Yesterday was our third class and all of us had to be back on a Saturday for a make up lesson. It felt like a normal school day because the school campus was packed with students and everyone was busy with their schoolwork. I guess this is what happens to university students when there is a public holiday! Nevertheless, I enjoyed listening to the six different presenters and the issues they discussed during class.
I was truly astonished at the topic that one of the presenters addressed yesterday, and that was the existence of a ‘green’ city (also known as the Masdar City) located in Abu Dhabi. The topic was captivating and it made me wonder how much mankind has ‘harmed’ the environment. The video that Professor Shahi played mentioned 'America is only 5 percent of the world’s population but it uses up 30 percent of the world’s resources'.
How has consumerism impacted the environment today?
Perhaps it is due to the mentality that consumers have today. They have the impulse to capture the latest gadget, to enjoy the latest fads and they have the tendency to change their ‘wants’ hastily. Their desire to consume the newest goods causes demands to increase, and thus drives the suppliers to produce more and hence generating more wastes which are in the form of excessive packaging. As such, people start to develop the culture of ‘throwing away’ what they see as ‘useless’. Furthermore, the influence of mass media and its way of attracting the crowd to chase after what they want as compared to what they need has intensified the problem of excessive waste. Perhaps the ‘me first’ attitude has caused people to feel that it is not crucial to do their part for Mother Earth? Maybe that explains why the US uses up 30 percent of the world’s resources?
The other topic that was discussed during class was the need for innovation in today’s world. Innovation drives change and creative thinking. It is what businesses need to stay alive in the commercial industry. Professor Shahi explained to us his theory on Research, Development and Application and how is affects the way of life in recent times. I would like to relate this to the issue of scientific research and link it with the need to innovate and how it may direct the society to solve immediate problems or affect the society negatively.
In many R&D firms, commercial profit is probability one of the primary reasons why scientists are employed to research and invent something that they can sell in the market. More often than not, companies, which have the aim of maximizing profits, have to research into issues that have to be solved as soon as possible. For instance, Humulin was created to treat patients who were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. It affected many people and as a result, the high demand has driven companies to come up with the solution to this particular illness. This has certainly created a win-win situation for both parties involved.
However, the lure of profits may cause researchers to step over their moral boundaries. For example, although stem-cell research has the potential to save some lives and increase profits for many scientists, destruction of embryos take place during research. We can see that the pursuit of wealth and perhaps the aim of staying in the ‘summit’ stage can be detrimental.
Last but not the least, I would rate yesterday’s lesson 8/10. I really enjoyed the presentations and the two videos played during class! I am satisfied with the way the lesson is planned! J
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