Ebola.

Ethical issues present at the moment includes the questioning of whether experiments treatment should be used in the current situation. Ever since the Ebola outbreak that has infected 2 Americans, American company has stepped out and the trial drug (ZMapp) came to the public’s attention. This has caused a heated debate. Personally, my take on the trial drug is that at times like this when the outbreak might trigger a red alert, causing more nations to be affected, it should be used. With the trial drug being experimented on humans, if it’s a success, this will serve as a cure and  stop the spread of Ebola. Yes, I do agree that of it’s a failure, a life would be lost, but think about it, without the drug, the condition of the affected would worsen and eventual death. So why not give it a shot instead. Sacrifices have to be made for the great things.

However, on a side note, I would like to bring up the point that the fact that the Americans only allowed the drug to surface to the public when their people are infected, this is indeed a selfish act, and failure to meet obligation under 2005 World Health Organisation (WHO) regulations to help build global capacities to respond to infectious diseases. But standing in the perspective of the very nation, they might be afraid of the consequences the drug will bring about on human for it is not tested. Hence, having the reservation to usage of trial drug, especially on infected patients of foreign nations. Perhaps for fear that it will worsen the relations between nations.

However, accorded to news dated two days ago (16 August 2014) the first ever patient, Dr. Kent Brantly, 33, has his condition improving drastically within an hour of using the serum when previously his condition was deteriorating rapidly. Unsure whether it is indeed the effects of the serum, ZMapp. Nevertheless, this signifies that the drug may indeed be the cure to this deadly illness.

Media and Violence

Mass media has allowed many people to watch any shows without much restrictions in this modern era. This has exposed young children to shows that contain violence or even sexual contents which can be quite explicit and children being young and innocent, they have the tendency to imitate what the characters do in the shows. According to an article published by American Psychological Association, they have conducted a 15 years study on children that have been exposed to violent shows on televisions.

After an extensive research on the behavior of these children, researchers have come to a conclusion that children who are exposed to violent shows tend to be more aggressive when they become young adults on both genders. When they become teenagers, they have a higher probability of using physical actions on the opposite party when angered and they are also more likely to commit a crime than normal people who are not so exposed to violent shows when they were young. For men, they are 300 percent more likely to commit a crime such as traffic violation whereas in women, they are 400 percent more likely to punch or shove another adult. When young, these children might not be able to differentiate between real and virtual life, hence, they act out the violent scenes in the show not knowing that their actions are wrong.

To reduce these kind of behavior in future generations, many methods have been implemented. One of them is the ‘Child Lock’ function that parents can use on the television to restrict certain channels for a period of time and prevent their children from watching violent shows. However, some of them may know the password that their parents use to lock the channels.

In Singapore’s context, television program providers such as Starhub have the ‘Child Lock’ feature and it has prevent children from watching shows that are too explicit for them. Singapore has one of the lowest crime rate in the world and there are also assembly talks and crime prevention exhibition organised to guide the youths on the right track. Counseling sessions are also given to those who are at higher risk of committing crimes. As a result, over the years, crimes related to youths have been decreasing.

http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2003/03/media-violence.aspx1

Animal rights: Dolphins

Philosopher Thomas White said: ‘Scientific evidence is now strong enough to support the claim that dolphins are, like humans, self-aware, intelligent beings with emotions and personalities. ‘Accordingly, dolphins should be regarded as “non-human persons” and valued as individuals. From an ethical perspective, the injury, deaths and captivity of dolphins are wrong. Due to advances in science, it is clear that dolphins are extremely intelligent, complex and sensitive mammals.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2104034/A-rights-dolphins-Theyre-smart-treat-non-human-persons-say-scientists.html#ixzz36mRzG9rg

I did not know that RWS actually had issues with dolphin’s animals’ right. After reading about the article, i felt sad for the dolphins. “Though a dolphin looks like it is always laughing, it is actually not the case.” i find this very true after i watched The Cove that was in Taiji, Japan. No one in Japan actually knew that the fishermen there were killing dolphins. It was a tragic scene to see. The sea was dyed red in color during the fishermen’s hunting season. though there was a documentary produced in 2010, the isuue still continues till today. Though RWS’s situation is not as bad as in Japan, the environment that the dolphins live in in Singapore is being housed in appalling conditions; in tiny barren swimming pools, surrounded with four walls that compromises their welfare. and they were made to perform unnatural circus-style tricks for the public. To abduct these animals from the wild, to rip them from their homes, to snatch them away from their mates and relatives and put them in a box is especially cruel.To use them for entertainment, for generating money from the tourist trade, now that’s downright exploitative and that’s exactly what Resorts World has done. Though these attraction places claim to protect the dolphins in the wild but the people are still exploiting the dolphins for entertainment purposes. In the end how are we protecting them when we are caging them up, giving them an area that is never big and deep enough for them to swim and enjoy to the fullest. Humans are depriving them of their freedom

In 2003, ACRES gathered evidence that food deprivation was used as a training method. In 2003, the shy dolphins were also documented being used in “petting sessions” and “swim with the dolphin sessions” with the public. The “Suffering not Smiling” campaign called for Underwater World Singapore to:

• End the use of dolphins in animal shows at Dolphin Lagoon.
• End the petting and Swim-with-Dolphin sessions at Dolphin Lagoon.
• Stop the further imports of dolphins to the Dolphin Lagoon.
• Begin research on the rehabilitation of the Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins and eventually release the Indo- Pacific humpbacked dolphins from the Dolphin Lagoon back into the wild.

Another main objective of the campaign was to prevent the establishment of new dolphinariums in Singapore.

 

 

 

Dolphins exploited and suffering at Dolphin Lagoon, Singapore.

Related article/docx: http://www.acres.org.sg/media/pressreleases/zoo/12%20Sep%2003%20DOLPHINS%20EXPLOITED%20AND%20SUFFERING%20AT%20DOLPHIN%20LAGOON,%20SINGAPORE.pdf

Basically, the article is about Animal Concerns Research and Education Society ( ACRES ) launching a campaign which aims to raise the awareness on the plight of dolphins and urge Singaporeans not to support marine parks that keep dolphins in captivity. The
campaign is conducted based on scientific and factual evidence that captivity is detrimental to the welfare of dolphins. It proves that research, conservation and education in dolphinariums, have minimal benefits to wild dolphins.

With the dolphin lagoon being only 0.0003% the area of its natural habitat, it has caused the dolphins to suffer from stress-related illnesses such as gastric ulcers or even heart attack. These dolphins were also forced to perform acts, satisfying human’s entertainment.

The article is expressing concerns and doubts to which the dolphins are held captive. Personally in my own opinion, I see no reason for why the poor dolphins are held captive in the tiny aquarium. I can fully understand how humans might hold them captive for research and study purposes, provided that they are not harmed physically, and on the condition that they should be release back into their natural habitat after a few years ( less than 5 years )

Many might argue that dolphins are held captive such that we can ensure the continual of their own kind, as we provide shelter and food to them, giving them what “comfortable” life, with comfortable coming from our own selfish opinion. Has it ever occurred that dolphins being such peaceful creatures desire their own freedom, has their natural way of life in the wild? By holding them in captive, not only will they lose their will to survive since they are forced to leave their homes to perform for humans unwillingly, this will also cause the ecosystem to suffer since the food chain will be disrupted.

When it comes to rights, I think animal should have their rights in a way that they should be respected. So what if we are humans, and seemingly more superior that all the other animals. Respect is the key, and every single creature deserves that like how you wish to have it.

 

Animals Rights. To have or not to have?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/07/01/animal-rights-activists-are-infuriated-with-this-19-year-old-big-game-huntress/

What exactly is Animal Rights? There has been a controversy over whether animal should be given rights or not. Animal rights is the idea that non-human animals should be given the possession of their own lives and that their basic interests should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings.

Some people believe that animals should not have rights because they were born to serve us, or that they do not have a mind of their own. Such statements made by people are the things that have blown this issue out of proportion.The animal activists feel very strongly for animal rights.

A few days ago, an article by the Washington post caught my eye. It was about animal rights activists and a 19 year old huntress. This huntress called Kendall Jones enjoys hunting and has already killed many animals. She is at the top of her game at the moment. At the age of 14, she had already killed an African elephant, a lion, a Cape buffalo, a white rhino and a leopard. These were the

Jones has defended her activities, saying that she is part of population control efforts and helps veterinarians and animal conservationists so that they can take blood samples. ‘The vet drew blood, took DNA samples, took body and head measurements, treated a leg injury and administered antibiotics. I felt very lucky to be part of such a great program and procedure that helps the White Rhino population through conservation,’ she wrote. However, this has not appeased her critics because many of them have been commenting on her photos, saying bad things about her.  Apparently her goal for doing this is to get a television contract with the Sportsman Channel and indicates she ‘is looking to host a TV show in January 2015, maintains she is doing what’s best for the preserves, where there isn’t always space for even threatened species like elephants or lions.

I feel that if she hunts while trying to help others, it is not so bad. If she hunts just for the sake of gaining fame then that is just sick and cruel. Trophy hunting should be illegal and people should be stopped at all costs.

Singapore does have an animal protection law as well as organisations that support the freedom of animals. We all need to work together in order to make the world a better place for everyone

 

 

Overwhelming Climate Change

Goh Cheng Ze

 

The impacts of global warming are likely to be “severe, pervasive and irreversible”, a major report by the UN has warned. Be it the melting of glaciers or warming of permafrost, the summary highlights the fact that on all continents and across the oceans, changes in the climate have caused impacts on natural and human systems in recent decades. Some impacts of climate change include a higher risk of flooding and changes to crop yields and water availability. These include threats to unique systems such as Arctic sea ice and coral reefs, where risk levels are said to increase to “very high” with a 2C rise in temperatures. On land, animals, plants and other species will begin to move towards higher ground or towards the poles as the mercury rises. Humans, though, are also increasingly affected as the century goes on.Humans may be able to adapt to some of these changes, but only within limits. Food security is highlighted as an area of significant concern. Crop yields for maize, rice and wheat are all hit in the period up to 2050, with around a tenth of projections showing losses over 25%. Many fish species, a critical food source for many, will also move because of warmer waters. In some parts of the tropics and in Antarctica, potential catches could decline by more than 50%.

In my opinion, I feel that global warming is a real phenomenon affecting all life and the biosphere. As mentioned earlier, there will be both positive and negative impacts on natural and human systems. This will undoubtedly affect the society correspondingly. First, rising sea levels would pose a threat to low-lying countries such as Bangladesh, which is mostly 10 metres above sea level. This would mean a wipeout of low-lying coastal settlements such as housing settlements and important economic capital such as oil refineries, ports and harbours. A great loss will be incurred if the rise of sea level happens at a global magnitude. Second, increasing weather anomalies such as drier droughts and wetter monsoons and seasons throw the biosphere into chaos. No food chain would be left unscathed and this represent a risk of food shortage as Man depends heavily on the environment for subsistence. Changing animal migration routes, patterns or frequencies such as of salmon and herring reduces the amount of wild food caught for consumption. Prolonged droughts prevent farming and reduces the harvests of grain and fruits for consumption and sale. Hence, global warming is a major cause of concern as it affects both Man and the Earth he lives off.  There must be a global consensus whether to tackle the cause of climate change itself, or to develop and adapt to climate change as another phenomenon.

China’s Air Pollution Problem

Lau Kai Tao

With the serious air pollution in Hebei province, Mr Li Guixin of Shijiazhuang is the person to submit

his complaint to a district court and wants to sue the Chinese government as they are not doing

a good job in managing the air pollution here in Shijiazhuang, hence, he is seeking 10,000 yuan

(S$2,000) in economic losses.

Hebei is a region with major industrial activities happening and has some of the most polluted

cities in China. Shijiazhuang has been having serious air pollution for 7 days straight and is posing

health risks to the people. Beijing in an effort to reduce air pollution has suspended 147 industrial

companies and for Hebei province, no actions were implemented yet.

Standing from the point of a Singapore citizen, it is sad to see that the government has not taken any

appropriate actions to curb the air pollution in the Hebei province. Being part of the industrialised

region, pollution is very common as smoke is produced from the factories it will cause the air quality

to worsen. However, this means that the respective authorities should take action to perhaps solve

the problem or make it such that the citizens can live a normal life without being affected severely

by the weather. Despite the deterioration of the air quality in Hebei province which has been going

on for a few days already, the respective authorities has not done anything to curb the air pollution

even though they said they have taken steps to do so. It is also that the government is reluctant

to close down some of industries companies as they rely quite heavily on the taxes that these

companies pay them. As a result, the government is having a difficult time to decide.

As compared to Singapore, our society is much more urbanised and developed. We live in a country

that is small and has limited space, hence, allocation of resources have to be carefully planned out

by the government. In Singapore, most of our profits come from the tertiary sector, followed by the

secondary sector and we have a small percentage of it coming from the primary sector. We do have

some industries in Singapore and the government has implemented policies to reduce the amount

of pollution that these industries produce. As a result, it is very rare for Singapore to have air

pollution. Unfortunately, we do get haze due to the forest fires happening in neighbouring countries

such as Indonesia and the monsoon winds bring it along to Singapore. However, our government is

quite efficient and has already prepared for future air pollution if it happens again.

Air Pollution in China

Derrick Wong 14A03

I support the actions of the man who sues the government for failing to curb air pollution to a large extent. This action was spurred by the intense haze in Hebei China where this man, Mr Li, lives in and where this noxious smog came from. I feel that Mr Li is very courageous as he is taking the initiative to take the first step and he is representing all the victims of the haze. In addition, I feel that there must be a balance drawn between the economy and social and health issues. It is also of utmost responsibility of the government to control production so that it will not adversely affect the health of people and even before the haze reach the level of 406 in China. Hence, this makes his actions justified and reasonable as this serves as a reminder to the Chinese government that they should decrease production and find solutions to help the people who are suffering in the haze and also pay necessary sum of money to its people if possible due to the devastating impact caused by the haze to people in Hebei in terms of health problems and economically as jobs like agriculture are adversely affected

Water, water, everywhere

The article is about the index of the risk from natural hazards affecting different countries around the world, especially the economic power houses like Japan, USA , Britain, China and India. These measure the countries’ overall economic exposure and socio-economic resilience to natural hazards. Most of the countries I have mentioned are at high risk.

I feel that these countries should start preparing and investing in strategies to ensure that these natural hazards would do minimal damage to the country, both physically and economically. Since we are in the era where global warming is prevalent, country should be ready to meet any sudden climate changes that will lead to natural hazards occurring. After all, if your country is at high risk of natural disasters, this will deter investors and tourists from coming to your country, therefore weaker economic growth. Furthermore, I believe that all the countries around the world should come together and actively seek out solution to solve or reduce damage done to the environment. Ultimately, all the countries’ economic are linked with one another, therefore, any damage caused by natural disaster to the economy of any country will have dire consequence to the global economy and the economy of other nations.

For more information:

http://maplecroft.com/portfolio/new-analysis/2014/02/19/natural-hazards-risk-atlas-2014/

Failure to curb air pollution-China

In this article, Mr Li Guixin, a resident of Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province, became the first to sue the government for failing to curb air pollution. He felt that the Shijiazhuang Municipal Environment Protection Bureau did not “perform its duty to control air pollution according to the law”. As the concentration of PM2.5 went as high as 406 on Feb 25, 2014 and the air quality index has been “very unhealthy” for seven straight days, he felt that it was a threat to the their health. In addition, he felt that the government should bare their economic losses. The government had suspended the production of 147 industrial companies, ban new projects in certain industries, close outdated steel and cement facilities and slash coal use in an effort to cut pollution. However, those enforcement has been patchy at local level as the authorities often depended on the taxes paid by the polluting industries. Official data suggests that by 2020, the province has promised to cut total steel capacity by 86 million tonnes, about 40 percent of last year’s production.

I feel that the government and authorities should really work together to cut pollution. Here they are worried about the taxes paid by these polluting industries and not the welfare of its people. Pollution is bad for human health, if the authorities do not want to care for Its people, ultimately, the ones who suffer is the economy of China.What Mr Li said was very true and brave. When most of the working adults do not even feel like leaving the house to go to work (especially those with asthmatic conditions) , children are encouraged to stay at home by their parents, or many falling ill and cause lung cancer in the long run , how are they able to contribute to the economy? In Singapore, we also experienced similar air pollution in June that lasted about 2 to 3 weeks where it hit the highest of 401 on June 21.So i can understand how the citizens there are feeling. My government took the initiative to curb the problem and made sure that every single one of us has access to the N95 masks without citizens asking them to, unlike China’s government.

links for more article on this issue:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/25/china-pollution-idUSL3N0LU1U220140225