Bandar Seri Begawan - This year's BSP UBD Green Debate theme of "Future of Energy", supported by sub-themes such as energy poverty, energy efficiency and alternative energy proved to be not only provocative but also highly relevant.

According to a press release, Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) in partnership with Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), kicked off the premier environmental competition, as its two-day preliminary stages came to an explosive and dramatic close on January 29 at the Institute of Leadership, Innovation and Advancement (ILIA) building, UBD.

A spokesperson from BSP said, "The world population could hit 9 billion in 2050. That is like adding another China and India to the planet. More people are also shaking off energy poverty, buying their first fridge, computer or car. This results in a surge in energy demand, and rising environmental concerns. We are likely to need twice the energy but half the CO2 by then to avoid serious climate change.

"Whilst Shell globallyaims to help meet this future energy needs responsibly, it is important for our youth to understand these issues. This cothpetition provides an avenue for these bright minds to exchange opinions on these topics and gain a better understanding of what the future of energy looks like.

"I've been very impressed at the level of debating shown by the students. in both categories, especially the amount of research they have done on this year's theme. We believe the skills they gained from these competition, especially in terms of confidence in public speaking, will be of great use for their future undertakings".

The BSP UBD Green Debate is part of both BSP and UBD's commitment to sustainable development and care for the environment through education.

The BSP official said, "We hope these environmental debates will get the youth and future leaders fired up to start identifying solutions to unlock the energy challenges we will all face in the years to come. At the heart of driving innovative solutions are new technologies and more importantly, human ingenuity. Our youth and students are seen as the innovators who will tackle the future challenges of energy production and turn their best ideas into reality."

BSP's support for the Green Debate since 2010 underpins the company's strategy of promoting winning partnerships and being the partner of natural choice in showing care of the community and environment.

The growing popularity and success of the environmental competition to date among schools and students demonstrate the impact it has made towards inculcating environmental awareness and leadership among Brunei's youth.

The BSP official concluded, "For us, contributing to sustainable development means helping meet the nation and world's growing need for energy, in economically, socially and environmentally responsible ways. This is the natural and only choice for BSP."

This year, eight university teams and six pre-university teams battled out to the bitter end in wit, logic, strategy and style in the BSP UBD Green Debate preliminaries - all in search for a spot in the highly coveted upcoming Finals. UBD A and UBD B will now face each other in the University category Finals, while Pusat Tingkatan Enam Katok will face Pusat Tingkatan Enam Meragang in the Pre-University category Finals.

As one of the Asia's leading energy companies, BSP is committed to demonstrating care for the environment and the community, in support of Wawasan Brunei 2035 and the Energy White Paper towards the sustainable development of Brunei Darussalam and its energy sector.

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin