Problem - Solution

Identify an existing problem that is being caused by climate change in the world today and explain how that problem can be addressed.

The rise in sea level has become one of the major environmental concerns since the 20th century. Coastal areas around the world are being threatened by the rising sea level and the entire surface of Earth will be affected in a long run. Sea level rise is due to thermal expansion of sea water as well as the melting of Earth's ice cap, both of which impact of the drastic change in climate. In order to deal with this problem, we definitely cannot just building seawalls to prevent seawater from flowing into our land. Instead, we have to take action straight to the source of global warming, which is caused by excessive emission of greenhouse gases. Cross-national efforts have been made to cut down the emission of greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.
The Kyoto Protocol, which has been ratified by the majority of countries in the world, has the objective of "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system" (The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 2008). In response to the Protocol, different measures are being done by countries around the world. For instance, carbon trading is implemented in the European Union and has become one of the major component is the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS). Under this scheme, all corporations are given a cap or quota for emission of greenhouse gas that will be lowered over time. If a corporation has excess allowance of emission, the allowance can be either sold to other corporations that exceed the emission limit, or donated to nonprofit organizations to gain other benefits, such as tax reduction. In short, we cannot overcome the problem of rising sea level without eliminating the sources that are causing the problem. The elimination of the sources of the problem requires cooperation of all global communities to work as a whole.




Reference:
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (2005). Article 2. Retrieved on February 17, 2008, from http://unfccc.int/essential_background/convention/background/items/1353.php

My blogging buddy: Lihui

Principles of Economics, Translated

Cause - Effect

Deforestation has been pinpointed as a serious environmental problem in Southeast Asia. What are the causes/circumstance that give rise to this problem?

(Human has prehistorically involved in deforestation. While there are various definitions of deforestation, it generally refers to the destruction of forests due to human activities. In recent centuries, the rate of deforestation has increased along the rise of human population and activities. In the 21st century, deforestation has been declared as one of the major environmental concerns as the rate goes too high and its impact is catastrophic.)

In Southeast Asia, deforestation is mainly due to logging activities, forest fires, agriculture and urban development. Tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia are mainly consists of highly demanded hard woods which are valuable because of their high quality. As a result, the old, big trees are chopped down without proper limitations in virtually all countries in Southeast Asia.

Today, most of the nomadic aborigines in Southeast Asia still utilize the 'slash and burn' technique to obtain farmland. The process of chopping down the trees and burning them is preferred because it enables the land to be cleared easily, while fertilizing the land to improve the yield of their crops. The degree of deforestation caused by this method is said to be insignificant as compared to other causes. However, the process of burning the trees often leads to uncontrollable forest fires which leads to a more catastrophic disaster.

image courtesy: uk.encarta.msn.com

The development of the developing countries in Southeast Asia has also contributed to the deforestation in this region. Huge amount of land is in demand for urban, industrial and agriculture development, and forests are often being cleared up in order to fulfill these demands. For instance, forests in Malaysia and Indonesia have been used for oil palm cultivation to fulfill the economic demand for palm oil. Hydroelectric projects in Malaysia, such as the Bakun Hydroelectric Project and the Kenyir Dam have produced artificial lakes, which completely destroy the forests within the dam.

image courtesy: dimensibaru.com

My bloggin buddy: Xuejie

Impacts of Oil Plam Planting in Malaysia - Biodiversity

Oil palm planting constitutes the major portion of the total agriculture activities in Malaysia. The growth of the oil palm market has directly caused more and more forests in Malaysia to be substituted by oil palm plantations. This is the point where the challenge arises. The tropical rain forests in Malaysia are arguably one of the oldest and richest in biodiversity in the world. The cost of the substitution is so high that it will lead to the chain reaction of bringing down the biodiversity and also the sustainability of the ecosystem. As a result, the extinction of rare species will take place and cause further negative impacts on biodiversity.

In the state of Sabah, the expansion of oil palm plantations has exploited the sanctuary of the highly endangered Bornean Orangutans. The problem has raised concerns from worldwide organization such as the United Nations Environment Program – World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and Friends of the Earth (FoE) about the conservation status of this species. They estimated that the orangutans will extinct in 12 years time if the expansion continues without being seized.

My blogging buddy : Serene

The Question that Matters

What are the environmental impacts caused by (large-scale) agricultural activities in Malaysia?

The Meaning of Life

What is the meaning of life? Yes. The MEANING. The answer can be just as short as a few words - the opposite of death. Otherwise, there will be thousands or millions or billions types of different responses to it. Virtually everyone has his/her own meaning of life, and perhaps that is the only reason why we live in this world.

I consider life as a process of learning. In fact, understanding the meaning of life is part of life itself. Since the day we reach this world, we have started to learn something that is new. We have learnt how to breathe, how to eat, walk, speak etc. and until today we are still learning new things to improve ourselves, and to improve our way of life.

A good way to learn and understand the meaning of life is do be good and positive in our lives. In spite of learning knowledges from schools and books (which we call it study), learning the way of life is more essential than just study. For example, a person who has knowledge can be someone who does no good deed. From the other way round, a person who does good deed is definitely a person who is learning and understanding the meaning of life, regardless of how much knowledge he/she has.

Challenges in life serve as tests that show us how well we have done. While going through the processes, we are actually gaining experience that money cannot buy. In the end, our experience will serve as our report card which we tend to share with each other, and I would say that those who have scored well are those who have a fruitful and meaningful life.

Well, this is what I can say about the meaning of life and I am still working to score well in this life. How about you?