As businesses rush to go green, consumers face growing risks of greenwashing

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Note the greenwashing examples of  Coca Cola and Volkswagen....

Birmingham hopes staging of Commonwealth Games will help revive city, put it on world map

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Qn: Hosting major sporting events creates more problems than benefits. Do you agree? (Cam. 2005)

Climate change and looking beyond GDP

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Droughts and floods have raised food prices. Deforestation, which has displaced living species from their natural habitats and into closer contact with humans, has contributed to pandemics which, as Covid-19 demonstrated, can devastate economies and lead to soaring medical costs.

Natural capital, which comprises the assets bestowed on us by nature, is ignored. So the erosion of natural assets is not recorded in official statistics.

GDP can go up without the vast majority of people experiencing any rise in their incomes or even becoming poorer - in other words, GDP increases can lead to greater inequality. They can also be the result of harmful products being produced such as weapons used in civilian mass shootings, sugar-rich foods which cause disease, and deadly, addictive drugs. 

GDP alone "does not guarantee improvement to our living standards" and does not "take into account who benefits and who is left out".

Bhutan has created a "gross national happiness index" which includes 33 indicators covering nine different social and economic areas.

Qns: 

1. In your society, how well are the demands of the economy and the environment balanced? (Cam. 2015)

2. To what extent should a nation pursue limitless growth?

Decision to stop coal financing was among toughest of my tenure at DBS: CEO Piyush Gupta

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Gives you an idea of how Greta Thunberg can be too idealistic and why there are people who supported Trump in pulling the US out of the Paris Agreement....

"And here I am taking (away) electricity, the fundamental right of people. What do I say to a kid in Indonesia, who is struggling to get electricity to do their studies and eat their food, and I am going to sit on the outside and make a moral judgment that electricity use is less important than the planetary considerations."

While noting that addressing the climate agenda is critical,....the need to strike the right balance to ensure that the development and social needs of people are not neglected.

"So these issues of how you balance the trade-offs are tough, and as a financier, we have to ask: Is it right for us to play God?" 

the financing of the palm oil sector, said Mr Gupta, noting that about 14 million households in Indonesia rely on small estate oil palm farming to make a living.....The kids' education, healthcare, everything relies on this plot of land."

Town hall urges against repealing Section 377A without safeguards for marriage, families

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reminiscent of the Wear White campaign in retaliation of the Pink Dot Movement....when one group wants to assert its rights to challenge the status quo, the majority group will feel threatened, coz its space is being encroached upon, and it will resist and retaliate...

Consider the impact of marriage on public housing, procreation, inheritance, etc..... 

We urge the Government to maintain the current political package and not to repeal Section 377A unless and until there are adequate safeguards for our marriages, families, and freedom of conscience. "This includes enshrining man-woman marriage in the Constitution."

We've been relatively restrained in the face of an intolerant, vocal minority that seeks to overturn the order in all areas of society - be it marriage, education, businesses, or beliefs, while demonising all those who disagree as 'bigots' or 'haters', instead of engaging us with good faith. We will be silent no more."

Use of AI in medicine raises ethical, legal issues: NTU medical school dean

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These ethical and legal issues include how to ensure patients' personal data is used in a way that respects their privacy, and who should bear responsibility for mishaps or mistreatment due to use of AI-enabled tools.

these tools can tell if a growth is a malignant or benign lesion, predict the prognosis, and factors such as whether or not the patient is likely to respond to chemotherapy or other treatments. "Artificial intelligence can help us to improve efficiency and allocation of resources because they can predict the major burdens of healthcare and the outcome of individuals who have cancer, diabetes or other chronic illnesses

there is still a lot of scepticism among patients about whether AI and machines can or should make life-and-death decisions...Without a biological explanation, and without understanding of the underlying rationale of these decisions, trust could be a problem

our healthcare decisions and our surgery, we may also be moving... from a fully doctor-driven treatment, like surgeons operating on a tumour, to a fully robot-driven decision and a robot doing surgery. There will be a lot of discussion about how to apportion the responsibility

Qn: To what extent is artificial intelligence replacing the role of humans? (Cam. 2019)

Police investigating anti-LGBT talk at Hwa Chong Institution

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In March, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam had reiterated in Parliament that there were protections for LGBT+ people under the law. He said that the Government had expressly included in amendments to the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act (MRHA) that any attack on any member of the LGBT+ community because of his or her identity, or on LGBT+ groups, would be an offence, and would not be tolerated.

The amendments to the MRHA state it is an offence to urge violence on the grounds of religion or incite feelings of enmity against a target group. 

Aside from the amended MRHA, he noted that acts involving hurt or incitement of violence, including against LGBT+ persons, are currently criminalised in the Penal Code as well as the Protection from Harassment Act (Poha), which contains both civil and criminal measures to protect individuals from harassment and abuse.

Nesting turtles sighted at Changi Bay reclamation site: Report

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nesting turtles have been seen at the site, and the permanent loss of such habitat from reclamation will have a major negative impact on turtles, such as the critically endangered hawksbill turtle, if no intervention takes place.

the reclamation site spans a plot of about 7.2ha of secondary coastal vegetation as well as small patches of corals, mangroves and seagrass, the report said.

Qn: In your society, how well are the demands of the economy and the environment balanced? 

(Cam. 2015)

Beijing scraps Covid-19 tracking bracelets following backlash

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Useful examples on government doing a U-turn....

walked back a decision requiring that travellers from at-risk areas wear a tracking bracelet during quarantine

Earlier this month, after announcing that unvaccinated individuals will be barred from certain crowded areas like gyms and galleries, the authorities quietly scrapped the decision just over 24 hours later following a massive backlash

if the wristband can connect to the Internet, it must be able to track my whereabouts as well - it's almost the same as an electronic shackle

Screenshots of the app paired with the device showed that it also recorded other information like heart rate and sleep data....collecting travel history and location information would be useful, as the data can prevent the spread of the virus, or even to contact trace. But in this case, the authorities have overstepped the boundaries

It's like when they tried to force people to take the Covid-19 vaccines...We want autonomy over our own bodies, and the information that it produces.

Qns: 

1. ‘Power these days lies more with the people than the politicians.’ To what extent is this true? (Cam. 2021)

2. ‘People should have absolute authority over their own body. Discuss. (NYJC Prelim 2021)

3. To what extent should the state interfere in the lives of its people?

Gunman in Indiana mall shooting identified as 20-year-old local

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Gun rights advocates will likely seize on the killing of the suspect in Indiana as an example of why it is important to allow Americans to carry firearms. “We will say it again: The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” the National Rifle Association said in a tweet on Monday morning.

Public service in Singapore embraces flexi-work

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The Minister-in-charge of the Public Service, Mr Chan Chun Sing, said in a parliamentary reply on July 4 that about half of the jobs in the public service are suitable for telecommuting arrangements.

Such flexibility would be useful for those with caregiving duties at home. Staggered work hours, if implemented more widely, can also help to reduce peak-hour traffic congestion and time spent travelling to and from work

Working virtually for prolonged periods of time could weaken team cohesion and make the inculcation of public service values more difficult."

Qn: Consider the view that most work these days could, and should, be done from home. (Cam. 2010)

Some Beijing residents asked to wear Covid-19 monitoring bracelets, sparking outcry

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The bracelets monitor users' temperature and upload the data onto a phone app they had to download, the posts said.

"This bracelet can connect to the Internet, it can definitely record my whereabouts, it is basically the same as electronic fetters and handcuffs, 

This post and others that shared pictures of the bracelets were removed by Thursday afternoon, as well as a related hashtag that had garnered over 30 million views, generating an animated discussion on the platform.

Hwa Chong reprimands staff member, suspends him from sexuality education over anti-LGBTQ content

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According to images of the presentation that were shared on social media, the presentation slides contained unsubstantiated claims such as how a majority of homosexuals have problems with intestinal worms and how a proportion of them are paedophiles.

The slides also associated homosexuality with problems such as alcoholism and sexual assault.

Relate to how education can sometimes perpetuates biases and prejudices, thereby causing discrimination.....

Chipping away at the deadlock over Elgin Marbles' ownership

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Lord Elgin used illicit and inequitable means to seize and export the Parthenon sculptures, without real legal permission to do so, in a blatant act of serial theft."

taking the relics to London helped to safeguard them from neglect and the corrosive effects of Athens' acid rain and that they are part of a shared heritage, and thus transcend cultural boundaries. 

resolved with the help of 3D machining. His University of Oxford-based research consortium has developed a robot with the ability to create faithful copies of large historical objects.

When two people both want the same cake, baking a second, identical cake is one obvious solution.

restitution would set a disturbing precedent and that major museum holdings everywhere would be in jeopardy. 

The biggest hurdle, she said, is that the words "copy" and "replica" still mean "second best",

It is hard to imagine anyone who wants the marbles to remain at the British Museum being satisfied with something produced in part by robots, when the originals represent to them the high point of human artistry

Qn: ‘Works of art which have been removed from their country of origin should be returned.’ Discuss. (Cam. 2018)

Hydropower - a Faustian bargain

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while hydroelectric generation itself emits no greenhouse gases, dams and reservoirs emit significant amounts of methane, carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide.

while hydroelectric dams are often touted for delivering clean drinking water, controlling floods and supporting irrigation, they also change river temperatures and water quality and impede the flow of nutrient-rich sediment. Such sediment is essential to help re-fertilise degraded soils in downstream plains, prevent the erosion of the river channel, and preserve biodiversity

disturbing the delicate balance between fresh water and salt water that is essential for the survival of critical species in coastal estuaries and lagoons.

Dams also carry high social costs. In 2007, then Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao revealed that China had relocated 22.9 million people to make way for water projects

As water levels in rivers and reservoirs drop - exacerbated by evaporation from open reservoirs - so will the water pressure needed to spin turbines, resulting in less electricity

For limitations of hydroelectric power....

Everything Wrong With Busker Jeff Ng

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Good local example of cancel culture.....fame/infamy via social media

Laos has safeguards to cut environmental and social impact of exporting power to S'pore: EMA

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concerns about the impacts of hydropower dams on biodiversity and the communities living around these structures, since their construction can affect the movement of fish.

Dams can also cause the release of methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide over shorter timescales.

Communities are displaced from their homes and denied access to lands, forests and rivers critical for their lives and livelihoods

The Republic in October 2021 announced plans to import around 30 per cent of its electricity from low-carbon sources, such as renewable energy plants, by 2035, to reduce the carbon footprint of its power sector. Currently, more than 95 per cent of Singapore's energy comes from burning natural gas, a fossil fuel.

Australian firm Sun Cable also has plans to send electricity to Singapore through subsea cables from a vast desert solar power station south of Darwin in the Northern Territory.

Man who posted video of road rage incident in Tuas Second Link says doxxing should stop

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Relate to qns on violence and social media....

More people working out at gyms than before the pandemic

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The pandemic has meant that people had more time for themselves and now more people realise the importance of keeping fit. There is also increased awareness of the benefits of working out.

Parts of Western Catchment forest to be cleared for expansion of water plant

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Parts of the Western Catchment forest near the Nanyang Technological University will be cleared for the expansion of a water treatment plant, a move that will impact wildlife there.

The affected plot is also home to critically endangered Sunda pangolins and straw-headed bulbuls. Two freshwater forest streams, considered rare habitats in Singapore, will also be affected by the works, said the report.

Surveys had shown that the streams are home to the critically endangered elf dragonfly. The Johnson's freshwater crab - a species found nowhere else in the world - has also been recorded in the streams there.

works will cause a "complete loss of certain habitats or ecological components", which could in turn affect sensitive creatures in the area.

Qns: 

1. In your society, how well are the demands of the economy and the environment balanced? (Cam. 2015)

2. Environmental concerns and economic growth cannot co-exist. Do you agree? (Cam. 2011)

3. How important is it to save plant and animal species which are in danger of extinction? (Cam. 2013)

4. To what extent are the rights of animals protected in your society? (Cam. 2012)

US linguists so tickled by Singapore's toilet etiquette posters, they wrote a paper on it

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"the choice of the comic genre as the medium of the message allows for a made-up world", helping to make taboo topics more relatable and memorable to the public.

the comics' "humour and visual-verbal interplay, simple narrative plot and exaggerated characters make it possible to remind, instruct and chide without sounding overbearing".

examining whether comics are more compelling than other campaign materials in persuading citizens towards action.

Qn: Can humour ever be serious? (Cam. 2012)

UK teen homicides linked to social media lead to calls for more to be done

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"All involved were so young and it was almost like they were completely detached from reality - as though they'd watched too many 'gangster films'

"If you read comments on any social media, people always feel freer to 'say what they really think' without considering the consequences,..."A lot of these comments would be things people would never say to anyone face to face."

"Social media is a bigger factor in violence and the deaths of young people than we realise."

"children's lives should not be the collateral damage of the tech sector" ....implored social media companies to stop "avoiding responsibility".

Instead of trying to keep children off social media as long as possible, a more realistic approach for parents would be to teach them how they and others should behave online

Qn: Can we eliminate violence with education? (CJC Prelim 2018)

Cast of dystopian series Westworld takes to heart warning about AI

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And social media is an AI. It's an algorithm that can control and hack into our brains, infiltrate our psyches and fundamentally change our psychology, especially for younger kids.

"It has helped me understand the ways in which we are increasingly becoming slaves to our own data, which is being extracted from us like a natural resource."

how "we're being used as commodities - not necessarily in our best interests - but we're doing so willingly".

Qn: How far is science fiction becoming fact? (Cam. 2017)

Study by SUSS, Mendaki finds strong link between PSLE grades and socio-economic status

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Researchers said this study provides increasing evidence of the link between lower socio-economic status and lower academic achievement.

Qn: In your society, how far is equality for all a reality? (Cam. 2012)