ES1102~: March 2014

Thursday, 27 March 2014

Essay Draft 3

Economic Development in China has led to its air pollution

Goldin (2009) pointed out in his TED talk that collapse in biodiversity, climate change, financial crisis and inequality are some problems caused by globalisation. Among these, we have witnessed climate change becoming more evident. Climate changes are directly linked to increase in global greenhouse gases which are mostly contributed by industries. Air pollution is a serious problem in China, and it is heavily tied to globalisation. Globalisation involves the movement of ideas, cultures and people across the world. Since the 1970s, China has been experiencing rapid expansion and urbanization. This was due to the low cost of production in China, which works as an incentive for many foreign companies to set up their factories there. Many job opportunities were given to the Chinese locals and more knowledge and skills could be acquired from the foreigners, aiding in China’s economic expansion. Zhang (2012) noted that China’s aim to improve the gross domestic product (GDP) at any cost has created environmental problems. In my opinion, air pollution has plagued China ever since its growth and it is a long-term problem. China has been implementing solutions that could possibly mitigate the problems. However, it will take a long time and no one can be sure if this air pollution problem can be improved completely.

From 1991 to 2010, industrial waste gas emission in China has been increasing at 43.1 billion cubic metres annually (Cui and Shi, 2012). Increase in health problems is mostly attributed to the air condition. Small particulates can permanently stay in the lungs and aggravate many respiratory illnesses. It also leads to a higher incidence of heart problems. (Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, n.d.) According to a World Health Organization report, 40 percent of the 7 million people in the world who died from air pollution in 2012 lived around China. (Chen and Bennett, 2014) Being one of the worst polluted countries and not doing anything to reduce air pollution, could also result in China suffering from economic problems. In 2008, China’s economic losses due to pollution and environmental degradation accounted for 10.51 percent of gross national income. (Zhang, 2012) To deal with all these ongoing problems, China has implemented several solutions to reduce the impacts of air pollution.

The first solution is to cut down dependence on coal. According to Kristina Chew (2013), the construction of new coal-fired plants is prohibited and replaced by 18 synthetic natural gas (SNG) plants. This can reduce air pollution since burning of coal contributes to harmful air particulates. However, this is a short-term solution. Although switching to SNG plants can help to reduce particulate air pollution, the process of mining coal and converting it to natural gas can yield 36 percent to 82 percent more greenhouse gas emissions than burning coal directly (Kristina Chew, 2013). Shutting down the coal-fired plants is also not sufficient to mitigate this pollution problem because emission from vehicles, shipyards and aircrafts also contributes to air pollution in Shanghai especially after Shanghai became an international transport hub.

A second solution was implemented by Hanergy, the largest non-state-owned enterprise of clean energy power generation in China, which focuses on hydropower and solar power as alternatives (Dinell, n.d.). The ShangHai Tower, upon completion in 2014, will serve to reduce energy usage as wind turbines are built at the top of the tower and electricity generated will run the exterior light. We can see that with clean energy power generation, industries have alternative sources to run the plants instead of using coal. Less coal will be burnt, giving rise to a cleaner Shanghai. However, there are limitations to this implementation. Other sources of energy like hydropower and solar power requires much capital to operate. It also takes a long time to start these operations, which is not effective to solve the imminent air pollution problem in Shanghai.

In conclusion, globalisation drives rapid expansion and industrialisation in China, sacrificing the environment at the same time. However, efforts have been made by China over the years to solve this issue. They have been targeting the root of the problem by controlling the greenhouse gases emission from factories. Apart from that, China can also look out for other sources of greenhouse gases emission, and implement some regulations to control them. On top of solving the root of the problem, China can also deal with the health impacts experienced by the people living in the area. The government can give out free face mask to the citizens and also allow a regular health check at a lower price. Though it will take a long time, China can only aim to reduce air pollution. It will be hard to eliminate this problem entirely as air pollution is happening at a faster rate than their actions to deal with the problem.

(779 words)

References

Caroline Chen & Simeon Bennett (2014, March 26). China Smog at Center of Air Pollution Deaths Cited by WHO. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-25/tainted-air-kills-more-than-aids-diabetes-who-report-shows.html

Cui. L & Shi.J (2012, October 25). Urbanisation and its environmental effects in Shanghai, China. Urban Climate 2, 1–15.

Kristina Chew (2013, November 14). China’s Solution for Combating Air Pollution? Convert Coal to Synthetic Natural Gas. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.enn.com/environmental_policy/article/46681

Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (n.d.). Air Pollutants and Our Health. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.sbcapcd.org/sbc/pollut.htm

Sarah Dinell (n.d.). Pollution. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://china2012.bizjournalism.org/?page_id=229

Zhang Jun Jie (2012, September). Delivering Environmentally Sustainable Economic Growth: The Case of China. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://a siasociety.org/files/pdf/Delivering_Environmentally_Sustainable_Economic_Growth_Case_China.pdf

Saturday, 15 March 2014

Reader Response Final- edited

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 is characterized by an unequal distribution of news, mainly controlled by 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 since long ago. It is further driven by the media and has 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. Mass media like radio and television in the 20th century have allowed even more exposure to news and cultures from around the world.

One major effect of mass media in Singapore is on the local production of music. Music can represent global cultures, yet retain a local identity. According to Firouzeh (2004), music is an impact of cultural imperialism as US influential power across the globe caused our planet to be wired. 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 of pop funk beats, a feature of western music, together with Asian instruments. (Watanabe, 1992) 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 ago. But mass media intensified the existing hybridisation by providing the platform which brings further hybridisation of music.

References

Cliffsnotes. (2007). The Role and Influence of Mass Media. Retrieved from: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/sciences/sociology/contemporary-mass-media/the-role-and-influence-of-mass-media

Nahavandi Firouzeh. (2004). Globalisation and Homogenisation of Culture:

The Role of Mass Medias in Developing Countries. Human Ecology Special Issue No. 12: 235-239. Retrieved from: http://www.krepublishers.com/06-Special%20Volume-Journal/JHE-00-Special%20Volumes/JHE-12-Soc-Respons-Life-Sci-Web/JHE-SI-12-28-235-239-Firouzeh-N/JHE-SI-12-28-235-239-Firouzeh-N-Text.pdf

Teresa Watanabe. (1992, May 12). In the East, Pop Audience Gets Icons of Its Own. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from: http://articles.latimes.com/1992-05-19/news/wr-315_1_pop-culture

Vineet Kaul. (2011). Globalisation and Media. J Mass Communicat Journalism 1:105. Retrieved from: http://www.omicsgroup.org/journals/globalisation-and-media-2165-7912.1000105.pdf

Monday, 10 March 2014

Essay draft 2

Is Globalisation responsible for the collapse of diversity?

Goldin (2009) pointed out in his TED talk that collapse in biodiversity, climate change, financial crisis and inequality are some problems caused by globalisation.

Today, as compared to a few decades ago, we have witnessed the collapse of biodiversity becoming more evident. According to the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (March, 2005), there is substantial and largely irreversible loss in the diversity of life on Earth, with 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. Globalisation brings about further development of human activities which includes the increase in industrial areas being built. Therefore, I agree that globalisation has led to the collapse of diversity through human activities. However, mankind has been aware of this problem and are doing their best to alleviate this problem. Governments worldwide were committed to the Millennium Development Goals of ensuring environmental sustainability by achieving a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level.

Due to industrialisation, pollution has become one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity. This is particularly observed in ShangHai, China. Since 1970s, ShangHai has been experiencing rapid expansion and urbanization. This was due to the low cost of production in ShangHai, which works as an incentive for many foreigners to set up their companies there. Many job opportunities were given to the Chinese local and more knowledge and skills could be acquired from the foreign companies. As a result of its rapid expansion, ShangHai is also known for its bad pollution. From 1991 to 2010, industrial waste gas emission has been increasing at 43.1 billion cubic metres annually (Cui and Shi, 2012). Besides human beings, marine animals and plants are also vulnerable to air pollution. There were researchers who concluded that China's plants and food crops are affected by toxic air (Discovery News, 2012). With all these ongoing problems, China has implemented several solutions to reduce the loss of biodiversity due to industrialisation.

The first solution is to cut down dependence on coal. According to Environment News Network (2013), the construction of new coal-fired plants is prohibited and replaced by 18 synthetic natural gas (SNG) plants. Reducing the number of coal-fired plants can reduce air pollution since burning of coal contributes to harmful air particulates. However, this is a short-term solution. Moreover, although SNG can help to reduce particulate air pollution, the process of mining coal and converting it to natural gas can yield 36 percent to 82 percent more greenhouse gas emissions than burning coal directly (Environment News Network, 2013). Shutting down the coal-fired plants is also not sufficient to mitigate this pollution problem because emission from vehicles, shipyards and aircrafts also contributes to air pollution in Shanghai especially after Shanghai became an international transport hub.

A second solution was implemented by Hanergy, the largest non-state-owned enterprise of clean energy power generation in China, which focuses on hydropower and solar power as alternatives (The Chinese Dream, n.d.). The ShangHai Tower, upon completion in 2014, will serve to reduce energy usage as wind turbines are built at the top of the tower and electricity generated will run the exterior light. We can see that with clean energy power generation, industries have alternative sources to run the plants instead of using coal. Less coal will be burnt, giving rise to a cleaner Shanghai. However, there are limitations to this implementation. Other sources of energy like hydropower and solar power requires much capital to operate. It also takes a long time to start these operations, which is not effective to solve the imminent air pollution problem in Shanghai.

The loss of biodiversity in China is largely attributed to air and water pollution. The Chinese government has been targeting the root of the problem by controlling air pollution. However, air pollution still exists today and this means that the loss of biodiversity is still not controlled. On top of solving the root of the problem, the Chinese can also preserve some of the rare plant species by planting them indoors, but continue to provide the same living conditions needed. With less exposure to toxic air, the plants will be healthier. Preventing the loss of biodiversity requires time and many solutions.

In conclusion, globalisation drives rapid expansion and industrialisation in China, sacrificing biodiversity at the same time. However, efforts have been made by mankind over the years to solve this issue. Unfortunately, loss of biodiversity due to air pollution is happening at a faster rate than our actions to deal with the problems. Although it is really hard to stop the loss of biodiversity, we can still try to slow down the pace of losing them.

(797 words)

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/

Discovery News (2013). China’s Urban Air Kills Rural Plants. Retrieved from: http://news.discovery.com/earth/plants/china-urban-air-kills-rurual-plants-130118.htm

Environmental News Network (2013). China’s Solution for Combating Air Pollution? Convert Coal to Synthetic Natural Gas. Retrieved from: http://www.enn.com/environmental_policy/article/46681

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

Global times (2013). Shanghai publishes clean air action plan. Retrieved from: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/818788.shtml#.UxiaCPmSxps

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

The Chinese Dream (n.d.). Pollution. Retrieved from: http://china2012.bizjournalism.org/?page_id=229

Cui and Shi (25 October 2012). Urbanisation and its environmental effects in Shanghai, China. Elsevier. Retrieved from

http://www.iufn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Cui-2012-Urbanization-and-its-environmental-effects-in-Shanghai.pdf

Friday, 7 March 2014

Essay Draft 1

Is mankind responsible for the collapse of biodiversity?

Today, as compared to a few decades ago, we have witnessed the collapse of biodiversity becoming 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 such as the increase in number of industrialised area built, which resulted in a loss of biodiversity. I agree that globalisation has led to the collapse of diversity. However, mankind has been aware of this problem and are doing their best to alleviate this problem. Governments worldwide were committed to the Millennium Development Goals of ensuring environmental sustainability Environmental Sustainability by achieving a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level to mitigate poverty and benefit all lives on Earth.

Due to industrialisation, pollution has become one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity. This is particularly observed in Shanghai, China. Since 1970s, Shanghai has been experiencing rapid expansion and urbanization. This was due to the low cost of production in Shanghai, which works as an incentive for many foreigners to set up their companies there. Many job opportunities were given to the Chinese local and more knowledge and skills could be acquired from the foreign companies. As a result of its rapid expansion, shanghai is also known for its bad pollution. From 1991 to 2010, industrial waste gas emission has been increasing at 43.1 billion cubic metres annually (Cui and Shi, 2012). Besides human being, marine animals and plants are also vulnerable to air pollution. There were researchers who concluded that China's plants and food crops are affected by toxic air (Discovery News, 2012). With all these ongoing problems, China has implemented several solutions to reduce the loss of biodiversity due to industrialisation.

The first solution is to cut down dependence on coal. According to Environment News Network (2013), the construction of new coal-fired plants is prohibited, and replaced by 18 synthetic natural gas (SNG) plants. Reducing the number of coal-fired plants can reduce air pollution since burning of coal contributes to harmful air particulates. However, this is a short-time solution. Moreover, although SNG can help to reduce particulate air pollution, the process of mining coal and converting it to natural gas can yield 36 percent to 82 percent more greenhouse gas emissions than burning coal directly (Enviroment News Network, 2013). Shutting down the coal-fired plants is also not sufficient enough to mitigate this pollution problem because emission from vehicles, shipyards and aircraft also contribute to air pollution in Shanghai especially after Shanghai became an international transport hub.

A second solution was implemented by Hanergy, the largest non-state-owned enterprise of clean energy power generation in China, which focuses on hydropower and solar power as alternatives (The Chinese Dream, ). The Shanghai Tower, upon completion in 2014, will serve to reduce energy usage as wind turbines are built at the top of the tower and electricity generated will run the exterior light. We can see that with clean energy power generation, industries have alternative sources to run the plants instead of using coal. Less coal would be burnt, giving rise to a cleaner Shanghai. However, there are limitations to this implementation. Other sources of energy like hydropower and solar power requires much capital to operate. It also takes a long time to start these operations, which is not effective to solve the imminent air pollution problem in Shanghai.

The loss of biodiversity in China is largely attributed to air and water pollution. The Chinese government has been targeting the root of the problem by controlling air pollution. However, air pollution still exists till now and this means that the loss of biodiversity is still not controlled. On top of solving the root of the problem, the Chinese can also preserve some of the rare plant species by planting them indoors, but continue to provide the same conditions needed. With less exposure to toxic air, the plants will be healthier. Preventing the loss of biodiversity requires a lot of time and combination of many solutions.

In conclusion, globalisation drives rapid expansion and industrialisation in China, sacrificing Biodiversity at the same time. However, mankind has been responsible for their actions and has made the effort to solve the problem. Unfortunately, loss of biodiversity due to air pollution is happening at a faster rate than our actions to deal with the problems. Therefore, it is really hard to stop the loss of biodiversity but what we can do, is to slow down the pace of losing our biodiversity.