why do you think climate change is such an important issue?

I think what really convinced me that climate change is a serious problem is what this planet has gone through over the years, calamities after calamities. People lost loved ones during Hurricane Katrina, severe floods raided parts of India, heavy snow and gale force winds saw severe blizzards across southern England, and many people lost not just their loved ones, but their homes as well during the Victorian bushfires.

Why is climate change so important? The future. I care about the future and I think everyone agrees on that. The other thing I'm also concerned about is climate justice. I don't quite like what's happening in the poorer nations. The world needs to realise that developing countries can only engage in climate change policies that would provide sufficient development slack to address social and equity issues such as poverty, and improvement of welfare in relation to richer countries. If proper development isn't accessible, this could lead to the misuse of resources, which would then increase carbon emissions and environmental degradation. This would defeat the initial purpose of tackling climate change. When people become desperate to survive, other global problems will surface and become more prominent. Climate change would be at its worst. I for one support the argument that climate change is the underlying factor for many political problems.


What drew you to becoming a member of ACFC?

Generally, I have a passion for blogging. I have my own personal blog and when I saw that Oxfam Australia needed bloggers, I said to myself, "Hey, why not?" Plus, I care about our climate. With other concerned bloggers, we can share our information about ways of living sustainably. How great is that?

You were one of the thousands who participated in the Human Sign event on May 17, which was held by Locals Into Victoria’s Environment (LIVE - www.live.org.au). As a message to the Australian Government, Human Sign saw more than 5,000 Victorians gather at St. Kilda beach to form with their bodies the words: “Climate Change – Our Future is in Your Hands.” How was that experience?

Spectacular. I've never participated in any climate change events like this before. I went because I wanted to take the opportunity to make the climate change statement more evident and create a larger sense of urgency in the media. I believe that the media is one of the ways to create greater awareness. The event was so successful. Have a look at the photos I posted on ACFC.

Lastly, how are you helping to take action against climate change?

I just try to contribute in every possible way, I guess. Personally, I do everything I can in reducing my carbon footprint - I turn off main switches and use electricity minimally, walk or take public transport, don’t use the heater, try to eat less meat, recycle, and all that. I have also successfully turned some of my friends into "greenies".

Thanks for your time Ai Leen!

You can find Ai Leen on A Climate for Change here