The Environment How the environment is being neglected - No effort put in to maintain current state of the environment Environmental

l degradation: depletion of natural resources, destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife - Prioritise human activities over the environment Eg: deforestation to establish buildings, air pollution from traffic congestion Why should we save the environment - Aesthetics Provide expatriates with an aesthetically-pleasing place to live in Producing a beautiful and conducive environment for people Beautify surroundings - To prevent the global crisis from worsening / to ensure that future generations have a decent environment to live in The environment is degrading too quickly that the Earth will eventually outstrip the environment one day How do we save the environment - Conservation and preservation: act of prioritizing the environment over human activities Possible costs incurred in saving the environment - Economic: slower economic growth / development - Social: repercussions of unemployment - Political: politicians who have vested interests might lose votes BUT in todays context - Political: citizens might be more willing to vote for politicians who advocate conservation because these politicians show that they care for the future generation as well - Social: health problems arising from pollution make people more aware of the need for environmental preservation - Economic: firms are more likely to get grants from organisations if they show that they are more energy-efficient in their production process Who should be responsible for saving the environment - Environmentalists: have the expertise to go about tapping into alternative energy sources and slowing down the rate of degradation - Governments: have the resources - Developed nations: they are the main cause of the problem so they should clean up their act - Developing nations: also highly polluted but mainly by developed nations TNCs take advantage of lax environmental regulations Slums, sewage systems - Should be a combined effort of everyone Most efficient way The environment belongs to everyone and it is only right for everyone to take ownership of it Becoming more of a reality

* Earth Hour 2007: 2.2 million people and 2100 businesses in Sydney turned off their lights for 1h *Reduced energy consumption by 10.2% for that hour = 48 000 cars off the road for a year *Earth Hour 2008 involving even more businesses and cities like Toronto *Kyoto treaty The balance: sustainable development - Extent to which nations should be concerned about conservation is dependent on Maturity, social responsibility and sense of civic-mindedness of people (might be influenced by culture) Population density Amount of resources the country has Probably why Japan is considered to be the cleanest city despite it being a developed country - In fact, the world is more concerned with going green than before Minimise damage on the environment while carrying out economic activities *YOG, Terminal 3, energy-efficient vehicles More efficient use of resources like land *Building upwards (HDB) and underground (MRT, shopping malls) Engineering more environmental-friendly products and tapping into alternative energy sources Technology and the environment - Modern technology: development of objects and processes in which being created can modify and improve our lives - Many technological products use a large amount of energy from natural resources / pollute the environment Car: carbon monoxide - Ecological imbalances were a result of the industrial revolution, which could be said to be the beginning of the non-ending technological advancement Began altering our climate and environment during industrial revolution by changing agricultural and industrial practices Pre-industrial revolution, human activities released very few gases into the atmosphere Post-industrial revolution: population growth increases consumption increased burning of fossil fuel, water pollution - BUT technology also allows people to tap into alternative energy sources - It is mans usage of technology that we should be concerned with, and not technology per se Inventions like the car may be harmful, but it will only be lethal to the environment if we excessively use it. Purpose of the car was probably to provide convenience to those having to travel long distances, but some people choose to drive to a supermarket 5 minutes down the road. People should be more discerning (civic-mindedness, social responsibility) THE EARTH IS POISED ON A BLADE OF KNIFE!