Education for Sustainable Development: The STEM …
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achievements of SDGs. Further, STEM is crucial in preparing developing countries
like Malaysia to adopt and excel in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. As science,
technology and engineering are inherently very mathematical, it is self-evident that
mathematical sciences are at the very core of STEM. A sustainable future for mathematical sciences involves connecting and integrating mathematics with science,
technology, engineering and other disciplines. Unifying STEM to address pressing
global issues of climate action (SDG 13) and other SDGs (14: Life below water and
15: Life on land) provide a convenient and convincing platform for universities to
engage with each other and with local communities for better outcomes. Climate
change (CC) spells a future characterized by unusual, extreme weather patterns and
sea level rise (SLR), which are believed to be the reason why natural disasters such
as floods, droughts, hurricanes and storm surges are occurring more frequently and
more intensely than ever before. Global sea levels have been rising on average by
3 mm every year due to climate change. Malaysia is not spared from this global phenomenon as climate change is a global phenomenon. The mean sea level along the
Malaysian coast is observed to rise at the rate of 2.7–7.0 mm/year. Many of Malaysian
coastlines (e.g. in Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, Sabah, Sarawak) are affected by rising
sea levels, with numerous parts of the country expected to be underwater by the end
of the 21st century, affecting millions of Malaysians. Therefore, adapting to CC and
employing disaster risk management are important to minimize this vulnerability.
Seawater inundation and saltwater intrusion associated with CC impacts will cause
a serious problem in the form of permanent salinization of fresh groundwater. Salinization of fresh groundwater has a negative impact on growth and productivity of
plants. This threat to Malaysian coastal resources must be investigated scientifically
and communicated effectively so that Malaysia can devise plan to cope with climate
change impacts.
With STEM as a priority in Malaysia new education blueprint, this research will
inspire a new generation of young people to take an interest and specialize in STEM
subjects, encouraging them to integrate these otherwise seemingly disparate fields
for solutions to real-world problems. This research project will serve to integrate
Science (plant biology and hydrology), Technology (ICT and computer simulation),
Engineering (coastal geo-physical data) and Mathematics (mathematical model and
theoretical analysis) to address the challenges of climate change (CC). Achieving
agricultural, food and water security is vital to adaption to CC. Declining water
resources coupled with salinity intrusion into surface and subsurface water will pose
threats to water security. Water scarcity, soil degradation and loss of cropland worldwide will have a profound influence on food security, leading to failure to achieve
SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 2 (no hunger). Worldwide, about 1.5–2 billion people rely
on groundwater as a main drinking water source. Salt intrusion into aquatic ecosystems, wetlands, low-land agriculture (rice) and coastal plain groundwater systems
pose a grave threat to freshwater resources, to whole ecosystems, to food production and to livelihoods. For example, more than 20,000 ha of rice paddy fields in
three Tohoku region prefectures were flooded with saltwater from the infamous 11
March 2011 Tohoku tsunami (Roy et al. 2014). A year after the tsunami inundation,
areas located within 3 km from the coast were found to be not suitable for rice pro-
579
achievements of SDGs. Further, STEM is crucial in preparing developing countries
like Malaysia to adopt and excel in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. As science,
technology and engineering are inherently very mathematical, it is self-evident that
mathematical sciences are at the very core of STEM. A sustainable future for mathematical sciences involves connecting and integrating mathematics with science,
technology, engineering and other disciplines. Unifying STEM to address pressing
global issues of climate action (SDG 13) and other SDGs (14: Life below water and
15: Life on land) provide a convenient and convincing platform for universities to
engage with each other and with local communities for better outcomes. Climate
change (CC) spells a future characterized by unusual, extreme weather patterns and
sea level rise (SLR), which are believed to be the reason why natural disasters such
as floods, droughts, hurricanes and storm surges are occurring more frequently and
more intensely than ever before. Global sea levels have been rising on average by
3 mm every year due to climate change. Malaysia is not spared from this global phenomenon as climate change is a global phenomenon. The mean sea level along the
Malaysian coast is observed to rise at the rate of 2.7–7.0 mm/year. Many of Malaysian
coastlines (e.g. in Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, Sabah, Sarawak) are affected by rising
sea levels, with numerous parts of the country expected to be underwater by the end
of the 21st century, affecting millions of Malaysians. Therefore, adapting to CC and
employing disaster risk management are important to minimize this vulnerability.
Seawater inundation and saltwater intrusion associated with CC impacts will cause
a serious problem in the form of permanent salinization of fresh groundwater. Salinization of fresh groundwater has a negative impact on growth and productivity of
plants. This threat to Malaysian coastal resources must be investigated scientifically
and communicated effectively so that Malaysia can devise plan to cope with climate
change impacts.
With STEM as a priority in Malaysia new education blueprint, this research will
inspire a new generation of young people to take an interest and specialize in STEM
subjects, encouraging them to integrate these otherwise seemingly disparate fields
for solutions to real-world problems. This research project will serve to integrate
Science (plant biology and hydrology), Technology (ICT and computer simulation),
Engineering (coastal geo-physical data) and Mathematics (mathematical model and
theoretical analysis) to address the challenges of climate change (CC). Achieving
agricultural, food and water security is vital to adaption to CC. Declining water
resources coupled with salinity intrusion into surface and subsurface water will pose
threats to water security. Water scarcity, soil degradation and loss of cropland worldwide will have a profound influence on food security, leading to failure to achieve
SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 2 (no hunger). Worldwide, about 1.5–2 billion people rely
on groundwater as a main drinking water source. Salt intrusion into aquatic ecosystems, wetlands, low-land agriculture (rice) and coastal plain groundwater systems
pose a grave threat to freshwater resources, to whole ecosystems, to food production and to livelihoods. For example, more than 20,000 ha of rice paddy fields in
three Tohoku region prefectures were flooded with saltwater from the infamous 11
March 2011 Tohoku tsunami (Roy et al. 2014). A year after the tsunami inundation,
areas located within 3 km from the coast were found to be not suitable for rice pro-