Saturday, November 22, 2014
Planning and Research
The Role of the Editor and the Purpose of Editing
Planning and Research
http://www.ehow.com/video_2384819_choosing-scene-transitions-documentary.html
From these videos I have learn about all the different types of cuts that a video can have, for example a jump cut which can be used to add dramatization to the shot or make the time seem to pass quickly. I have also learnt about pacing in shots, pacing is used to keep the viewer interested in the shot rather than just have the shot go on and on and making the viewer bored.
http://www.ehow.com/video_2384819_choosing-scene-transitions-documentary.html
From these videos I have learn about all the different types of cuts that a video can have, for example a jump cut which can be used to add dramatization to the shot or make the time seem to pass quickly. I have also learnt about pacing in shots, pacing is used to keep the viewer interested in the shot rather than just have the shot go on and on and making the viewer bored.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Do genetic modifications used on products in factory farming have a significant impact on our overall health?
Contents
Page 1:
· Introduction
· Why
do GMO’s exist?
Page 2:
· Fertility
Problems
· Immune
System Problems
· Allergy
Problems - Part 1
Page 3:
· Allergy
Problems - Part 1 (continued)
· Allergy
Problems - Part 2
· Ways
of preventing harm from GMO’s
Page 4:
· Problems
with prevention techniques
· Solutions
to prevention techniques - Part 1
Page 5:
· Solutions
to prevention techniques - Part 2
· Solutions
to prevention techniques - Part 3
· Solutions
to prevention techniques - Part 4
· Conclusion
Does the genetic modification
used on products in factory farming have a significant impact on our overall
health?
As we all know Genetically Modified
Organisms (GMO’s) have become a part of our daily diet. A GMO is brought to
life by a process in which a gene from one plant or animal is forced into
another animal causing a genetic modification to the receiving organism hence
the name, Genetically Modified Organism. GMO’s were put in place to help
maximize factory farming, take for example, a cow. A cow can only grow so much,
but with the addition of GMO’s the cow grows up to twice its “original” size. This
is done to maximize production and minimize cost and time.
Am I writing this essay to
explore the potential dangers of these GMO’s when consumed by humans. What are
the potential health risks? Could a human body be genetically affected by these
GMO’s? This essay is here to answer questions like these.
First we must find out the
reason GMO’s exist. GMO’s exist, as explained in the introduction, to maximize
production and minimize cost and the time taken to produce the product. This is
done with the help of genes from foreign plants or animals. Referring back to
the cow example. When a cow’s genes have been modified for factory farming,
usually by adding hormones, the cow will grow twice the size its meant to be
and also grow at the same rate that it would to be its normal size without the
added hormones. This is done to maximize the cow’s output; the amount of meat
it produces, and minimize the cost and time it takes to produce this meat.
Minimizing the time it takes to produce a bigger amount of meat minimizes the
cost of the production of cow. For example, If a cow had not been given any
additives or any stimulants, the cow would grow to a normal size in say one
year, but with the addition of hormones and more stimulants the cow would grow
to be twice the average size in 10 months. By doing so the cow has to be fed
less (lowering the costs) and it produces more in a shorter time.
This also keeps the price for
us, the consumers. If the factory pays less, we pay less.
So the main question to all
of this is, are there any health risks of eating GMO’s? Well research has found
that there are some risks in eating GMO’s.
One problem of eating GMO’s
has been found and this is it causes fertility problems. Researchers have been
investigating this since the release of GMO’s in the 1980’s[9].
According to natural-fertility-info[.]com[8]
sperm
counts have drastically decreased 40-50% since the 1970’s. Researchers warn
this may be a caused by the release and increase of GMO’s in our world today. Also
stated by natural-fertility-info[.]com[8]
research has found that female rats fed genetically induced feed have
given birth to babies that die merely within weeks of birth, the rate of
premature death can be up to 99%[8]. If you compare this to the
research done on rats that have not been fed genetically induced feed the
average rate or premature death is only 10%[8], which may seem like
a lot but compared to a 99% mortality rate, 10% is a feeble statistic.
Statistics have also shown
that more human females are finding harder to stay pregnant and also get sick
more during pregnancy. This was research by the Austrian health Ministry in
2008, there research stated that; “Those who ingest GMO foods are more likely
to be sick, age faster and have a harder time getting (and staying) pregnant.”[8]
.
Other problems induced by
GMO’s include immune system problems. Research has found that the immune system
is heavily affected by GMO’s. The immune system is the part of the body that
helps fight diseases and viruses. GMO’s have been found to directly effect this
significant part of the body. Studies done in labs on animals have shown that
the immune systems of such animals have drastically weakened. Board certified internal
medicine specialist, AAEM physician Amy Dean has backed this information, as shown in
her statement, “GMO’s have been shown to adversely affect the digestive system
and immune systems of animals in laboratory settings.” This quote from Amy Dean
shows us that GMO’s have the potential risk to affect our health as if our
immune systems are compromised our entire wellbeing is compromised, as our
immune systems are what help defend us from disease and sickness.
Allergies is also one of the
key problems in which GMO’s cause, but why is this is a problem? Allergies may
seem like a common thing amongst our everyday life, but. Allergies are some of
the leading causes of death in our world. GMO’s have been related to these
problems though research done on cotton and BT-corn.
BT-toxin is a pesticide type
spray that is used on crops in factory farming. The biotech industry claims
that it does not harm humans as it is a natural bacterium, but studies have
revealed that workers exposed to the BT-toxin have experienced allergic type
reactions.[6] This has been told to us by laborers in India after
they have been handling cotton sprayed with the BT-toxin and experienced
allergic type reactions such as rashes. Also, by adding insult to injury,
studies have shown that the BT-toxin used in GMO’s is up to thousands of times
stronger than the natural spray, showing us just how strong these pesticides are.
Allergies in soy have also
shot up and while this is not an allergy that has lethal capabilities it is
still something that can harm someone’s health as they feel discomfort and can
experience some major symptoms such as vomiting, trouble breathing, hives and
very rarely, one can experience anaphylactic shock [11] which is a
serious problem. GMO’s soy has been linked to the increase of soy allergies by
the evidence that GM soy directly links to allergies. Soy allergies rose 50% in
the UK after genetically modified (GM) soy was introduced, and after human
testing it was found that GM soy caused a skin prick allergic type reaction on
an individual but did not cause this reaction on the individual when they were
exposed to non GM soy.[6]
As we can see from the
previous paragraphs, GMO’s have the potential to be a major health risk. But,
there are ways of preventing us from being affected by these problems.
One of the ways to prevent
these problems is to eat organic. Organic food is food that does not use additives
or pesticides. This is healthy because there are not GMO’s to give you
allergies, there are no GMO’s to help lose you fertility and there are no GMO’s
to give you immune system problems. Organic food is widely available and
commonly found in stores around the world. Organic food is grown or produced in
small quantities, as there is more time needed and more feed and water needed
to produce it.
But by using more food/water
and taking more time to produce the food, it causes problems. Organic food is
much more expensive than genetically modified food as it takes more time and
resources to grow or produce the food rather than the concept of GMO’s which is
short time, little resources and maximum production. “The cost of organic food is higher than that
of conventional food because the organic price tag more closely reflects the
true cost of growing the food,” says the Organic Farming Research Foundation
(OFRF). [12]
The idea of GMO’s is that it
is produced cheap so people can afford it, but when someone is pushed to buy
organic food they might not be able to afford it as it is much more expensive.
Another advantage of GMO’s is
that it is farmed fast enough to feed the world’s demands due to its fast
growing/producing time. This is not the case with organic food as organic food
takes a much slower time to produce, referring back to my example from the
introduction, a GMO cow will produce double the amount of meat it will produce
in 12 months, in just 10 months (only an example). This shows how GMO’s are
built to keep up with the ready demand but Organic food is produced at nowhere
near the speed it needs to feed the world’s demand for food.
More problems with Organic
food include the fact that more people are questioning is actually health
benefits, why spend the money on organic foods if they are not healthier than
GMO’s? This has become a big problem as people are still falling back on GMO’s
because they have been ill informed on its actual health benefits compared to
the health disadvantages of GMO’s.
One of the possible solutions
to the problem with organic food is to raise awareness of the harmful effects
of GMO’s and encourage more people to eat organic. This is a good solution for
only a small percent of the people. This only works with the people who can
afford to eat organic food but choose not to as they see no benefit, but by
informing them well about the problems with GMO’s they might choose to eat
healthier, eat organic. Another way of raising awareness has been implemented
in Vermont, the first US state to take such action. A law has been passed to
make all GMO foods clearly labeled and to make it illegal to pass off GMO’s as
‘natural’ or ‘all natural’.[13] This is done in effort to increase
knowledge about GMO’s and to make people think twice before buying.
This still leaves us with the
other two problems, cost and demand. For these, the solution is much more
difficult, as stated by OFRF, the labor and management used on organic farming
are “frequently more expensive than the chemicals routinely used on
conventional farms”.
A considerable solution to
this problem is to improve the farming techniques so that organic food is
produced more efficiently and also faster to meet the demands of the world
population. This can be done by increasing the size of organic farm plots and
also by not using valuable farmland for urban development. A method of finding
this valuable farmland was introduced by the US in the early 1990’s. The method
was to use a satellite to identify the best and worst areas of soil to farm on.
[14] This was a break through in the agriculture industry as now the
farmers knew where to grow crops and also developers knew where not to develop
urban areas. This is an expert idea which reduces the waste of valuable land
and by doing so increased the area in which a farmer can produce high quality
food products, also by knowing which areas are the best to farm in we can
maximize these use of these areas to produce as much organic food as possible.
Other solutions include some
that have been implemented on a local and national scale; an article that China
had released is that they plan to ban the distribution of GM rice. (Stated in
February 2012) This was a smart move as by stopping the effects of GMO’s in one
of the country’s largest food source, the nation as a whole is better off.
Hong Kong as also taken
action against GMO’s, in the supermarket, all the food must be approved by the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance.
This is to ensure the health and safety of the Hong Kong population. [16]
To conclude this essay we
have found that GMO’s have the potential to be harmful to the human body.
Studies have shown that allergies can be created; fertility problems arise and
out immune systems are compromised. All in all the GMO has the potential, but
currently no significant damage to our human body but if we keep changing and
“improving” the methods used for GMO production we could start to experience
more sever effects.
Bibliography
1. Title: Harmful Effects of GMO's
Link: http://enhs.umn.edu/current/5103/gm/harmful.html
Citation: "GMO: Harmful Effects." GMO:
Harmful Effects. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
2. Title: 10 Reasons to avoid
GMO's
Link: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/10-Reasons-to-Avoid-GMOs
Citation: "Institute for Responsible Technology." -
10 Reasons to Avoid GMOs. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
3. Title: 10 Scientific Studies that show GMO's are harmful to your health
Link: http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/04/08/10-scientific-studies-proving-gmos-can-be-harmful-to-human-health/
Citation: "10 Scientific Studies Proving GMOs
Can Be Harmful To Human Health."CollectiveEvolution RSS. N.p., n.d.
Web. 25 Oct. 2014.
4. Title: 8 Reasons GMO's are bad for you
Link: http://www.organicauthority.com/foodie-buzz/eight-reasons-gmos-are-bad-for-you.html
Citation: "8 Reasons GMOs Are Bad for You
- Organic Authority." Organic Authority. N.p., n.d. Web. 26
Oct. 2014.
5. Title: GMO Dangers
Link: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers
Citation: "Institute for Responsible Technology." -
GMO Dangers. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
6.Title: Spilling the Beans
Link: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_11361.cfm
Citation: "Spilling the Beans: Unintended GMO
Health Risks." Spilling the Beans: Unintended GMO Health Risks.
N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
7. Title: 65 Health Risks of GMO's
Link: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/65-health-risks/1notes
Citation: "Institute for Responsible
Technology." - 65 Health Risks of GM Foods. N.p., n.d. Web. 11
Nov. 2014.
8. Title: GMO Fertility Problems
Link: http://natural-fertility-info.com/gmo-infertility.html
Citation: "Research Indicates That GMO Could Be
a Cause of Infertility." Natural Fertility Infocom. N.p., n.d.
Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
9. Title: Timeline of GMO's
Link: http://gmoinside.org/gmo-timeline-a-history-genetically-modified-foods/
Citation: "GMO Timeline: A History of
Genetically Modified Foods - GMO Inside."GMO Inside. N.p., n.d.
Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
10. Title: Lyme and Autism &
GMO's
Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-smith/lymeautism-group-blasts-g_b_268580.html
Citation: Smith, Jeffrey. "Lyme/Autism Group
Blasts Genetically Modified Foods as Dangerous." The Huffington
Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 25 Aug. 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
11. Title: Soy Allergies
Link: http://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/soy#2
Citation: "Soy Allergy." Symptoms
& Treatments. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
12. Title: Organic still a small slice of the pie
Link: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/organic-still-a-small-slice-of-the-pie/
Citation: "Why People Aren't Buying into Organic
Food Products." Scientific American Global RSS. N.p., n.d.
Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
13. Title: Vermont's solution to
GMO's
Link: http://mic.com/articles/87821/vermont-s-solution-to-gmos-could-be-a-model-for-the-rest-of-america
Citation: "Vermont's Solution to GMOs Could Be a
Model for the Rest of America."Mic. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
14. Title: Satellites to find farmland
Link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303243414000282
Citation: "Download PDFs." High
Nature Value Farmland Identification from Satellite Imagery, a Comparison of
Two Methodological Approaches. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
15. Title: How to avoid GMO's in HK
Link: http://geofoodie.org/2013/03/11/how-can-you-avoid-eating-gmo-foods-in-a-city-like-hong-kong/
Citation: "How Can You Avoid Eating GMO Foods in
a City like Hong Kong?"GeoFoodie. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
16. Title: Hong Kong and GMO's
Link: http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_gmf/programme_gmf_gi_info6.html
Citation: "Centre for Food Safety - General
Information (GM Food) - Situation in Hong Kong." Centre for Food
Safety - General Information (GM Food) - Situation in Hong Kong. N.p., n.d.
Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Plan for Food Essay
Does the genetic modification used on animals in factory farms have a significant impact on our overall health?
- Why I am writing this Essay
- What GMO's are
Para 1 - Why GMO's Exist
- Cheap
- Factory Farms
- People can afford it
Para 2 - 2 significant effects of GMO's - Dangerous Side Effects
- Fertility Problems (http://natural-fertility-info.com/gmo-infertility.html)
- Immune system Problems (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers)
Para 3 - Can cause allergies,
- Allergy Stats rose (Soy rose 50% in UK after GMO soy introduced) (http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_11361.cfm)
- Cotton Allergies developed (http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/65-health-risks/1notes)
Para 4 - Ways to stop the harmful effects of GMO
- Alternatives to GMO's, Organic foods
- Problems with Organic food
- Solution to Organic food, china and hong kong
Conclusion 200
- No GMO's are not bad for you in a significant way
- some bad things but no significant problems
Useful links for Food essay
1. Title: Harmful Effects of GMO's
Link: http://enhs.umn.edu/current/5103/gm/harmful.html
Citation: "GMO: Harmful Effects." GMO: Harmful Effects. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
2. Title: 10 Reasons to avoid GMO's
Link: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/10-Reasons-to-Avoid-GMOs
Citation: "Institute for Responsible Technology." - 10 Reasons to Avoid GMOs. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
3. Title: 10 Scientific Studies that show GMO's are harmful to your health
Link: http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/04/08/10-scientific-studies-proving-gmos-can-be-harmful-to-human-health/
Citation: "10 Scientific Studies Proving GMOs Can Be Harmful To Human Health."CollectiveEvolution RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.
4. Title: 8 Reasons GMO's are bad for you
Link: http://www.organicauthority.com/foodie-buzz/eight-reasons-gmos-are-bad-for-you.html
Citation: "8 Reasons GMOs Are Bad for You - Organic Authority." Organic Authority. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
5. Title: GMO Dangers
Link: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers
Citation: "Institute for Responsible Technology." - GMO Dangers. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
6.Title: Spilling the Beans
Link: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_11361.cfm
Citation: "Spilling the Beans: Unintended GMO Health Risks." Spilling the Beans: Unintended GMO Health Risks. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
7. Title: 65 Health Risks of GMO's
Link: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers/65-health-risks/1notes
Citation: "Institute for Responsible Technology." - 65 Health Risks of GM Foods. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
8. Title: GMO Fertility Problems
Link: http://natural-fertility-info.com/gmo-infertility.html
Citation: "Research Indicates That GMO Could Be a Cause of Infertility." Natural Fertility Infocom. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
9. Title: Timeline of GMO's
Link: http://gmoinside.org/gmo-timeline-a-history-genetically-modified-foods/
Citation: "GMO Timeline: A History of Genetically Modified Foods - GMO Inside."GMO Inside. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
10. Title: Lyme and Autism & GMO's
Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeffrey-smith/lymeautism-group-blasts-g_b_268580.html
Citation: Smith, Jeffrey. "Lyme/Autism Group Blasts Genetically Modified Foods as Dangerous." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 25 Aug. 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
11. Title: Soy Allergies
Link: http://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/soy#2
Citation: "Soy Allergy." Symptoms & Treatments. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
12. Title: Organic still a small slice of the pie
Link: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/organic-still-a-small-slice-of-the-pie/
Citation: "Why People Aren't Buying into Organic Food Products." Scientific American Global RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
13. Title: Vermont's solution to GMO's
Link: http://mic.com/articles/87821/vermont-s-solution-to-gmos-could-be-a-model-for-the-rest-of-america
Citation: "Vermont's Solution to GMOs Could Be a Model for the Rest of America."Mic. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.
14. Title: Satellites to find farmland
Link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0303243414000282
Citation: "Download PDFs." High Nature Value Farmland Identification from Satellite Imagery, a Comparison of Two Methodological Approaches. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
15. Title: How to avoid GMO's in HK
Link: http://geofoodie.org/2013/03/11/how-can-you-avoid-eating-gmo-foods-in-a-city-like-hong-kong/
Citation: "How Can You Avoid Eating GMO Foods in a City like Hong Kong?"GeoFoodie. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
16. Title: Hong Kong and GMO's
Link: http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_gmf/programme_gmf_gi_info6.html
Citation: "Centre for Food Safety - General Information (GM Food) - Situation in Hong Kong." Centre for Food Safety - General Information (GM Food) - Situation in Hong Kong. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Food Essay Question
Does genetic modification used on animals in factory farms, impact our health in a significant way?
Monday, August 18, 2014
I appreciate teachers that have authority but also that are appreciative of opinions that the students have.
Autocratic: When the teacher gives homework that he/she thinks is the best possible work for us to improve on our academics.
Democratic: When at the end of the year the teacher has a vote on whether we do a quiz or watch a movie.
Empowering: When the teacher has the students do presentations on their findings in class, thus, teaching the other students these findings.
I like to lead using a mixture of autocratic and empowerment styles, this gives me the authority to lead the group in some things that are important to me but also it gives others to lead in things that they specialize in.
I feel the most comfortable when a leader is using the democratic method because I feel I can contribute but at the same time everyone else can, thus creating a student body that accommodates everyones needs.
The culture of a place has great effect on the governing body's style of leadership, for example, if a society is reckless and out of control, a more autocratic style of leadership is needed to calm things down.
Autocratic: When the teacher gives homework that he/she thinks is the best possible work for us to improve on our academics.
Democratic: When at the end of the year the teacher has a vote on whether we do a quiz or watch a movie.
Empowering: When the teacher has the students do presentations on their findings in class, thus, teaching the other students these findings.
I like to lead using a mixture of autocratic and empowerment styles, this gives me the authority to lead the group in some things that are important to me but also it gives others to lead in things that they specialize in.
I feel the most comfortable when a leader is using the democratic method because I feel I can contribute but at the same time everyone else can, thus creating a student body that accommodates everyones needs.
The culture of a place has great effect on the governing body's style of leadership, for example, if a society is reckless and out of control, a more autocratic style of leadership is needed to calm things down.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Global Warming Essay
How have technological
advances changed lifestyles, thus contributing to global warming?
Daniel Ziengs 10W
2014
Contents
Page 3
Introduction
Hong Kong’s Water footprint
Global Average water footprint
Page 4
Water and energy usage
Hong Kong’s transport problem
Transport and Global Warming
Page 5
China’s car ownership rates
America’s car ownership rates
Potential scenario
Page 6
Personal opinion
Conclusion
Page 7
Bibliography
Introduction
Our daily habits and
technological advances are destroying our earth, as we know it. Global warming
has been an issue in our culture for a long time, but the real question is, did
we bring it on ourselves? Technological advances have been changing our everyday
lives. Habits of people today are extremely different from people living fifty
years ago. Global, local and national scales will be investigated.
To really answer
this question we need to look at our advances and how they have contributed to
global warming. I will also be looking into the subject on a personal level,
analyzing and questioning with my opinions.
Water usage
is a leading problem in terms of energy usage and output. It contributes to
global warming via the amount of resources it uses to clean and collect the
water. Only few of the worlds water plants are environmentally friendly and
even these are not helping the current situation greatly.
Hong Kong’s
water footprint
Hong Kong
has one of the highest water footprints in the world; it currently stands at
per capita, 4745m3 per year 1. This is due to the ready
availability of water. Water is now safe to drink from the tap and is available
at all times on instant demand. This is one example of technological advances,
which have negatively impacted global warming, as it takes so much energy to
filter and package the water. What I think the problem for Hong Kong is, is
that we as people are too used to the instant demand of things, we cannot just
give that up.
Global
average water footprint
The world’s
global water footprint per capita is 1385m3/py 2(per year), Hong Kong’s is 4745m3/py.
As shown Hong Kong uses vast amounts of water compared to the global average.
This is partly because of Hong Kong being one of the most technologically
advanced cities in the world. Having a small population with ready available
resources, Hong Kong people are used to the stream of supplies and resources
that other countries are not.
Hong Kong, also under some care from China has perks of being a
country with its own system but is cared for under the supply of China.
Water and energy usage
Water is a leading energy user and produces a lot of emissions and
uses valuable resources. It uses resources such as coal, which although is in
abundance, it still produces emissions. Water is also the resource used in many
daily household appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines.
Dishwashers are a good example of technological advance, which contributes
negatively to the environment. Washing by hand was common in households and
restaurants until dishwashers came into high demand. Before dishwashers cleaners
in restaurants were paid up to HK$20,000 per year.
Hong Kong’s transport problem
Although, ready supplies are not the only reason for Hong Kong’s
huge amounts of energy consumption Hong Kong public transport is problem that
only keeps increasing. A poll of June 2013 has shown that there are 318
licensed vehicles per one kilometer of road 9. This is a staggering
statistic compared to America’s result of merely just 36 vehicles per one
kilometer of road 10. This is largely due to the population density
of Hong Kong, which is currently 6,620 people per square kilometer (2012 poll) 11.
People in Hong Kong use public transport because of the different
areas in which work and home are situated. Since public transportation is so
ready available due to technological advances people in Hong Kong are used to
using it so frequently, thus contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. This is
yet another example of an advance, which is incredibly difficult to reverse its
pattern, it is an advance that only goes forward.
Transport and Global Warming
More examples of technological advances increasing the amount of
resources being used are cars. In Hong Kong it has recently become more popular
to own two cars, usually one personal car and another car provided by the
company. This is due to cars becoming cheaper and more available. A 2009 poll
has told that there are 540,000 registered cars in Hong Kong alone, and
although this is half of Singapore and one third of Taiwan, it is still an
immense statistic given the high population density of Hong Kong. In 2002,
there were only 354,000 registered cars in Hong Kong. Since 2002 there has been
a 55% increase in car ownership.
Cars produce about 50% of the worlds air pollution 14,
this includes greenhouse gases and various pollutants such as harmful VO2
gases.
China’s car ownership rates
China’s car ownership rates have also increased over the past
decade. In 2005, China had a seemingly small, 45 cars per 1000 people 16,18,
but in 2013 there were 183 cars per 1000 people 17. This shows that
China has had a massive growth rate in terms of car ownership/popularity. Since
China’s pollution is already a major problem, the increasing amount of cars is
only making it worse.
America’s car ownership rates
America is also an example of large amounts of car ownership.
Although matching statistics from previous years showing the amount of cars per
1000 people could not be found, a 2010 statistic has shown that America is
number three on the most cars per 1000 people, which stood at 797 cars per 1000
people 17.
Potential Scenario
A potential scenario, for example, owning two cars becomes more
popular. This will increase the amount of fossil fuels used. Thus producing
more emissions and greenhouse gases, which, in effect warms the earth up. This
is a serious problem and has serious effects for Hong Kong. Firstly since Hong
Kong already has bad pollution for southern china and the factories, more cars
are just one more thing that contributes to the thick pollutions already
surrounding Hong Kong. A way to tackle this problem is to implement a system
like Singapore and limit the number of cars in 1the entire city. This will keep
the pollution made by cars set a level that rarely changes.
Another solution is to increase awareness of energy conservative
cars. Although there are some energy conservative cars in Hong Kong there could
be more. Energy conservative cars are an example of a technological advance,
which contradicts the increasing amounts of pollution by providing alternate
energy sources. Since owning two or more cars is become more and more apparent,
one of them being an energy conservative car will be an important investment.
For example, a Prius (Hybrid car) would benefit the household. If a family has
two cars, one full gas car and one Prius, this mean the two cars only produce
75% of emissions compared to a family with two gas cars, seeing as the Prius
uses half gas and half electricity.
Personal opinion
My personal Opinion varies on the subject of technological
advances. Are they really one of the main contributors to global warming or are
they helping the people in ways unimaginable 20 years ago? Technological
advances have help many people in the past decade, cars help people commute to
and from work, water becomes more readily available, keeping people clean, thus
preventing disease. I personally think these advances have helped people enough
to outweigh the possible consequences that they cause. Although, these advances
could also be improved and have been improving, take for example, the hybrid
electric car. The hybrid cars can reduce emissions by 40-50% if everyone had
one, but this is not the case. I think people are too attached to what they
have already, (e.g big cars with bad gas mileage) that they are losing sight of
the consequences that are affecting our world today. People have become too
used to the ready availableness of items and resources that they are too
engrossed in consuming to step back and look at the damage that has been done.
The main problem with technological advances that are happening today is that they
are irreversible. The advances that we are creating and becoming used to are
only moving forward and cant be reversed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, technological advances have become a problem and a
solution for many things in this world. They have increased energy usage and
product consumption but have also benefited in ways that were unheard of 20
years ago, for example speeding up commuting and making water more available
for people. These also create problems as cars and water both use vast amounts of
energy and resources, both with side effects that contribute to global warming
such as greenhouse gases.
A course of action that has to be implemented is an action that
informs people of the damage they have been doing, an action that could reverse
the forward momentum of consumption. People need to realize what has been done,
what are the things that cannot be changed, and they also need to be informed
of the things they can do to help the already crumbling world we have. For
example, increased popularity of hybrid cars or making products that use less
water. These are all advances of advances that could help the world by
contradicting old habits without sacrificing functionality.
Overall, Advances have been taken advantage of to lead to energy
and resource usage, which are negatively contributing to global warming.
Courses of action need to be taken to contradict these advances in order to
save our planet from melting.
Bibliography
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