Research Essay.

Is mankind responsible for the collapse of diversity?

Intro

In comparison to the time few decades ago, the collapse of biodiversity has become more evident.
According to  the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (March 2005), there is a substantial and largely irreversible loss in the diversity of life on Earth, with some 10-30% of the mammal, bird and amphibian species threatened with extinction, due to human actions. One cause that is heavily tied to this problem is the rapid globalisation in the world. Rapid globalisation involves the movement of people across countries and as a result, it makes the world more integrated through the spread of ideas and cultures. Globalisation brings about further development of human activities which resulted in a loss of biodiversity.

Governments were committed to the 2010 biodiversity target to achieve a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on Earth. This target was incorporated under one of the Millennium Development Goals – Ensure Environmental Sustainability.

Thesis statement: Although mankind’s development is the main cause of the collapse of biodiversity, efforts were made to alleviate this problem worldwide.

Body 1

Problem:  Rate of deforestation increases for agriculture purpose

Solution:

·         -zero deforestation campaign by Brazil’s citizens

·         -expand the network of indigenous reserves and protected areas

·         -Strong enforcement of logging laws

Body 2:

Problem: Due to industrialisation, pollution has become one of the greatest threat to global biodiversity

Solution: Spatially and temporally concentrated pollution can be retracted effectively by anthropogenic efforts, and such methods are already in use in such projects as the U.S. Superfund, a program implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to contain hazardous pollution and restore polluted sites. 

References

Biodiversity.sg (2014).  Anthropic Impacts And Biodiversity. Retrieved from http://www.biodiversity.sg/biodiversity-information/view-slideshow/anthropic-impacts-and-biodiversity/pollution-and-biodiversity/

Global issues (2014). Loss of Biodiversity and Extinctions. Retrieved from http://www.globalissues.org/article/171/loss-of-biodiversity-and-extinctions#OtherRelatedGlobalIssuesandCauses

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT (2014). Mission 2015: Biodiversity. Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2015/2015/solutions_for_industrial_pollution.html

Union of Concerned Scientists (2011). Brazil’s success in reducing deforestation. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions/stop-deforestation/brazils-reduction-deforestation.html

Reader Response Draft 2

According to Kraidy (2002)'s “Globalisation of Culture Through the Media”, the mass media’s influence on the globalisation of culture has been constantly debated. According to the “magic bullet” theory, mass media is widely believed to impact audiences. However, scholars doubt how heavily international media can influence globalisation. Cultural Imperialism was caused by an unequal distribution of news, mainly focused on the Western countries. Garcia-Candini (1995) argues that interaction between local and global cultures resulted in hybridisation. Kraidy (2002) eventually concludes that hybridisation has existed long ago. It is further driven by the media and eventually led to the shift from cultural imperialism to globalisation.

Kraidy (2002) states that the mass media simply intensify the hybridity of local and global cultures, but did not result in a complete homogenisation. I agree with his views. Mass media is defined as any form of communication that reaches a large audience. It includes television, radio, advertising, movies, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, and so forth.(Cliffsnotes, 2013) According to Kaul (2011), electronic media enabled increased interconnectedness across vast distances and a temporal flexibility in social interaction. With mass media like radio and television in the 20^th century, it allowed more exposure to news and cultures from around the world. One major effect of mass media on Singapore is the local production of music. Music can represent global cultures, yet retain our local identity. Music has been criticised as a result of cultural homogenisation due to the power of American music in the world. However, Dick Lee, a Singapore songwriter, has proven this wrong. Music can be a hybridisation of local and global cultures. His music was described as blending pop funk beats with Asian instruments (Los Angeles Times, 1992). In his song, “Life in the Lion City”, Lee also mixed traditional instruments with synthesisers. Through mass media, more musicians can be exposed to the myriad of music cultures existing in the world. Global music can be incorporated into local productions, allowing hybridisation of music. Hybridity of local and global cultures has been observed in food and language since a long time. But mass media intensified the existing hybridisation by providing the platform which brings upon the hybridisation of music.

(363 words) 

Reader Response Draft 1.

According to Kraidy (2002)'s “Globalisation of Culture Through the Media”, the mass media’s influence on the globalisation of culture has been constantly debated. Just like a “magic bullet”, mass media is widely believed to impact audiences. However, scholars doubt how heavily international media can influence globalisation. Garcia-Candini (1995) argues that interaction between local and global cultures resulted in hybridisation. Kraidy (2002) eventually concludes that hybridisation has existed long ago. It is further driven by the media and eventually led to the shift from cultural imperialism to globalisation.

Kraidy (2002) states that the mass media simply intensify the hybridity of local and global cultures, but did not result in a complete homogenisation. I agree with his views. Media such as satellite television, the Internet, computers, mobile phones are often thought to be among the primary forces at work. According to Kaul (2011), electronic media enabled increased interconnectedness across vast distances and a temporal flexibility in social interaction.  Social media platform like Facebook and Twitter allows cultures from different parts of the world to be exchanged. Through interaction, cultures could be hybridised yet retain their original identities. One such example is music. It has been criticised that music is a result of cultural homogenisation due to the power of American music in the world. However, Dick Lee, a Singapore songwriter, has proven this wrong. Music can be a hybridisation of local and global cultures. His music was described as blending pop funk beats with Asian instruments (Los Angeles Times 1992). In his song, “Life in the Lion City”, Lee also mixed traditional instruments with synthesisers. By using mass media, more people are aware of the different cultures of music. Global music can thus incorporate into local productions, allowing hybridisation of music.

I also agree with Kraidy (2002) that hybridisation has existed since a long time through warfare, trade, migration, slavery. Hybridisation of cultures is evident in the use of language in Singapore. Since migration has been very common since early times of Singapore, it resulted in Singapore having many types of dialect groups and languages. The mixture of language formed is known as “Singlish”. It is a hybrid of several languages and is unique to Singaporeans. Therefore, I agree that hybridisation has existed since a long time ago but the effect has become more obvious only with the prevalence of the mass media.

Summary.

According to Kraidy (2002)'s “Globalisation of Culture Through the Media” ,the mass media’s influence on the globalisation of culture has been constantly debated. Just like a “magic bullet”, mass media is widely believed to impact audiences. However, scholars doubt how heavily international media can influence globalisation.  Garcia-Candini (1995) argues that interaction between local and global cultures resulted in hybridisation. Kraidy (2002) eventually concludes that hybridisation, as driven by the media, led to the globalisation of culture.

An Event that has shaped my life and the person I have become.

My job as a teacher assistant in a tuition centre has given me a new experience, and has forced me to step out of my comfort zone.

Being a shy person since young, I was terrified at the idea of teaching in front of a small group of class. However, as an employee, we are often left with no choice. Nevertheless, with more practice, I realised I was better at speaking out. This job has trained me to convey my thoughts and be a more confident person.

On top of being a teacher assistant, I had to handle some of the administration duties such as fees collection, picking up of calls and handling enquiries. These are skills beyond what I have learnt in school. I had to pick up everything from the start and being a muddle head, I took quite a while to master them. There were mistakes made along the way. But without them, I would not be able to pick up the administration skills and handle the duties with ease now.

My first job has shaped me to become a more confident person and improved my interaction with people. Without this job, I would not be the person I am now.