Petro-Ambiguity: Environment, Energy, Culture

Two things appeared on my LinkedIn news feed recently that, at first, seemed unrelated to one another.

The first is Brunei Climate Change Office’s trip to the United Kingdom, described as a “high-level”, “inward bound mission” to “strengthen green ties”. They were joined by representatives from the Petroleum Authority, Department of Energy, and the Ministry of Finance and Economy along with industry players Brunei Methanol Company and Brunei LNG among others.

Some highlights included sharing Brunei’s current efforts in stepping up solarisation and positioning forests and mangroves as natural assets to be used as a nature-based climate solution. Engagements were organized with the Grantham Research Institute at Imperial College London and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Upon searching further, not much can be gleaned from the discussions, other than the fact that they happened.

The second is the release of Ekosistem Rasa: The Gula Anau Story, which is a documentary about the fading craft of harvesting the traditional unrefined palm sugar, gula anau, used in many local delicacies like the penyaram (craving this deeply in Norway!). It’s a National Geographic-funded film, made by local film company, New Wave Films, marketed by Kitani Kreatif, and directed and led by a team of four young creatives.

I happened upon a podcast that three members of the core team went on to talk about their experience making the film. I was struck by how wide-ranging the discussion became, from talking about the under-appreciation of gula anau in the Bruneian gastro-consciousness (ambuyat wins this one) to the realisation of the importance of documenting food heritage, indigenous culture, diversifying Bruneians’ perceptions of what makes up Brunei, the place of the arts and creative industries in the national economy, and so on. They also touched upon the decline of local knowledge and practice of harvesting & processing gula anau, the domination of white sugar, and the link to human/Global-North-driven climate change.

As I listened to the podcast, it became clear to me once again this generation’s capacity for creative innovation as resistance to, whether intentional or not, the stronghold of the oil economy on the labor market and national identity. It’s not difficult to link the dominance of the fossil fuel industry to the decline of indigenous knowledges and practices, and the marginalisation and under-funding of the arts and creative industries. It gives me hope to see the younger generation building their own pathways and widening their own definitions of what it means to be Bruneian.

But another realization, from seeing these two stories about these two events side-by-side, is the lack of strategic use of public communication.

The press release and news articles about the Bruneian delegations’ trip to the UK merely emphasize that the trip happened without taking the opportunity to share with the public information that is no doubt pertinent to their lives. Climate change and energy security is not just a “high-level” discussion, but one that needs to be participatory, inclusive, and considerate of the people whose lives are already greatly impacted by these issues. Instead of leveraging their platform by communicating the scientific, technological, economic, political and no doubt social and cultural issues at hand, the articles in this case are merely box-ticking exercises to say that, yes, we’ve done this. Full stop. End of. (Not even mentioning the possibility of following-up on these discussions – do they even lead anywhere? What are the deliverables to the local communities? When can we expect to see actual impact of these discussions? How do we follow up?)

The marketing and communications of the Gula Anau documentary, on the other hand, opened the floor for discussion and public participation. From what I’ve seen, they’ve done workshops, they’ve done a tasting menu with local chefs at a local cafe, in addition to the social media marketing that allowed for people to put in their two cents.

My thoughts on this are inspired by writer Katie Gilbert, who makes the distinction between generative and extractive posts (in the context of thought leadership on LinkedIn). The latter merely mines for attention and perhaps validation whereas the former shares knowledge, inspires more thoughts and actions in others. It’s not difficult to see here which is which.

The need for clear and inclusive storytelling is crucial. Especially in a world where mis- and dis-information is increasing, exacerbated by unchecked use and development of AI, it’s more important than ever that we invest in communicating developments of all kinds to the public and ensuring that they’re accessible. But it’s also another essential step in diversifying climate and climate justice solutions. Science and research communications haven’t been focused on too much in Brunei, but it’s looking clearer now that it’s absolutely necessary for all organizations and institutions to invest in this skill.