Critical Reflection

In my opinion, I have noticed slight improvement in areas of organisation and grammar through this course and this has helped improve the quality of my academic writing. The skills that I have acquired and benefited the most from this course were citing, summarizing and how to craft a good academic essay.

To put everything that I have learned from the course to the test, we were tasked to write a problem-solving essay on globalization. Through the process, researching for relevant materials and constructing the various paragraphs I was able to cite references with little or no problem. In addition, I was more aware of my writing and consciously tried to avoid mistakes such as using ‘would’ incorrectly by proofreading more often.

Though through the course I have improved my writing. However, I feel that more improvement can be made and this can only be done by practice, as the saying goes ‘Practice makes perfect’. Hence, with more essays coming my way during the three years in University I am sure I am able to hone this skill by referring to good essays written by fellow school mates as well as learning from the comments made on my essays by the tutors. In addition, I feel that I can improve or widen my vocabulary used in academic writing so that I am able to articulate my points more efficiently by identifying academic words in my readings.

Overall, I feel that this course has helped me with my next phase of my learning as I will be able to summarise and identify the main context of the readings more efficiently.

Problem Solving Essay - V3

Impact of Globalization on the Environment 

Globalization has resulted in numerous benefits and one of them is interconnectivity. However, it has caused detrimental harm to the environment. As the current world population reaches 7.1 billion (Population Referene Bureau, 2013), the environment will be subjected to more harm and this issue will be more apparent as the population continues to increase.

Globalization is an ongoing process and through this process, it has brought about an increase in trade mainly due to the increase in demand (Chanda, 2007). With the increase in global activity, it has accelerated and heightened the impact of global warming. For instance, rising global temperatures have a direct relationship to the increase in pollution levels and climate changes. To reduce the impact globalization in the long run, focus should be on the short-term solution as it is these solutions that will help alleviate the impact of global warming. An example would be for all industries to reduce the carbon footprint. In addition, the consequences of global warming should be communicated to the masses through education such as event roadshows, to increase the population’s awareness of the consequences.

Pollution and the increasing population are the most severe man-made causes of global warming (Oracle Think Quest, 2000). Both these causes are interlinked, because as population increases more energy is needed to supply human activities. Thus, as more fossil fuels are burnt to meet this increasing demand they release large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2013). Furthermore, globalization reinforces the need to utilise resources from the environment and this results in pollution (Mendelsohn, 2003). This is illustrated with the example provided by Chanda (2007) because as globalization increases trade there will be more players entering the global market to meet the needs of consumers and this causes mines to be exploited and more timber to be felled. Hence, increased pollution is often the price of globalization.

Additionally, externalities, which are by-products of production and pollution, are an example of a negative externality. As there is an increase in production, businesses require more fossil fuels to be burnt in order to support the growth and this leads to an increase in emission of green house gases causing severe health problems. The threat of pollution on health is evident as the stark map created by NASA, shows area with high premature deaths. The average number of deaths between 1850 and 2000 was 386 per square miles per year due to air pollution (Danigelis, 2013).

The solution to reducing pollution causing global warming is to stop the burning of coal and fossil fuels and instead utilizing renewable energy sources (Greenpeace East Asia, 2009). However, this has not been successful as industries and countries are still dependent on this energy source and it is a drastic change that requires time. However, it is evident that there are countries such as the United States that has taken the first step in reducing pollution. For instance, the electricity power sector in the United States is the main contributor of pollution, but they have switched to utilizing natural gas instead of coal-fired power. In addition, using natural gas has not only reduced pollution but it has also increased the electricity generated 50 percent from 2008 to 2012 (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2013). Though switching to natural gases is a viable solution in the long run, in the short run governments should intervene to help alleviate this problem by imposing taxes on firms for the amount of pollutants emitted or enforce legal requirements for companies to have a permit to emit a limited amount of pollutants. Therefore to slow down the consequences of global warming, pollution and emission of greenhouse gases needs to be controlled.

An increased population not only increases pollution but it also helps in economic growth. However, the development of the economy comes at the expense of the environment and climate change can be disastrous (Mendelsohn, 2003). Currently, the global mercury temperature has increased more than 1 degree Fahrenheit (National Geographic, 2013) and this is due to the increased emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide being trapped within the atmosphere. The impact of climate changes is periodically happening around the world with higher occurrence of natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes. (Youtube, 2012).

Individuals can help mitigate these problems by changing certain aspects of their daily lives. For instance, switching to energy conserving appliances or fuel-efficient cars can help slow down the rate of global warming. Also, governments can prepare the citizens to deal with natural disasters. For instance in Japan, the citizens are prepared to face earthquakes. In addition, more roadshows can be organized to educate the public on the effects of global warming and how small actions such as recycling can help as every small gesture counts.

In conclusion, the effects of globalization on the environment are irreversible. However, as more nations are aware of the consequences, steps such as using natural energy and fuel-efficient cars can help prolong the existence of the world we live in.

References

Chanda, N. (2007, June 28). Yale Global Online. Retrieved October 8, 2013, from The Double Edge of Globalization: http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/double-edge-globalization

Danigelis, A. (2013, September 28). Discovery News. Retrieved October 9, 2013, from NASA Earth Map Shows Where Pollution Kills: http://news.discovery.com/earth/global-warming/nasa-earth-map-illuminates-where-pollution-kills-130928.htm

Greenpeace East Asia. (2009, July 28). Greenpeace East Asia. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from The Solutions to Air Pollution: http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/campaigns/air-pollution/solutions/

Mendelsohn, R. (2003). Globalization and the Environment. New Haven: Yale University.

National Geographic. (2013). Global Warming Effects Information. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from Effects of Global Warming: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-effects/#close-modal

Oracle Think Quest. (2000). Global Warming. Retrieved October 9, 2013, from Causes: http://library.thinkquest.org/J003411/causes.htm

Population Referene Bureau. (2013). World Population Data Sheet. Retrieved October 8, 2013, from 2013 World Population Data Sheet: http://www.prb.org/pdf13/2013-population-data-sheet_eng.pdf

Union of Concerned Scientists. (2013, April 10). Natural Gas and Climate Change. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from Assessing the Climate Risk of an Overreliance on Natural Gas for Electricity: http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/coal-and-other-fossil-fuels/natural-gas-climate-change.html

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2013, September 9). US EPA. Retrieved October 9, 2013, from Climate Change : Basic Information: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basics/

Youtube. (2012, July 26). This is What Global Warming Looks Like 2.0.

Draft - Critical Reflection

In my opinion, I have noticed slight improvement in areas of organisation and grammar through this course and this has helped improve the quality of my academic writing. The skills that I have acquired and benefited the most from this course were the lesson on citation, summary and how to craft a good academic essay.

To put everything that I have learned from the course to the test, we were tasked to write a problem-solving essay on globalization. Through the process of researching for relevant materials and constructing the various paragraphs I was able to cite references with little or no problem. In addition, I was more aware of my writing and consciously tried to avoid mistakes such as using ‘would’ incorrectly and grammar by proofreading more often.

Though through the course I have improved my writing. However, I feel that more improvement can be made and this can only be done by practice, as the saying goes ‘Practice makes perfect’. Hence, with more essays coming my way during the three years in University I am sure I am able to hone this skill. In addition, I feel that I can improve or widen my vocabulary used in academic writing so that I am able to articulate my points more efficiently.

Overall, I feel that this course has helped me with my next phase of my learning as I will be able to summaries and identify the main context of the readings more efficiently.

ES1102 Problem Solving Essay

Impact of Globalization on the Environment

Globalization has resulted in numerous benefits and one of them is interconnectivity. However, it has caused detrimental harm to the environment. As the current world population reaches 7.1 billion (Population Referene Bureau, 2013), the environment will be subjected to more harm and this issue will be more apparent as the population continues to increase.

Globalization is an ongoing process and through this process, it has brought about an increase in trade mainly due to the increase in demand (Chanda, 2007). With the increase in global activity, it has accelerated and heightened the impact of global warming. For instance, rising global temperatures have a direct relationship to the increase in pollution levels and climate changes.

To reduce the impact globalization in the long run, focus should be on the short-term solution as it is these solutions that will help alleviate the impact of global warming. An example would be for all industries to reduce the carbon footprint. In addition, the consequences of global warming should be communicated to the masses through education such as event road shows, to increase the population’s awareness of the consequences.

Pollution and the increasing population are the most severe man-made causes of global warming (Oracle Think Quest, 2000). Both these causes are interlinked, as population increases more energy is needed to supply human activities. Thus, as more fossil fuels are burnt to meet this increasing demand it released large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2013).

Furthermore, globalization reinforces the need to utilise resources from the environment and this results in pollution (Mendelsohn, 2003). This is illustrated with the example provided by Chanda (2007) because as globalization increases trade there will be more players entering the global market to meet the needs of consumers and this causes mines to be exploited and more timber to be felled. Hence, increased pollution is often the price of globalization.

Additionally, externalities, which are by-products of production and pollution, are an example of a negative externality. As there is an increase in production, businesses require more fossil fuels to be burnt in order to support the growth and this leads to an increase in emission of green house gases causing severe health problems. The threat of pollution on health is evident as the stark map created by NASA, shows area with high premature deaths. The average number of deaths between 1850 and 2000 was 386 per square miles per year due to air pollution (Danigelis, 2013).

The solution to reducing pollution causing global warming is to stop the burning of coal and fossil fuels and instead utilizes renewable energy sources (Greenpeace East Asia, 2009). This has not been successful as industries and countries are still dependent on this energy source and it is a drastic change that requires time. However, it is evident that there are countries such as the United States that has taken the first step in reducing pollution. For instance, the electricity power sector in the United States is the main contributor of pollution, but they have switched to utilizing natural gas instead of coal-fired power. In addition, using natural gas has  not only reduce pollution but it has also increased the electricity generated 50 percent from 2008 to 2012 (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2013).

Though switching to natural gases is a viable solution in the long run, in the short run the government should intervene to help alleviate this problem by imposing taxes on firms for the amount of pollutants emitted or enforce legal requirements for companies to have a permit to emit a limited amount of pollutants. Therefore to slow down the consequences of global warming, pollution and emission of greenhouse gases needs to be controlled.

Increased in population not only increases pollution but it also helps in economic growth. However, the development of the economy comes at the expense of the environment and climate change can be disastrous (Mendelsohn, 2003).

Currently, the global mercury temperature has increased more than 1 degree Fahrenheit (National Geographic, 2013) and this is due to the increased emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide being trapped within the atmosphere. The impact of climate changes is periodically happening around the world with higher occurrence of natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes. (Youtube, 2012).

Individuals can help mitigate these problems by changing certain aspects of their daily lives. For instance, switching to energy conserving appliances or fuel-efficient cars can help slow down the rate of global warming. Also, governments can prepare the citizens to deal with natural disasters. For instance in Japan, the citizens are prepared to face earthquakes. In addition, more road show can be organized to educate the public on the effects of global warming and how small actions such as recycling can help as every small gesture counts.

In conclusion, the effects of globalization on the environment are irreversible. However, as more nations are aware of the consequences, steps such as using natural energy and fuel-efficient cars can help prolong the existence of the world we live in.

References

Chanda, N. (2007, June 28). Yale Global Online. Retrieved October 8, 2013, from The Double Edge of Globalization: http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/double-edge-globalization

Danigelis, A. (2013, September 28). Discovery News. Retrieved October 9, 2013, from NASA Earth Map Shows Where Pollution Kills: http://news.discovery.com/earth/global-warming/nasa-earth-map-illuminates-where-pollution-kills-130928.htm

Greenpeace East Asia. (2009, July 28). Greenpeace East Asia. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from The Solutions to Air Pollution: http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/campaigns/air-pollution/solutions/

Mendelsohn, R. (2003). Globalization and the Environment. New Haven: Yale University.

National Geographic. (2013). Global Warming Effects Information. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from Effects of Global Warming: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-effects/#close-modal

Oracle Think Quest. (2000). Global Warming. Retrieved October 9, 2013, from Causes: http://library.thinkquest.org/J003411/causes.htm

Population Referene Bureau. (2013). World Population Data Sheet. Retrieved October 8, 2013, from 2013 World Population Data Sheet: http://www.prb.org/pdf13/2013-population-data-sheet_eng.pdf

Union of Concerned Scientists. (2013, April 10). Natural Gas and Climate Change. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from Assessing the Climate Risk of an Overreliance on Natural Gas for Electricity: http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/coal-and-other-fossil-fuels/natural-gas-climate-change.html

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2013, September 9). US EPA. Retrieved October 9, 2013, from Climate Change : Basic Information: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basics/

Youtube. (2012, July 26). This is What Global Warming Looks Like 2.0.

ES 1102 Problem Solving Essay

Impact of Globalisation on the Environment

1. Introduction

Globalization has resulted in numerous benefits and one of it is interconnectivity. However, it has also cause detrimental harm to the environment that the world live in today. As the current world population reaches 7.1 billion (Population Referene Bureau, 2013), the environment would be subjected to more harm and this issue would be more apparent as the population continue to increase.

Globalization is an ongoing process and through this process, it has brought about an increase in trade mainly due to the swell in demand (Chanda, 2007). With the increase in global activity, it has accelerated and heightened the impact of global warming. For instance, rising global temperatures has direct relation to the increase in pollution levels and climate changes.

The short-term solution to alleviate the impact of global warming is for all industries to reduce the carbon footprint. In addition, the consequences of global warming should be communicated to the masses through education such as event road shows to increase the population’s awareness of the consequences.

2. Pollution

Globalization reinforces the need to utilise resources from the environment and this results in pollution (Mendelsohn, 2003). This is illustrated with the example provided by Chanda (2007) as globalization increases trade there would be more players entering the global market scene to meet the needs of consumers and this causes mines to be exploited and more timber is felled. Hence, increased pollution is often the price of globalization.

Pollution and increasing population are man-made causes of global warming that is the most severe (Oracle Think Quest, 2000). Both this causes are interlinked, as population increases more energy is needed to supply human activities. Hence, as more fossil fuels are burnt to meet this increasing demand it releases large amounts of carbon dioxide and other green house gases into the atmosphere (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2013).

Externalities are by-products of production and pollution is an example of a negative externality. As there is an increase in production, businesses require more fossil fuels to be burnt in order to support the growth and this leads to an increase in emission of green house gases causing severe health problems. The threat of pollution on health is evident as the stark map created by NASA, shows area with high premature deaths. The average number of deaths between 1850 and 2000 was 386 per square miles per year due to air pollution (Danigelis, 2013).

The solution to reduce pollution causing global warming is to stop the burning of coal and fossil fuels and instead utilizes renewable energy sources (Greenpeace East Asia, 2009). This has not been successful as industries and countries are still dependent on this energy source and it is a drastic change that requires time. However, it is evident that there are countries such as the United States that is making the first move; the electricity power sector is the main contributor to pollution, but natural gas is replacing most of this coal-fired power. Electricity generated by from natural gases has increase by 50 percent from 2008 to 2012 (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2013).

Though switching to natural gases is a viable solution in the long run, in the short run government should intervene to help alleviate this problem by imposing taxes on firms for the amount of pollutants emitted or enforce legal requirements for companies to have a permit to emit a limited amount of pollutants.

Therefore to slow down the consequences of global warming, pollution and emission of greenhouse gases needs to be controlled.

3. Climate Changes

Economic growth comes at the expense of the environment and climate change can be disastrous (Mendelsohn, 2003).

Currently, the mercury is already up more than 1 degree Fahrenheit (National Geographic, 2013) and this is due to the increased emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide being trapped within the atmosphere and hence, leading to an increase in global temperatures.

The impact of climate changes is periodically happening around the world with higher occurrence of natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes. (Youtube, 2012).

Individuals can help mitigate these problems by changing certain aspects of their daily lives. For instance, switching to energy conserving appliances or fuel-efficient cars can help slow down the rate of global warming.

Also, government can prepare the citizens to deal with natural disasters. For instance in Japan, the citizens are prepared to face earthquakes.

In addition, more road show can be organized to educate the public on the effects of global warming and how small actions such as recycling can help as every small gesture counts.

4. Conclusion

In conclusion, the effects of globalization on the environment are irreversible. However, as more nations are aware or the consequences, steps such as using natural energy and fuel-efficient cars can help prolong the existence of the world we live in.

References

Chanda, N. (2007, June 28). Yale Global Online. Retrieved October 8, 2013, from The Double Edge of Globalization: http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/double-edge-globalization

Danigelis, A. (2013, September 28). Discovery News. Retrieved October 9, 2013, from NASA Earth Map Shows Where Pollution Kills: http://news.discovery.com/earth/global-warming/nasa-earth-map-illuminates-where-pollution-kills-130928.htm

Greenpeace East Asia. (2009, July 28). Greenpeace East Asia. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from The Solutions to Air Pollution: http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/campaigns/air-pollution/solutions/

Mendelsohn, R. (2003). Globalization and the Environment. New Haven: Yale University.

National Geographic. (2013). Global Warming Effects Information. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from Effects of Global Warming: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-effects/#close-modal

Oracle Think Quest. (2000). Global Warming. Retrieved October 9, 2013, from Causes: http://library.thinkquest.org/J003411/causes.htm

Population Referene Bureau. (2013). World Population Data Sheet. Retrieved October 8, 2013, from 2013 World Population Data Sheet: http://www.prb.org/pdf13/2013-population-data-sheet_eng.pdf

Union of Concerned Scientists. (2013, April 10). Natural Gas and Climate Change. Retrieved October 10, 2013, from Assessing the Climate Risk of an Overreliance on Natural Gas for Electricity: http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/coal-and-other-fossil-fuels/natural-gas-climate-change.html

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2013, September 9). US EPA. Retrieved October 9, 2013, from Climate Change : Basic Information: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basics/

Youtube. (2012, July 26). This is What Global Warming Looks Like 2.0.

Reader's Response

Reader's Response to "The Effect of Media Globalization" by Mary Hickman

Imagine living in today’s society without the Internet or a mobile phone. Technology and media affiliation has become a basic need for Generation Y, such as getting constant updates from Twitter, Facebook and now Instagram.

In Hickman’s work, the effects of media globalization generalizes that the spread of media globalization is inevitable in today’s world and has also aid in other types of globalization. Though he presented some benefits the world have received due to media globalization, he mainly focused on its consequences.

I agree with Hickman that globalization has brought about many changes in our lives and in businesses, where the world is perceived to be smaller due to its interconnectedness. However, disadvantages are always present.

Rapid developments in technology is often a boon and a bane. Hickman pointed out examples of how we have gained from globalization, one such example that caught my eye was  how "the internet can improve our health or save lives. Your doctor may send an X-ray or MRI to another doctor in India or China for a second opinion and have it within hours”. This goes to show the extent of how integral technology is in the advancement of various fields, yet in spite of that, there is no guarantee that the privacy of patients’ information is maintained. The doctor may send the patient’s medical records to the wrong person, an action that is irreversible and may cause harm.

Media can also bridge cultural gaps as information is now more readily available and people can understand each other better. Furthermore, these information can be assessed and retrieved virtually anywhere, making it extremely convenient. However, with the vast amount of information available, comes problems, for instance, media "can deteriorate foreign relations as cultural barriers are broken down by American media" (Siochru, 2004).

Media globalization focuses on profit. Many ‘multinational corporations produce products, which maximize their profits while decreasing costs of production.’ By decreasing their costs of production, there would be lesser jobs available for the citizens where the corporation is based at. Hence, this shows that whilst media globalization improves the economy of the country, it does not necessarily apply to income levels.

Culture is a product of media. It is through media that the culture of greed is portrayed. As mentioned in Hickman’s article, ‘the wealthiest countries have the resources to produce the most media; therefore, media that is delivered to the global audience will promote the culture of the wealthiest countries’. By advertising lavish and expensive items in a commercial, this may represent a new cultural norm that people should have in order to fit into society.

I personally feel that I would not be able to adapt in an environment without the presence of media. Friedman acknowledges that "media globalization currently does, and will continue to have a profound impact on how people conduct their lives". I agree that media globalization has benefitted each of us to a certain extent, however, we should also not neglect the negative impacts that it causes. 

Final Draft - Summary

Final Draft based on the article "Effect of Media Globalization" by Mary Hickman

Media globalization is an integral component that has shaped the world we live in today, becoming more dependent on it. The most common form of media we come in contact today are advertisements.

Many say the benefits of media outweigh its ramifications. However, this is primarily because people are only exposed to the merits that media has brought us. For instance, technological advancements have made life more convenient, with the advent of Internet telephony, making communication with loved ones in different countries easier than before.

Despite the benefits of media, its consequences are the ones affecting us most. For instance, Media Corporations, who are mainly focused on profits, have caused loss of jobs due to lower costs of production.

With the wealthiest countries producing most media available, it is inevitable that the messages produced influence people with the author’s interest and biases. At the same time, it portrays the cultures of these countries, such as greed.

With our increasing contact with media, media globalization will continue to have an overwhelming significance in people's daily lives.

Please refer to the link below for the full article:

http://www.radford.edu/~mahickman/portfolio/The%20Effects%20of%20Media%20Globalization.doc

Nadia :)