Time flies pass so fast. I can still remember I walked unwillingly into the first class of ES1102 and now it is coming to an end with my perception of this module totally changed. I can never forget how Brad encouraged us mentioning we are not inferior to those students who are not required to take this module and how he firmly believed that we deserve the credit for the effort on this module.
Through this module, we learnt many things. Not only the English reading and writing skills, but also beliefs and behaviors towards success. These reading and writing skills will definitely be applicable in the other modules especially the Singapore Studies that I would take in the upcoming semester and work life in the future. Being specific comes to my mind first when I tried to recall what I have learnt from Brad. In English writing, being specific helps to avoid ambiguity. In Scientific reports, being specific signifies the impact. Sometimes I still think too broad and ideal but I will try my best to be as specific as possible in my future studies and works.
We have watched a few clips during the classes. The main take away for me is to be confident. As long as we do not give up, there is still hope. Life is like a drama, there will be up and down for everyone. We should always have faith and when we face problems, we should be confident and "fake it till you become it" just like what Amy Cuddy said.
We have been practicing our writing on different drafts for the essay and through these writing and commenting, I found my weakness was lack of information and vocabulary. In my future English learning, I would read more to broaden the knowledge and at the same time, increase my vocabulary counts. This module might have came to an end but reading and learning will never end.
(At the end, I would just like to say thank you to Brad for making the "supposedly boring" English classes so fun and thank you to the classmates for creating such a comfy environment to improve together.)
Desheng's ES1102
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
Essay 2C-Acid rain, the inevitable outcome of car production
Acid
rain, the inevitable outcome of car production
In China today, there are more privately
owned cars, especially the middle and upper income families. In order to meet
the surging demand for international trades of cars, manufacturers have
established numerous factories at the relatively lower income countries such as China to produce cars. These factories have
been operating with fossil fuel energy system causing extensive releasing of
harmful gases. As a result, acid rain was more frequent than in the past,
especially in USA and Canada . However, acid rain is
indeed reversible. It might be hard to eliminate it totally but by making
advancement to the production system, changing of the car buyers’ life style
and implementing certain government policies, acid rain could be reduced to the
lowest level possible.
Ever since China switching
from traditional agricultural economy to industrial economy, the assembly line
has became the main stream of production. As the pace of production increased
greatly, China
has experienced overwhelming
economic boost. The purchasing power of the middle and upper income groups became
much higher than those times in the past. These groups of people demanded for
more luxury goods such as cars. China
currently is following the path that the United State
established when its own middle and upper classes became such avid consumers.
According to Hays(2008), it is predicted that the number of cars will continue
to increase in China and double in twenty years. In order
to produce these cars to meet the market demand, there has been a dramatic
increase in burning of fossil fuels for production which has resulted in
increasing number of sulfuric gases been released. According to NASA Earth
Observatory(2011), "since the industrial revolution, emissions
of sulfur and nitrogen oxides to the atmosphere have increased." Acid rain
contains these sulfuric and nitric gases. Acid rain is a concern to both the
directly affected countries and the neighboring countries because it can be
easily transported by winds. Acid rain not only affects the land, water,
buildings, but also the human health directly. According to United States
Environmental Protection Agency(n.d.), the sulfuric and nitric gases react and
form small particles in the air and then carried miles away by winds. Inhaling
these particles has caused “increased illness and premature death from heart
and lung disorders.” Due to the adverse impacts of acid rain that concerning
citizens’ life, many nations, especially the US, are keen to mitigate acid
rain.
With the rising
awareness of the adverse impacts of acid rains, both affected and unaffected
nations are trying to solve it. There are a few possible approaches that would
be helpful. Firstly, to tackle the major source of acid rain, the manufacturers
can change their operating system and research on technology
in neutralizing the gases emitted. More environmental friendly energy
system such as solar, hydra and wind would definitely reduce the gas
emission. However, these systems are only suitable to the factories that are
geographically located at the suitable location. Thus, for these factories that
have difficulty in switching their energy system, one possible solution is to
equip the waste emission system with appropriate technology to neutralize the
waste gases emitted. For example, the sulfur dioxide could be filtered with
alkaline gases before being released to the atmosphere to minimize
its effect. Secondly, the car owners can also help by changing the life
styles. For individuals concerned about environment, traveling by bicycle or
public transports would mean that the demand for cars would decrease leading to
less production of cars. Despite life styles were hard to be changed, the
awareness and effort to change life styles is still progressing slowly. Lastly,
the Chinese government can help by ensuring
the factories follow strictly by the Law on Waste Management. The government
can provide subsidies to encourage manufacturers to research and switch to a
more environmentally friendly system that suits their geographical location.
The state could also construct "bicycle stations" similar to the Mass
Rapid Transit (MRT). This would make travelling by bicycle more convenient
and reduce demand for cars. However, to establish the system would take time
and effort.
In conclusion, it is a fact
that acid rain has increased due to production of cars but undoubtedly, it
could be mitigated. According to United States Environmental Protection Agency(n.d.),"SO2
emissions from Acid Rain Program sources have fallen from 17.3 million tons in
1980 to about 7.6 million tons in 2008, a decrease in emissions of 56
percent." There might be limitations to the solutions but with every
sector making an effort, acid rain could be reduced to the lowest
level.
Reference:
Hays,J.(2008). Automobile
Numbers in China . Retrieved
October 15,2013,from http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=314%20=13%20=86#08
NASA Earth Observatory.(2011). Glossary-acid rain. Retrieved October 13,2013,from http://web.archive.org/web/20111213175357/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Glossary/?mode=all
United States Environmental Protection Agency.(n.d.). Effects of Acid Rain-Human
Health. Retrieved
October 30,2013,from http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/health.html
United States Environmental Protection Agency.(n.d.).Quick Facts about Cap and
Trade. Retrieved
October 13,2013,from http://www.epa.gov/captrade/
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Essay 2b(removed federal statistics and minor change on APA citing)
In the modern world today,
there are more cars owned be the privates, especially the middle and upper
income families in China . In order
to meet the surging demand for international trades of cars, businessmen
established numerous factories at the relatively lower waged countries such as China to produce cars. These factories were
mostly operating with fossil fuel energy system which caused extensive
releasing of harmful gases. As a result, acid rains were more frequent than in
the past, especially in USA and Canada . Furthermore, the dramatic
increase in number of cars running on the road also contributes greatly to the
acid rains. However, these problems are reversible. It might be hard to
eliminate them totally but with different sectors making effort to cooperate,
these problems can be kept at the lowest level possible.
Ever since the Industrial
Revolution, machinery had became the main stream of production. As the pace of
production increased greatly, many countries such as USA and China experienced overwhelming economic
boost. The purchasing power of the middle and upper income groups was much
higher than those times in the past. Hence, wealthy families demanded more
luxury goods such as cars. According to Hays(2008), it is predicted that the
number of cars will continue to increase in China and double in twenty years. In order
to produce these cars to meet the market demand, there was a dramatic increase
in burning of fossil fuels for production which resulted in increasing number
of sulfuric gases been released. According to NASA Earth Observatory(2011),
"since the industrial revolution, emissions
of sulfur and nitrogen oxides to the atmosphere have increased." In
addition, the increase in the number of cars owned means more cars are running
on the road and according to NASA Earth Observatory(2011), the
"transportation sector" is a major contributor to the acid rains as
well. This is due to the fact that most cars are still functioning with fuel
energy system.
With the rising
awareness of the adverse impacts of acid rains, both affected and unaffected
nations are trying to solve it. There are a few possible approaches that would
be helpful. Firstly, to tackle the major source of acid rain, the factories can
change their operating system and research on technology
in neutralizing the gases emitted. With a more environmental friendly
energy system such as solar, hydra and wind energy system, it
would definitely reduce the gas emission. However, these systems are only
suitable to the factories that are geographically located at the suitable
location. Thus, for these factories that are hard to switch their energy
system, one possible solution is to equip the waste emission sector with
appropriate technology to neutralize them. For example, the sulfur dioxide could
be filtered with alkaline gases before releasing it to the atmosphere to
minimize its effect. Secondly, the car owners can also help by changing
the life styles. With the individuals concerning about environment, if they
travel by bicycle or public transports, it would mean that number of cars on
road will decrease and hence releasing less harmful gases such as sulfur and
nitrogen oxides. Despite life styles are hard to be changed, it is still
progressing slowly. Lastly, the nation can help by Ensuring
the factories follow strictly by the Law on Waste Management. The
government can provide subsidies or tax relieves to encourage factories to
research and switch to a more environmentally friendly system. The state can
also construct "bicycle stations" similar to the Mass Rapid Transit
(MRT). This makes travelling by bicycle more convenient. However, to
establish the system will take time and effort.
In conclusion, it is a fact
that acid rains have increased due to international trades of cars but
undoubtedly, it could be mitigated. According to United States Environmental
Protection Agency(n.d.),"SO2 emissions from Acid Rain Program sources have
fallen from 17.3 million tons in 1980 to about 7.6 million tons in 2008, a
decrease in emissions of 56 percent." There might be limitations to
the solutions but with every sector making an effort, acid rains could be
kept at the lowest level.
Reference:
Hays,J.(2008). Automobile
Numbers in China . Retrieved
October 15,2013,from http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=314%20=13%20=86#08
United States Environmental Protection Agency.(n.d.).Quick Facts about Cap and
Trade. Retrieved
October 13,2013,from http://www.epa.gov/captrade/
NASA Earth Observatory.(2011). Glossary-acid rain. Retrieved October 13,2013,from http://web.archive.org/web/20111213175357/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Glossary/?mode=all
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Essay draft 2
In the modern world today, there are more cars owned be the privates, especially the middle and upper income families in
Ever since the Industrial Revolution, machinery had became the main stream of production. As the pace of production increased greatly, many countries such as
With the rising awareness of the adverse impacts of acid rains, both affected and unaffected nations are trying to solve it. There are a few possible approaches that would be helpful. Firstly, to tackle the major source of acid rain, the factories can change their operating system and research on technology in neutralizing the gases emitted. With a more environmental friendly energy system such as solar, hydra and wind energy system, it would definitely reduce the gas emission. However, these systems are only suitable to the factories that are geographically located at the suitable location. Thus, for these factories that are hard to switch their energy system, one possible solution is to equip the waste emission sector with appropriate technology to neutralize them. For example, the sulfur dioxide could be filtered with alkaline gases before releasing it to the atmosphere to minimize its effect. Secondly, the car owners can also help by changing the life styles. With the individuals concerning about environment, if they travel by bicycle or public transports, it would mean that number of cars on road will decrease and hence releasing less harmful gases such as sulfur and nitrogen oxides. Despite life styles are hard to be changed, it is still progressing slowly. Lastly, the nation can help by Ensuring the factories follow strictly by the Law on Waste Management. The government can provide subsidies or tax relieves to encourage factories to research and switch to a more environmentally friendly system. The state can also construct "bicycle stations" similar to the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT). This makes travelling by bicycle more convenient. However, to establish the system will take time and effort.
In conclusion, it is a fact that acid rains have increased due to international trades of cars but undoubtedly, it could be mitigated. Just like what the statistics in Cap and Trade(n.d.) shows, "SO2 emissions from Acid Rain Program sources have fallen from 17.3 million tons in 1980 to about 7.6 million tons in 2008, a decrease in emissions of 56 percent." There might be limitations to the solutions but with every sector making an effort, acid rains could be kept at the lowest level.
Reference:
Cap and Trade(n.d.).Quick Facts about Cap and Trade. Retrieved October 13,2013,from
http://www.epa.gov/captrade/
Facts and
Details.(2008). Automobile Numbers in China. Retrieved October 15,2013,from http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=314%20=13%20=86#08
Federal Highway Administration.(2003). Highway
Statistics 2003. Retrieved October 13,2013,from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0905125.html
NASA Earth Observatory.(2011). Glossary-acid rain. Retrieved October
13,2013, from http://web.archive.org/web/2011121375357/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Glossary/?mode=all
Monday, October 14, 2013
Essay draft 1
In the modern world today, due to the economic boost, the overall income of the people has increased as compared to the past. This means the purchasing power of the people has risen and people demand for more luxury goods such as cars. In order to meet the surging demand for international trades of cars, businessmen established numerous factories at the relatively lower waged countries such as China and India to produce cars. These factories were mostly operating with fossil fuel energy system which caused extensively releasing of harmful gases. As a result, acid rains were more frequent than in the past, especially in USA and Canada. Furthermore, the dramatic increase in number of cars running on the road also contributes greatly to the acid rains. However, these problems are not irreversible. It might be hard to eliminate them totally but with different sectors of the people making effort to cooperate, these problems can be kept at the lowest level possible.
Ever since the Industrial Revolution, machinery had became the main stream of production. As the pace of production increased greatly, many countries experienced overwhelming economic boost. The purchasing power of the people was much higher than those times in the past. Hence, people wanted to own more luxury goods such as cars. According to Federal Highway Administration(2003), the number of cars regretted has increased nearly every year since 1960 to 2004. In order to produce these cars to meet the market demand, more metal production took place. This means there was a dramatic increasing in burning of fossil fuels for the production which resulted in increasing number of sulfuric gases been released. According to NASA Earth Observatory(2011), "since the industrial revolution, emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides to the atmosphere have increased." In addition, the increase in the number of cars owned means more cars are running on the road and according to NASA Earth Observatory(2011), the "transportation sector" is a major contributor to the acid rains as well. This is due to the fact that most cars are still functioning with fuel energy system.
With the rising awareness of the adverse impact of acid rains, both people and nations are trying to solve the problem. There are a few possible approaches that would be helpful. Firstly, to tackle the major source of acid rain, the factories can change their operating system and research on technology in neutralizing the gases emitted. With a more environmental friendly energy system such as solar, hydra and wind energy system, it would definitely reduce the gas emission. However, these systems are not suitable to the factories that are not geographically located at the suitable location. Thus, for these factories that are hard to switch their energy system, one possible solution is to equip the waste emission sector with appropriate technology to neutralize them. For example, the sulfur dioxide could be filtered with alkaline gases before releasing it to the atmosphere to minimize it's effect. Secondly, the people can also help by changing the life styles. With the people concerning about environment, if more people travel by bicycle or public transports, it would mean that number of cars on road will decrease and hence releasing less harmful gases such as sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides. Despite life styles are hard to be changed, it is still progressing slowly. Lastly, the nation can help by Ensuring the factories operate legally such that they follow strictly by the Law on Waste Management. The government can provide subsidies or tax relieves to encourage factories to research and switch to a more environmentally friendly system. The state can also construct "bicycle stations" similar to the Mass Rapid Transit(MRT). This makes travelling by bicycle more convenient but to establish the system will take time and effort.
In conclusion, we cannot deny the fact that acid rains have increased due to international trades of cars but undoubtedly, it could be mitigated. Just like what the statistics in Cap and Trade(n.d.) shows, "SO2 emissions from Acid Rain Program sources have fallen from 17.3 million tons in 1980 to about 7.6 million tons in 2008, a decrease in emissions of 56 percent." There might be limitations to the solutions but with every sector making an effort, acid rains could be kept at the lowest level.
Federal Highway Administration.(2003). Highway Statistics 2003. Retrieved October 13,2013,from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0905125.html
NASA Earth Observatory.(2011). Glossary-acid rain. Retrieved October 13,2013,from http://web.archive.org/web/2011121375357/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Glossary/?mode=all
Ever since the Industrial Revolution, machinery had became the main stream of production. As the pace of production increased greatly, many countries experienced overwhelming economic boost. The purchasing power of the people was much higher than those times in the past. Hence, people wanted to own more luxury goods such as cars. According to Federal Highway Administration(2003), the number of cars regretted has increased nearly every year since 1960 to 2004. In order to produce these cars to meet the market demand, more metal production took place. This means there was a dramatic increasing in burning of fossil fuels for the production which resulted in increasing number of sulfuric gases been released. According to NASA Earth Observatory(2011), "since the industrial revolution, emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides to the atmosphere have increased." In addition, the increase in the number of cars owned means more cars are running on the road and according to NASA Earth Observatory(2011), the "transportation sector" is a major contributor to the acid rains as well. This is due to the fact that most cars are still functioning with fuel energy system.
With the rising awareness of the adverse impact of acid rains, both people and nations are trying to solve the problem. There are a few possible approaches that would be helpful. Firstly, to tackle the major source of acid rain, the factories can change their operating system and research on technology in neutralizing the gases emitted. With a more environmental friendly energy system such as solar, hydra and wind energy system, it would definitely reduce the gas emission. However, these systems are not suitable to the factories that are not geographically located at the suitable location. Thus, for these factories that are hard to switch their energy system, one possible solution is to equip the waste emission sector with appropriate technology to neutralize them. For example, the sulfur dioxide could be filtered with alkaline gases before releasing it to the atmosphere to minimize it's effect. Secondly, the people can also help by changing the life styles. With the people concerning about environment, if more people travel by bicycle or public transports, it would mean that number of cars on road will decrease and hence releasing less harmful gases such as sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides. Despite life styles are hard to be changed, it is still progressing slowly. Lastly, the nation can help by Ensuring the factories operate legally such that they follow strictly by the Law on Waste Management. The government can provide subsidies or tax relieves to encourage factories to research and switch to a more environmentally friendly system. The state can also construct "bicycle stations" similar to the Mass Rapid Transit(MRT). This makes travelling by bicycle more convenient but to establish the system will take time and effort.
In conclusion, we cannot deny the fact that acid rains have increased due to international trades of cars but undoubtedly, it could be mitigated. Just like what the statistics in Cap and Trade(n.d.) shows, "SO2 emissions from Acid Rain Program sources have fallen from 17.3 million tons in 1980 to about 7.6 million tons in 2008, a decrease in emissions of 56 percent." There might be limitations to the solutions but with every sector making an effort, acid rains could be kept at the lowest level.
Reference:
Cap and Trade(n.d.).Quick Facts about Cap and Trade. Retrieved October 13,2013,from http://www.epa.gov/captrade/
NASA Earth Observatory.(2011). Glossary-acid rain. Retrieved October 13,2013,from http://web.archive.org/web/2011121375357/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Glossary/?mode=all
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Essay Intro
In the modern world today, due to the economic boost, the overall income of the people has increased as compared to the past. This means the purchasing power of the people has raised and people demand for more luxury goods such as cars. In order to meet the surging demand for international trades of cars, businessmen set up numerous factories at the relatively lower waged countries such as China and India to produce cars. These factories were mostly operating with fossil fuel energy system which caused extensively releasing of harmful gases. As a result, global warming and acid rains were more frequent than in the past, especially in USA and Canada. Furthermore, the dramatic increase in number of cars running on the road also contributes greatly to the air pollution as mentioned. However, these problems are not irreversible. It might be hard to eliminate them totally but with different sectors of the people making effort to cooperate, these problems can be kept at the lowest level possible.
Main body:
2nd paragraph- Analyse and evaluate how much economy has boosted since the past and how does it lead to air pollution. How bad is the pollution.Gather data to support it.
3rd paragraph- Solutions to the problems mentioned in 2nd paragraph in terms of the businessmen sector, the consumers/car users sector and the government sector.
Gather data to show the improvements of the situation.Evaluate the limitations of the solution and restate the stand/thesis.
Conclusion:
Reiterate the problems are inevitable but they can be mitigated with the people willingly making changes to cope with these problems.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Globalization Essay idea
Description of situation:
In the globalized world today, countries enjoy a dramatic boost in economy. To achieve this, factories were set up to produce goods in a large scale to meet the surging demand for consumption. In addition, with the income of the people increased, the material standard of living has increased. For example, people choose to travel by personal cars since it is now more affordable.
Identification of problem:
In order to produce more goods, the factories need more energy to operate. Burning fossil fuels for energy will lead to air pollution which results in acid rain and Pollution Standard Index to increase. Since there is no border in the air, it has became a globalized problem instead of individual country's problem. In the consumer's point of view, increased number of travelling by cars also means more air pollution are caused by the release of waste gases.
Description of solution:
At the supplier's level: Developing technology in methods of neutralizing the waste produced. For example, filter the harmful gases and react them with chemicals to reduce or eliminate them if possible. The operators of the factories can also seek other source of energy that is more environmental friendly. If technology and budget allow, they can even switch the whole energy supply system to solar, wind or natural gas systems.
At the consumer's level: Encouraging people to carry out "Reduce,Reuse,Recycle". Travelling by bicycle if the distance is not too far.
At the government's level: Ensuring the factories operate legally such that they follow strictly by the Law on Waste Management. Providing subsidies for those making effort on researching on green energy. The state might want to set up "bicycle stations" just like the current bus or MRT system. These stations operate by renting bicycles to the public with personal "ezlink" cards(Student cards or passion cards with individual's particulars) and people can rent and return bicycles at any station. This will increase the number of travelling by bicycle since it is readily available.
Evaluation of the solution:
The factory operators might not be willing to develop new technology and make changes because normally these new technology will be quite costly at the beginning. It is also hard for the people to change their daily habits and go green. In the developing countries, some governments might not have much budget and time so they tend to be reluctant. The setting up of "bicycle stations" will be not only costly but also time consuming. Thus the developed countries can step in and help since their technology tend to be more advanced. With nations and people cooperating, the problems caused by globalization will definitely be mitigated.
In the globalized world today, countries enjoy a dramatic boost in economy. To achieve this, factories were set up to produce goods in a large scale to meet the surging demand for consumption. In addition, with the income of the people increased, the material standard of living has increased. For example, people choose to travel by personal cars since it is now more affordable.
Identification of problem:
In order to produce more goods, the factories need more energy to operate. Burning fossil fuels for energy will lead to air pollution which results in acid rain and Pollution Standard Index to increase. Since there is no border in the air, it has became a globalized problem instead of individual country's problem. In the consumer's point of view, increased number of travelling by cars also means more air pollution are caused by the release of waste gases.
Description of solution:
At the supplier's level: Developing technology in methods of neutralizing the waste produced. For example, filter the harmful gases and react them with chemicals to reduce or eliminate them if possible. The operators of the factories can also seek other source of energy that is more environmental friendly. If technology and budget allow, they can even switch the whole energy supply system to solar, wind or natural gas systems.
At the consumer's level: Encouraging people to carry out "Reduce,Reuse,Recycle". Travelling by bicycle if the distance is not too far.
At the government's level: Ensuring the factories operate legally such that they follow strictly by the Law on Waste Management. Providing subsidies for those making effort on researching on green energy. The state might want to set up "bicycle stations" just like the current bus or MRT system. These stations operate by renting bicycles to the public with personal "ezlink" cards(Student cards or passion cards with individual's particulars) and people can rent and return bicycles at any station. This will increase the number of travelling by bicycle since it is readily available.
Evaluation of the solution:
The factory operators might not be willing to develop new technology and make changes because normally these new technology will be quite costly at the beginning. It is also hard for the people to change their daily habits and go green. In the developing countries, some governments might not have much budget and time so they tend to be reluctant. The setting up of "bicycle stations" will be not only costly but also time consuming. Thus the developed countries can step in and help since their technology tend to be more advanced. With nations and people cooperating, the problems caused by globalization will definitely be mitigated.
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