Man rather than natural disasters is the real threat to the environment.

How far do you agree with

this statement ?

The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami affected 18 countries , left more than 1.7 million
people homeless and 230,000 dead. According to National Geographic the tsunami destroyed very
important fish habitats such as mangroves, coral reefs and sea grass beds. It has also caused the
contamination of seawater, aquifiers and agricultural areas in places like coasts of Indonesia and Sri
Lanka. The veritable threat that natural disasters pose tot he ecosystem, though undeniable, is
nothing compared to the harm caused by Mankind has inflicted on Mother Earth. The WWF reported
that at Man’s rate of consumption of natural resources, two planets worth of supplies maybe
required in the next 40 years. Man made disasters have caused impacts more widespread and
significant than those natural disasters could ever incur on Mother Earth.

Should mankind continue to maintain this rate of unsustainable development, the pool of resources
that the Earth provides will continue to be quickly depleted. Therefore, I agree that the human race
poses a more serious threat to the environment than natural disasters for the environment in the
long run.

To support the continuous search for the improvement and lifestyles and convenience, mankind

either exploit natural resources or carry out activities that can cause irreparable damage to the
environment. Human have come a long way from the hunter-gatherers way of life to the globalized
world that hails inventions such as Google Glass, a device that makes use of facial recognition
technology and allows for a hands-free experience. For example, nuclear powerplants, which provides
5.7% of the world’s energy and 13% of the world’s electricity, is lauded as a sustainable energy source,
but can be a tremendous threat to the environment. The 2011 Fukushina Daiichi Nuclear disaster
resulted in tyhe radioactive contaminati on of the 30,000 square km of the land surface of Japan and
areas as far 200 square km from the nuclear plant were declared too radioactive for human
habitation and is declared as permanent exclusion zones. Massive discharges of radioactive material
into the ocean resulted in 40% of the fish to be found with high Caesium levels. Despite maintenance
efforts, such impacts on the habitats cannot be totally reversed and the survival of organisms in these
areas is at stake due to the distribution of food chains. In this modern society, papers are still widely
used for books and newspapers, and wood is required for building houses, decorative pieces and as a
source of energy to maintain the speed at which society is developing, at the expense of the earth’s
resources. Industrialization has accelerated the consumption of wood by 12 times, causing a rapid
depletion of the world’s supply of timber and the loss of 7.3 million hectares of the world’s forests per
year. Such unsustainable use of natural resources can wipe out rain forests in 100 years and humans
would have to find other means to provide for their wasteful lifestyles. Some might argue that
advancements in technology can contribute to the alleviation of environmental issues. Globalisation
and the interconnectedness of the social media have allowed many to be more aware of
environmental issues. Without which, organisations such as the WWF would not be able to reach o to
many as 750,000 people around the world and call on the EU to protect Virunga National Park,
Africa’s oldest national park. It is human yo err and the availability of technology allows people to
search for new and better alternatives. With the invention of smart devices such as ipad and tablets,
people are turning to the use of e-books, which cut down sustainability on the demand for paper
products such as books. Indeed, technology, when put to effective use, can help to address
environmental issues. However, ti should also be noted that such technology is dependant on
electrical energy to run and for humanity to maintain their current standard of living, natural
resources will be also depleted. It is possible to exact short term measures to address environmental
crises such as the of nuclear leak and destruction that natural disasters have on the surroundings; it si
impossible to retireve or replace that mankind has wasted. Therefore, the advancements of humanity
are carried out at the expense of the environment

The mass media is the cause of scoiety;s preoccupation with fame today. DO you agree ?

In 1968, American artist Andy Warhol made a prophetic statement- in the future everybody will be
world famous for 15 minutes. In this Information age, it seems like Warhol’s words are truer than ever.
Today, not only we follow celebrities every word and move, but the media landscape has changed
with the tantalizing promise that this fame that we so desperately seek can be also ours, if only for a
fleeting 15 minutes. While the innate desire for fame - to be known and respe3cted by many- has
always existed to some degree, the mass media today is responsible for perpetuating society’s
overwhelming preoccupation with these two desires. This is turn has stimulated the public’s appetite
for celebrities and the obsessions of becoming one.

The mass media is responsible for creating celebrity culture and fueling society’s obsession with
celebrities. One of the major roles of the mass media is to entertain Hollywood, as a world famous
entertainment powerhouse, can be credited for the creation of film stars and subsequent fan bases,
from the early twenties to present day. Famous actors are now synonymous with popular culture and
the media particularly gossip magazines, reports on their every move. Such minor details as their
preferred restaurants or outfit choices become headline news. This is in recognition of the public’s
desire to be upclose and personal with the life of fame. The effect has only gotten worse with the
advent of the new media particularly social media/ Twiiter and Facebook has allowed masses
unprecedented access to their fav celebrities, a category no longer just reserved for Hollywood actors.
Pop music stars, such as Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift have the largest Twitter and
Instagram followings in this planet, with hundreds and millions of fans hanging on their every word.
The nature of social media allows for a two way conversation between the stars and their followers.
Celebrities have hence become much more personable by reducing their social distance between
them and their,fans, for example,Tayor Swift gave Christmas presents to some of her more prominent
Twitter fans in 2014. Also recently, hip-hop rapper Nicki Minaj paid entire student loans for her fans,
after an exchange on Twitter. These incidents and others like them allow people to feel like there are
connected to their celebrities, and are enabled through the interactions to gain some fans for
themself.Given the ubiquity of the media and its key role in our lives, it is evident that this widespread
exposure has led to society’s obsession with celebrity culture. Thus mass media enables society to
feel connected to fame through celebrities, deepening their desires to become famous themselves.
The current media landscape allows for literally anyone to gain fame easily though various exploits on
reality television or social media, as opposed through their talent, hard work or heroism, leading to
our preoccupation with fame. While being a celebrity was elusive and unattainable for most people in
the past, in today’s media, it appears as if anyone can easily attain their 15 mins of fame. The rise pf
reality television, a genre that documents supposedly unscripted real-life situations, with ‘non-entities’
as opposed to celebrities. In the early 90’s, tv shows such as The Survivor, Big Brother and Ido made
previously unknown participants into household names. For example, in 2004, American Idol
contestant and an unknown at that time, William Hung gained worldwide notoriety after performing
his off-key rendition of Ricky Martin's She Bangs, winning slots into influential shows such as Jimmy
Kimmel Live! (despite Mr.Hung being eliminated in the round) and still remains as an iconic figure in
pop culture today. This trend has continued with increasing prevalence, with more reality television
shows being aired, and in different themes- from restaurants in Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares,
to courtroom dramas such as Judge Judy and even programme about pawn proceedings as in Pawn
Stars. With so many diverse reality shows around, one need not talent to gain fame, but just good
fortune to be featured on TV. It is clear that anyone can have their 15 minutes of fame thanks to
reality television and new media. Society’s obsession with celebrity has been driven by this promise
that anyone can be famous and enjoy fame with minimal effort.

The mass media’s powerful influence through advertising also contribute towards society’s
re-occupation of fame. Mass media causes our obsession with celebs to grow by using them to
market products. The advance of technology means that we cannot escape from advertising as not
only do we see it around us in the public sphere but it is ever present in our smart phones too. Even if
we avoid new media, the presence of celeb endorsements on traditional news sources such as
billboards, newspapers and magazines means that we are constantly aware of their inherent value to
society. For instance, we see the wide variety of celebs being used to endorse luxury products. Roger
Federer, a sports star, endorses not only sports equipments but also luxury items such as watches.
Hugh Jackman, and actor frequently endorses credit cards. David Beckham, along with Gordon
Ramsey, both endorsed Marina Bay Sands, premium integrated resorts in Singapore, last year.
Similarly, we see artists such as Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Cher, using their fame
throughout mass media to market their own products and tour items, int he from of perfumes,
fashion as well as tour passes.In this way, fame becomes an inextricable force of influence in our lives.
Our ideas of what is fashionable, our ideas of what defines luxury and what drives us to decide where
our money goes, are shaped by the celebs who endorse and advertise these products,thier own
companies through mass media.

However, one can argue that despite the considerable influence the mass media exerts on society,
our preoccupation with fame strectches a consdierable way back into the past. The mass media has
cerainly