Month: August 2019

Technology has had a negative impact on people’s skills? Discuss.

Without a doubt, technology has majorly impacted skills of people in the world. While the progress of technology is important, people should be careful in not being overly-reliant on it.

Human beings have always discovered and invented devices and machines for their convenience. Today, technology has taken an important place in people’s life and has made their lives easier. However, with technology, there are also problems that have risen. Machines which were created for helping humans, have made humans lazy, unskilled and redundant. Today people are overly-reliant on technology. Though many skills have been replaced by technology, there are new skills which have gained prominence today. Hence, technology has a negative impact on people’s skills.

Automation has led people to lack many skills and has caused their role to minimise in many industries. In manufacturing, from making the dough for different cookies, to cutting them in different shapes and packing them, all tasks are now performed by machines and robots. In aviation, pilots use the auto-pilot function and use electronic interface to control the flight. The pilot’s role today is limited and skills required to become a pilot have reduced significantly. With so much being done by machines, it is a logical conclusion technology has a negative impact on people’s skills.

New and advanced technology has attracted people to games that involve virtual reality and advanced graphics. Unlike earlier times, where people, especially children took time to go out and play sports like cricket, badminton or swimming, children today are glued to their Playstation, X-box, computer screens and mobile games. In today’s times it is getting difficult to find young players who are genuinely interested in playing sports as opposed to just playing sports for fame and money.  Technology has given rise to new forms of sports as e-sports but these sports are not considered as sports by many because, who play these sports do not have great skills and are of little value in the real world. While playing real sports like football and tennis may build character and give one confidence, electronic sports do not provide any such benefit. Therefore, technology has also had an impact in sports creating a negative impact on people’s skills.

Technology has also impacted people’s soft skills and communication skills. Smartphones have given people a platform to connect with people from across the world however, people have lost their ability to communicate with people with mindfully and articulately. This is evident from the chat language people use in their daily communication. For example, using just “gn” for good night, “tc” for take care and “gbu” for god bless you. Similarly, people’s friendships today are limited to the extent of liking and commenting on a picture. It can thus be said that the art of communication has been lost significantly in present times. Applications like Twitter, have given people a stage to put forth their view but it has also made them intolerant towards other people’s views. People today are quick in jumping to conclusions and make their judgements based on limited facts, which sometimes are even fake. It can be said that technology has made people lose their reasoning skills and degraded human relationships, in turn. Therefore, technology has also had a negative impact on people’s skills and the ability to communicate rationally.

Though supporters of technology often say that people have replaced older skills with newer skills. They argue that people today are more well-versed in technology-based applications. However, these skills are not as intricate and lack in finesse as well. In earlier times people used to create handicrafts and painting with hand but with technology all that has changed. Skills like stitching, embroidering, fact-checking and map reading are being forgotten in our technological driven world.

Without a doubt, technology has majorly impacted skills of people in the world. While the progress of technology is important, people should be careful in not being overly-reliant on it. Over-reliance on technology will only lead to deterioration of people’s skills be it in the field of labour, communication or social interaction. Technology has had a negative impact on the skills of people.

Does global warming pose a serious threat to ecological conservation?

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The connection between ecological conservation and the economy has been a subject of severe disputation for decades. Market analysts and policymaking committees of every vantage point seem to concur that a strong linkage prevails between environmental protection and the fiscal state; the controversy arises over the sign of the correlation coefficient. Conservationists contend that environmental protection facilitates economic growth and generate employment whereas detractors argue that environmental protection tends to be adverse towards economic development. In the latter case, environmental regulation stands accused of precipitating an extensive array of disadvantageous monetary consequences and resulting in a loss of global competitiveness. The conviction that ecological conservation gravely impairs the economy has become the centrepiece in the series of attempts of late to annul environmental legislation which aims to amend environmental quality. Concurrently, there is some significance in these animadversions of environmental policies. This essay intends to examine a diversity of claims concerning the economic costs as well as financial profits of ecological conservation. I champion for ecological conservation although it comes with several short-term sacrifices of economic returns. In the long run, the merits of ecological conservation should outweigh the fiscal loss.

Each claims that environmental regulatory expenditure does significant economic detriment rest upon the hypothesis that the costs are substantial. After all, relatively minuscule environmental funding would not give rise to association with negative implications. However, there are numerous possible interpretations of the term “large regulatory budget”, determined by the context. One definition of the term is compliance figure that is disproportionately astronomical to lead to retrenchment, plant closures, and enervate international competitiveness. This clarification involves hefty regulatory funding approximate to the economic influence of firms. Critics chronically assert that conservation expenditure is overly substantial in a macroeconomic gist, deviating considerable state fiscal resources from productive pursuits into abiding by ecological policies. On the contrary, evaluation of states’ estimated ecological investments amount to negligible single-digit totals respectively. Allocating two to three percent of gross domestic product on ecological conservation is implausible to give rise to any major detrimental economic implications.

Bearing in mind the dire conditions of the ecology, environmental expenditures aggregate to a trivial amount relative to similar national priorities such as health care, education and military defence. Developed countries budget an average of 25 percent of respective gross domestic product to protect individual health and the security of states, therefore it is pathetically meagre to invest only two to three percent in the health of the ecosystems upon which the economy really depends. Considers surface since certain benefits such as enhanced quality of life derived from conservation efforts are non-quantifiable whereas there are perceptible tangible economic costs.

Nevertheless, despite sizeable environmental protection costs, these regulations collectively yield significant counterbalancing advantages to a society. In addition, characterizing these admittedly substantial funding in definite values as a drain on the economy, siphoning off capital which could be consumed prolifically elsewhere, is off the mark. It is more accurate to infer these expenditures as outcome of citizens’ demands for ecological quality ameliorations. Apportioning resources to meet the market for environmental regulations should not be surmised as economic inefficiency. Hence, given that ecological conservation produces considerable offsetting benefits and is publicly appealed for, the state should revise its disapproving standpoint.

As ecological conservation entails enduring efforts and financing, transitory drawbacks are to be expected in the short run. When governmental bodies embark on protection schemes in the early stages, implementation of laws and measures such as sound development and consumption of water resources, agricultural restructuring, biodiversity conservation, as well as urban forestation and landscape upgrading will lead to layoffs and plant closures. Firms, primarily pollutive and energy-intensive money guzzlers, will be displaced to countries with less binding guidelines. Furthermore, the high preliminary capital elemental to reform pollutive practices will inflate cost of manufacture of exports hence enervating the competitiveness of local sectors in the global marketplace. For example, logging restrictions in Pacific Northwest region in the United States has irrefutably retrenched the masses in the indigenous timber industry. However, it would be ill-advised to forgo introducing ecological conservation programmes due to several intermediate challenges. Thus, ecological conservation should be pursued despite the primary economic deficit.

Therefore, traditional economics shows that ecological conservation does not prompt irrevocable pervasive detrimental fiscal effects in contrary to conventional wisdom. Nonetheless, detractors of ecological conservation raise moderately factual polemics. Pinpointing and deciphering these problem areas would be a laudable objective in ecological conservation hereafter. Administrations should repetitively scrutinize the marginal costs and benefits of ecological conservation course of actions as means to increase their net merits. There is undeniably leeway for development in ecological conservation but it is mercifully not the economic Frankenstein some would have us believe.


How successful has your society been in embracing the old?

Singapore like many developed countries faces the issue of the ageing population. It is expected that by 2030, one in five people would have crossed the age of 65. What adds to the problem is the negative stereotypes attached to being old. Old people are often considered as weak, dependent and vulnerable. As such, it becomes very important for a country like Singapore to ensure that the ageing population remains healthy, productive and are assisted in living healthier lives. Recognising this challenge, Singapore has taken steps to embrace the aged population in various ways and have implemented measures that ensure their well-being, economic benefits and elderly-friendly environment.

The most common problem faced by ageing society is in terms of employment, where young are favoured over the older population. This is because it is often considered that elderly people are not as technologically advanced as the younger generation. However, in Singapore, The Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP) ensures that there are fair and progressive employment practices and assistance for employees. This means that ageist practices by employers are curtailed. By implementing the TAFEP, the government has addressed the root cause of discrimination against the elderly, by correcting stereotypes and educating the employers. The government also encourages elderly workers to undergo skills training so that they have the relevant employability skills. Government agencies like Workforce Singapore and SkillsFuture Singapore run a number of programmes to help workers acquire new skills and find jobs. By providing older citizens with financial independence and a sense of purpose through contributing to their workplace and society, they are more integrated, maintain stronger social bonds, and are generally happier than their non-working counterparts. Thus, Singapore has successfully taken the welfare and interests of the elderly into consideration and protected their position in the workforce.

The Singapore government has also implemented policies and programmes for elderly health care. Singapore government has set up various programmes to help seniors struggling with health problems. These include subsidies for medicines, regular doctor consultation and in case of hospitalisation. Medical insurance funds like Medishield and Eldershield are also provided by the government so that elderly people do not face any problems financially. The Singapore government has also successfully recognised the mobility needs of the elderly and helps them to stay independent. For ensuring this, they have implemented programmes like the Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund which allows the senior citizens to offset costs for equipment like walking sticks, wheelchairs, hearing aid and even spectacles. These facilities enable the seniors to live a healthy life when they do not need to care about the medical expenses. Thus, Singapore has been successful in embracing the old in terms of healthcare and medical services.

Singapore not only cares about the elderly in terms of healthcare and employment but has also ensured that the elderly live a positive and active lifestyle. The government has tried its best to integrate the elderly within society and make them feel that they are not different. Singapore has introduced programmes like the Active ageing programmes where seniors are allowed to take up interesting activities like Zumba, K-pop fitness, stretch band exercises and low impact aerobics. Furthermore, these activities allow the seniors to interact with other seniors through social activities like cooking classes, health workshops, card games and karaoke. Similarly, in terms of housing and other spaces, the government ensures that the places are elderly-friendly. For example, The HDB EASE package, which stands for Enhancement for Active Seniors, helps elderly residents to install items like ramps, slip-resistant floors in bathrooms and railings in their flat to make it elder-friendly. Furthermore, The Silver Zone scheme focuses on enhancing road safety for the elderly through various safety measures. Thus, Singapore cares about the elderly living needs and ensures that the elderly live active and healthy lifestyles.

However, despite the noble efforts of the government, some groups of elderly do feel neglected and outcast in some instances. Among Singapore citizens, many youths and middle-aged workers may, understandably, frown upon the idea of spending vast amounts of resources on the elderly at their expense. The younger generation sometimes fails to understand the needs of the elderly and continue to neglect and sometimes even abuse them. This is evident from the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) report in 2016 where fifty-five cases of elder abuse were reported. In 2017, the cases rose to 77 cases. 2018 saw 126 cases. However, despite these cases, Singapore is still better in understanding the needs of the elderly. The Maintenance of Parents Act by the government mandates it that the children take care of their parents, this ensures that the rights of the elderly are protected financially. Furthermore, the government makes sure that the people abusing senior citizens are punished for their deeds. The government has also taken an initiative in that foster interaction and bonding between people of different generations. This can be seen in the form of Singapore Taskforce’s Grandparenting and Inter-generational Bonding programme. Thus, despite a few instances where the elderly are neglected, Singapore is trying hard to wipe out stereotypes about the elderly and improve understanding between the young and older generations.

In summation, it can be concluded that Singapore does a great job of embracing the old in society. The government plays an instrumental role in integrating the elderly in the society by providing them assistance in employment, healthcare and living active lifestyles. There are ageist attitudes in the society to some extent but the government is taking initiatives to correct this too. Singapore has indeed created a society largely embracing the old.