VidS, Author at Gp Lah!

‘While environmental sustainability is desirable, it is an unachievable goal.’ Discuss.

While there is increased awareness and education surrounding one’s ecological footprint and its impact on the environment, conservation efforts through environmental sustainability have been questioned for its true effectiveness in mitigating the impact of our current environmental degradation. This begs the question of whether true environmental sustainability is indeed possible to achieve or if it will only remain as a mere goal that is impossible to carry out, let alone, impactful.

The assumption in the question in that sustainability has intrinsic value. It has positive benefits or impacts on our environment. Environmental sustainability is unachievable and any efforts will not be able to mitigate the existing problems and impacts of our current environment.

Discuss the desirability of environmental sustainability and evaluate whether the goal or the efforts at achieving this goal are achievable or not. A thoughtful response also reflects the perspective of “Ideal versus Reality”; reasons and factors that may hinder the goal from arriving at its idealistic outcomes are discussed, resulting in a key treatment of the contention “desirable, but unrealistic goal”.

Provides an accurate and complete understanding of the key terms in the question; the concept of ‘environmental sustainability, as well as the contention of ‘desirability’ and ‘achievability’ of this concept is explained and evaluated against each other consistently and extensively. Explain environmental sustainability in terms of the efforts taken by various stakeholders (Individuals, Society, Government, NGO, etc.) in ensuring the longevity of resources and ensuring that environmental degradation is kept to a minimum. The ‘desirability’ of sustainability is explicitly discussed in terms of its inherent worth, value, significance, or benefits. The ‘achievability’ of a goal is also discussed through analysing the outcomes of the goal/objective, or the process of carrying out the objective.

To what extent has space exploration benefitted humankind?

• examine how exploring space has benefitted humankind
• consider whether space exploration has had any negative impacts on humankind
• make a judgment, based on the consideration of the evidence and argument put forward
• the benefits of ongoing programmes to explore the moon for water and life
• the development of the international space station and the implications for global cooperation
• new inventions and technological advancements enhancing various aspects of life on Earth
• the learning achieved from studying various planets and phenomena in the Solar System
• the search for alien life and the benefits to humankind of what we have discovered so far
• there being no need to look into space, as humans have their religions and philosophy to aid understanding
• money used for space exploration could be better spent improving humankind in other ways
• space exploration being of no benefit to life on the planet as it is merely to fulfill intellectual curiosity.

Evaluate the view that education does not encourage creativity.

• discuss what education should be about or concerned with
• explore whether or not education encourage creativity
• make a judgement, based on the consideration of the evidence and argument put forward that education does not encourage creativity.
• traditional education curricula emphasising basic skills of literacy and numeracy
• most countries expecting education to produce ‘useful’ citizens who will contribute to the economy
• creativity in schools contributing to an appearance of apparent disorder
• academic education usually being considered as the prime target of schooling
• most children demonstrating innate creativity that ought to be nurtured and channelled
• the modern world requiring more creative ‘solutions’ rather than just a production line
• creativity often involving collaborative effort that lies at the heart of the modern workplace
• nurturing creativity helping to develop the originality and dynamism that drives all human endeavour.

‘Too much pressure is placed on government leaders to solve the problems of their people.’ How far do you agree?

Social Contract Theory suggests that governments across the various systems in the world have the social obligation to care for its people, as well as to be responsible not just for the provision of public goods in the country, but also the problems faced by its people. Understanding that, it is important to question how much government intervention is adequate or how much is considered ‘too much’ when it comes to authorities’ role and obligation in solving some of the problems of its people. Are there differences in the types of problems faced by citizens that can be categorised as government’s responsibility or the responsibility of individuals or other stakeholders? What is considered too much pressure on government leaders and how does one measure it?

Establish the understanding of the issue of the question regarding the government’s obligation to its people when it comes to solving their problems. Such responses also further present an acute, accurate, and complete understanding of whether too much pressure is placed on the authorities to solve the problems of its people and whether such pressure on the government’s intervention to solve the problems of citizens is justified.

Ensure that you can show engagement with the contention of “excess” of the question – evaluating and justifying the extent of government’s intervention and its sufficiency. Clear yardsticks or measurements are used to determine the extent of the government’s intervention in solving problems of individuals and to justify his or her stand.

Make sure you focus on the contention of excess (“too much”) or superficial treatment of the excess with mere assertions such as agreeing or disagreeing with the stand without giving adequate attention in addressing the contention of excess in the question. In such responses, usually, there are no or unclear criteria or yardsticks to determine the adequacy of the government’s intervention in solving the problems of individuals.

Assess the view that unpaid voluntary work benefits the participants more than it benefits the people the participants are trying to help.

• assess the role of voluntary workers, their aims and contribution to society
• explore the benefits of voluntary work to the participants and wider society
• make a judgement, based on consideration of the evidence and argument
• voluntary work being for a charity, cause or pressure group
• young volunteers gaining experience and making contacts in sectors of interest to them, improving their future employment prospects
• retired people gaining a renewed sense of purpose from their voluntary activities and from contact with younger people
• participants acquiring a broad range of valuable personal and interpersonal skills
• the chosen group gaining a great deal from the services provided
• charities, in particular, relying on voluntary workers to reduce costs to maximise their potential efficiency and effectiveness
• volunteers not being properly vetted or supervised, possibly resulting in inappropriate behaviour
• volunteers being motivated by religious or other ideological interests, compromising the independence of those they are helping.

Strong religious belief can be both beneficial and damaging. Discuss.

• assess the benefits of religious beliefs to people and societies
• consider to what extent religious beliefs are damaging
• make a judgement, based on the consideration of the evidence and argument put forward.
• religious belief strengthen positive values; condemn those which are harmful
• the unifying qualities of religion creating a sense of community
• religious belief giving many people a sense of order, meaning and purpose to life
• belief and faith explaining mysteries and giving people an outlet to stress and anger
• the emergence of extreme cults and belief systems having a harmful impact on vulnerable people
• religious belief taking up time that would be better spent on other things
• religious belief resulting in war, death and harm to many groups of people
• the view that having a strong religious belief is ridiculous and unscientific.

An effective leader needs to be a good listener. Evaluate this statement.

• discuss what makes an effective leader
• the extent to which listening to others is an important quality in an effective leader
• make a judgement, based on the consideration of the evidence and argument put forward.
• leaders being successful if they understand the mood of the country
• the need for negotiation and discussion in leadership roles meaning careful listening is often required
• effective leaders often picking up on details that others miss
• poor leaders who refuse to heed or acknowledge important voices of dissent
• giving undue weight to the opinions of lackeys or cronies can be damaging
• an over-emphasis on listening leading to delay or inaction
• leaders sometimes having to make unpopular and immediate decisions and listening is often not helpful in such situations
• the dangers of relying on consultants and advisers and the negative impact this can have on management decisions.

The efforts to save the environment is the responsibility of developed nations. Discuss.

The destructive bushfires of Australia in 2019 gained widespread media attention. Many discussions and debates talked about various causes which led to the disaster. One recurring theme in all these debates was man-made climate change. Environmental damage can also be seen in the arctic, where melting snow has led to the death of polar bears. It is estimated that polar bears will go extinct in ten years if nothing is done to help preserve their environment. These incidents prove that the efforts to save the environment have not materialised into reality yet. One of the reasons for this is that many believe that developed nations should shoulder the responsibility of conserving the environment as they are better equipped to do so. From a practical perspective, developed nations should shoulder the efforts to save the environment as they have been the main culprits in its destruction.

Developed nations should conserve the environment because they have better resources financially and technologically. Many developed countries have already taken steps to mitigate environmental problems in multiple ways. One of the ways developed nations have adopted is the construction of buildings with ample of green spaces. An example of this can be seen in Singapore, throughout its architecture it encourages the inclusion of plants and trees. Private buildings like Oasia Hotel in downtown Singapore is coated in greenery. The Singapore government is also focusing on planting new trees and preserving mature ones to make housing estates greener, sustainable and more liveable. Similarly, in Chicago, the City Hall Roof which is practically a garden boasts of various flowering plants and bushes. The roof was made to serve as an example for other buildings in the state. It also was made in an attempt to combat rising temperature and improve air quality. The Chicago green roof fulfilled all these goals which is evident from the fact that more than 400 green rooftops are constructed since then. Thus, developed nations are better equipped to save the environment because they have the technology and finances to assist them in this endeavour which many countries do not possess.

Developed nations are primary contributors to environmental damage due to their large-scale industrial activity. Apart from that, the per capita consumption patterns are also very high in the developed world. Thus, these developed countries should take ownership and mitigate the effects of environmental damage. There are companies in the developed world that are taking measures to prevent environmental damage. An example, of this, can be Coco-Cola company that has adopted environmental-friendly practices like conservation of freshwater rivers and sourcing their ingredients from sustainable sources. The company is also set to make changes to its packaging by introducing recyclable plastic bottles. Similarly, IKEA, a furniture company, through its Live Lagom project, encouraged its customers and employee live in a more sustainable way by sourcing sustainable products and only adding furniture to their home when it’s truly beneficial. These efforts by international companies help in making the world a greener and better place. Thus, developed nations have to play a larger role in promoting the efforts to save the environment.

However, it should be noted that developing countries today are mainly responsible for environmental damage as they are undergoing industrial developments. In the future too, it is the current rapidly developing nations that will be the primary contributors to global warming. However, developing nations too could undertake efforts to mitigate environmental damage. An example of this can be the North African country of Morocco, that has successfully shown the will to mitigate climate change by committing to produce electricity through renewable energy sources by 2020. Another country, Brazil has developed innovative products like plastic made from sustainable materials like sugar cane ethanol. This plastic is considered to help in reducing emissions and minimising environmental damage. Similarly, developing countries are also focusing on ecotourism to protect the environment. An example of this is the country of Belize, which is focusing on eco-tourism and is protecting and preserving its natural environments and exotic wildlife. The Belize Barrier Reef is conserved and protected and is an important place which promotes biodiversity. Thus, developing countries can also take efforts and play a part in environmental conservation.

In conclusion, there is no denying that developed countries are better off financially and technologically in mitigating issues related to the environment. However, it is unfair to expect that all the efforts to save the environment should be taken by the developed countries. This is because the task is a Herculean one which requires efforts from all countries and stakeholders. Therefore, everyone is instrumental in preventing environmental degradation. Therefore, while the efforts to save the environment lies in the hands of all the stakeholders, developed countries should shoulder the main responsibility.

To what extent does social media pose a challenge for the government?

Social media is being used in unprecedented ways today. While it has helped people to communicate from across the world. It is also an important tool in influencing thoughts and ideas of people. People today can use social media to share all sorts of information to a larger and wider audience. While that is beneficial in some instances, from a governmental perspective, it can pose a challenge. This is because social media can spread misinformation that can lead to social discord. Thus, it can be said that social media poses serious challenges for governments because the government has little control over social media platforms.

Social media is an unregulated platform with widespread reach which is a serious challenge for the governments. Today, billions of people use the internet and have access to social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. All these platforms display information that can influence people to a large extent. Currently, there are no laws that are meant to regulate these platforms. Governments believe these platforms are very popular and have a massive outreach which directly influences people. For example, during the Arab Spring social media played an instrumental role in spreading awareness. Recently, a US teenager’s TikTok video went viral about the Muslims being put under concentration camps, the video raised awareness about the treatment of Uighur Muslims. Though social media in these instances has often exposed the role of authoritarian governments. There is no denying that governments of these countries have faced immense challenges in controlling these platforms. This is evident from the fact that even after placing bans on Facebook and Instagram in countries like China, people have found workarounds and use Virtual Private Networks (VPN) to access these platforms. Thus, social media poses a serious challenge for governments who want to establish dominance over its people.

Social media use does not lead to mass revolt, but it could still pose a challenge as an arena in which dangerous ideas circulate. Social media has been used by various terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and Lashkar-E-Taiba in the past. In recent times, ISIS is fighting an online cyberwar, with the use of violent videos, online messages of hate and aim to radicalise and create a new generation of cyber jihadists. Similarly, the Christchurch shootings were orchestrated for the media and spread the message of fear among the masses. Apart from terrorist activities, social media poses a challenge in the form of international governments who try to intervene on internal matters of a country. An example of this is China, which used platforms like LinkedIn to recruit spies in the US. Similarly, Pakistan is known to use social media against India in multiple instances. Leading media houses uncovered propaganda run by Pakistan on social media against PM Modi hours before his crucial meeting with Chinese premier Xi Jinping. All these examples illustrate how social media can be misused to spread misinformation and messages of violence. Therefore, unregulated social media poses a huge challenge for governments as dangerous information circulates widely.

However, in rare instances, social media can also be beneficial to governments which minimise the challenges posed. Social media can be used by governments to interact with people directly during a crisis. An example of this can be the recent outbreak of coronavirus, where governments have tried to use social media to try and reduce panic and mitigate misinformation. Effective use of social media was seen by Singapore, where anxiety and panic of citizens were reduced by updating citizens regularly via social media. When the disease level was raised to orange and citizens began hoarding groceries, the government was quick in trying to reassure and calm citizens. However, despite the attempts, people have not stopped panicking or believing rumours. This is evident from the fact that citizens have used social media to express veiled criticism of government mismanagement and lack of government accountability. Social media now acts as a check and balance against the government. With the use of social media even honest and genuine efforts by the governments can be undermined. Therefore, social media ultimately poses a challenge and is largely a necessary evil that has to be managed.

In conclusion, social media is largely a challenge to the government because it cannot be easily regulated. While laws and policies exist to manage social media, enforcement is often impossible due to anonymity as well as how quickly messages are spread. Though the benefits of social media cannot be denied, from a governmental perspective social media poses serious challenges and is a threat to the government bodies.