Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Comment on the Three Gorges Dam
I think that the Three Gorges Dam project is also a bit too risky to be done since in doing such a large project, everything must be done in high-class level, where checking, building, etc must be taken very seriously as a single mistake might cost great danger for China.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Indonesia Banned Youtube??
I don't really understand what is the Indonesian government doing by banning youtube. I mean, they spent so much money for it and somehow I feel that they are not updated about how good internet is. Around one or two days after they started banning youtube, people had already known the other way to access youtube by accessing it from another website. Money had been spent, but I can say, for nothing. They just wasted country's money for nothing.
The government should have asked youtube personally to remove the video from it website rather than spending money to prohibit Indonesian accessing youtube.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Different Approaches in Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emission
The U.S., as a well-developed country, is using technology approach, which is known as “Twenty in Ten” (“Twenty in Ten,” 2007), to reduce its carbon emission where Research and Development programmes for climate change are established with impressive budgets. Through this Research and Development centre, new energy sources are being developed to substitute current energy sources, fossil fuels, which emit a huge amount of carbon dioxide. It is expected that a highly efficient and cheap new energy source will have substituted fossil fuels by a few years ahead. Currently, the U.S. government is also trying to increase cars’ efficiencies (“Twenty in Ten,” 2007); therefore the amount of gasoline consumed is decreasing which also helps in reducing carbon dioxide emission.
In contrast, Indonesia, as a developing country, still does not have proper technology to establish such a research and development centre. Therefore, it has its own approach to deal with climate change. According to the Indonesian State Minister for the Environment (2007), the government will publish a policy about placing value on carbon in the near future which means that people or factories will have to pay when they pollute the environment. The government hopes that people will start reducing their carbon emission, especially carbon dioxide when they have to pay for it. In the same article, it is also stated that Indonesia is asking for technology transfer from well-developed countries to deal with climate change because by using technology, Indonesia can be a few steps further in its process to reduce carbon emission.
In comparing how the U.S. and Indonesia approach carbon dioxide emission problem, we realize that the differences in their approach are really obvious. The U.S. is actively reducing its carbon dioxide emission by its technology, while Indonesia is quite passive in dealing with climate change problem as it doesn’t have enough power. Actually, both methods will work in reducing carbon emission although passive method will take longer to show its result. A well-developed country is supposedly support a developing country in dealing with climate change since they all live in the same planet.
In conclusion, the U.S. and Indonesia have different approaches to deal with climate change whereas a well-developed country is usually using technological support while a developing country is usually using preventing method and asking for support from a well-developed country. But, in order to save our planet, all countries have to work together, well-developed countries and developing countries, and support each other in dealing with this global warming.
References
Connor, S. (2007). Carbon dioxide rate is at highest level for 650,000 years. The Independent. Retrieved March 11, 2008, from http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/carbon-dioxide-rate-is-at-highest-level-for-650000-years-434809.html
Indonesia asks for technology transfers in dealing with climate change. (2007, December 1). People Daily. Retrieved March 12, 2008, from http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/6313157.html
Juniper, T. (2007). BBC: Saving planet earth. United Kingdom: HarperCollins Publisher.
Kyoto protocol to the United Nations framework convention on climate change. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2008, from http://unfccc.int/essential_background/kyoto_protocol/items/1678.php
Munk. (2003). Ocean science: Ocean freshening, sea level rising. Science Magazine. Retrieved Marh 11, 2008, from http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;300/5628/2041
Revkin, A.C. (2007). As China goes, so goes global warming. The New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2008, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/weekinreview/16revkin.html
Twenty in ten: Strengthening America’s energy security. Retrieved March 12, 2008, from the White House Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2007/initiatives/energy.html
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Comparing and Contrasting 2 Waste Disposal Schemes
Zero waste system might be the best waste disposal system since it gives benefits to both the government and the environment, and should be adopted by Indonesia soon in the future and also most likely will be adopted by most countries in the world.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Comment for article: Saving Nature, But Only for Man
It's true that humans must be preferred, but nature cannot always be sacrificed. Nature has almost reach its limit now where many extinctions happen, global warming, etc while humans still sacrificing nature for their needs. Human and nature should help each other in life. Sometimes sacrifice is needed, but it is not supposedly to come always from nature and for humans.
If we try to see from an almost extincted species of animal point of view, how will we see ourselves as humans? Its habitations are destroyed over and over again by humans, its kinds are hunted either for fun or food, etc while it cannot do anything to prevent it from happening. I feel that it's a bit sad.
I do not say that humans must live for natures and natures must be put as top priority on earth. It's just doesn't feel right to let natures are being sacrificed for humans and humans do nothing to, at least, protect natures.
Natures and humans are supposedly to live in balance since they need each other.
Water Deficit in Indonesia (Problem - Solution)
Water deficit is a current serious environmental problem in my home country, Indonesia, which first occurred 13 years ago. Serious step still has not been taken by the government as they think that this problem is still invisible in this country as a whole.
Statistics from Indonesia’s Environment observer says that supply of water in 2003 was 416.7 billion cubic meters more than demanded and by 2020 the supply will be around 407.6 billion cubic meters more than demanded. From these data, no one can see water deficit in Indonesia as a whole. But, if you see the detailed statistic for Java and Bali which have more than half of people in Indonesia says that supply of water in 2003 reached 25.3 billion cubic meters while demand was 38.1 billion cubic meters. Deficit of 134 billion cubic meters will be very likely to happen in Java by 2010. From these detailed statistics, the deficit is really visible and serious action is really needed to prevent any worse condition.
Actually, pollution to water and unavailability of clean water storage are the ones that cause this deficit. There are supposedly some good ‘engineering solutions’ for this problem. The government can build clean water storages in Java so that rainwater can be collected more effectively than depends only on forest. Water processing using is also important to clean polluted water and this can save a huge amount of water and can be used as supply water for people.
References
Water Deficit in Indoensia. (2007, November 29). Retrieved February 19, 2008, from http://www.thejakartapost.com/yearender/nat09.asp
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Comparison and Contrast
According to Indonesian State Minister for the Environment (2007), Indonesia is dealing with climate change by placing a value on carbon emissions, which means that people or factories will have to pay when they pollute the environment. The government is hoping that people will start reducing their pollution to environment when they have to pay for it and this is hoped to be able to improve the environmental condition.
In a well developed country like the United States, the government tries to use technology to deal with climate change. According to the Greenpeace Global Warming Campaign (2007), the United States has been successful in reducing its reliance on fossil fuel (oil, gas, etc) and has started to use renewable energy sources. In the US now, nearly 80% of electricity can be produced by these renewable energy resources and it also has succeeded in reducing their carbon dioxide emission by 72%.
From the statistics, it can be observed that the US is seemed to be successful in its way of dealing with climate change. For Indonesia, as this policy is still new, the result is still a bit invisible and is expected to become visible in several years ahead.
References
"Dealing with Global Warming Without Nuclear Power." ENewsUSA. January 27, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2008, from
http://enewsusa.blogspot.com/2007/01/dealing-with-global-warming-without.html
“Indonesia asks for technology transfers in dealing with climate change.” People’s Daily Online. December 1, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2008, from
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/6313157.html