By C. Schall Gontijo Memory is undoubtedly related to perception. The content we perceive is restored and reconstructed in memory, even if both are often considered to be separate and independent cognitive capacities. This article will explore how memories can become distorted over time and how this impacts personal identity and self-perception. It will also discuss the influence of technology on preservation and alteration, as well as offer strategies for coping with memory discrepancies.
Memory is the power to retain and recall information and past experiences. It helps us to frame our understanding of the past and our behaviour within the present, as well as to better interpret the world around us. To explain it simply: the human brain reshapes itself with each memory. The gaps between our brain cells, called synapses, are responsible for the communication between our neurons. Then, a part of our brain called the hippocampus can communicate with our cortex and literally change the brain’s physical wiring to retrieve information. However, it is important to notice that emotions are also inherently linked to and can influence cognitive skills and therefore, enhance the subjective vividness of the memory through the sense of reliving the emotional event. This process can determine how strong a memory is perceived at retrieval. For example, just like in the children’s game where a message is whispered from person to person and becomes increasingly garbled, repeated retellings of a memory can alter the details, leading to significant distortions. This illustrates how memory is not a perfect record of past events but rather a reconstructive process susceptible to various influences. A renowned psychologist, Elizabeth Loftus, has conducted extensive research on memory distortion, particularly focusing on the creation of false memories and her studies have revealed people's memories could be altered when exposed to misleading information after an event. Loftus's research also showed that it is possible to implant entirely false memories in individuals. In one study, participants were given a booklet containing several real childhood events provided by their families and one fabricated event about getting lost in a shopping mall. Despite the event being false, about 25% of participants later recalled and even elaborated on the false memory as if it had genuinely happened. Stress can affect the type of memories we form as well. If we are stressed during an event, we may have more difficulty accurately remembering the details of the event later. Another factor to be considered is time, that may cause information stored in short term memory and never revisited to be forgotten. It then becomes clear that memory distortion can play a crucial role in real life scenarios. For example, in 1692, the Salem Witch Trials led to the execution of 20 people based on accusations of witchcraft. The accusations were fueled by mass hysteria and false memories, often elicited through intense questioning and suggestive interrogation. The trials underscored how collective memory distortion and social pressure can lead to tragic consequences. Furthermore, individual memory assumes a fundamental part in the improvement of individual identity. Our memories provide us with a sense of continuity, allowing us to connect our past experiences with our present selves and anticipate our future. They help us to create a narrative of our lives, which shapes our understanding of who we are , what we value and where we are headed. Additionally, distorted memories can either inflate or deflate self-esteem. Remembering oneself as more successful or competent than in reality can lead to overconfidence, while false memories of failures or inadequacies can result in lowered self-esteem and increased self-doubt. This brings us to the issue raised due to technology. The constant multitasking, rapid information processing, and constant distractions can lead to decreased attention span, memory problems, and difficulty with cognitive functions. There is also the ease in which digital memories can be altered and how that can have negative implications in real life. Digital memories, such as photos and videos, offer high accuracy and consistency but can be manipulated and are vulnerable to data loss. Human recollection, though inherently subjective and prone to distortion over time, is flexible and adaptive, influenced by emotions and social interactions. Combining digital records with human memory can enhance accuracy, providing a balanced approach to understanding and verifying past events. Both digital and human memories have strengths and weaknesses that must be considered, particularly in contexts requiring high reliability, such as legal proceedings. Therefore, using practices such as mindfulness can help us to keep ourselves grounded and better perceive our memories. It can even prevent our brains from deteriorating during high periods of stress, keeping our bodies healthier. To verify memories, consider keeping a detailed journal, recording events as they happen to preserve accuracy over time. Discuss memories with others who were present to gain different perspectives and confirm details. In conclusion, the complex relationship between memory and reality highlights how memories can be distorted by various factors such as suggestion, time, and emotional context. By acknowledging the fallibility of memory, individuals can seek truth and understanding in their personal histories. Seeking verification through diverse perspectives, documentation, and introspection can also foster a more accurate and cohesive narrative of our lives. This approach not only promotes personal growth but also contributes to clearer communication and healthier relationships based on shared and validated experiences.
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By N. Moreau It’s easy to look back down memory lane through rose-tinted glasses, convinced everything was, in fact, better in the past. Nostalgia is a powerful force. But through objective lenses, were items always better in the past? Nowadays, are clothes actually lower quality, are devices always bound to break too soon, and is craftsmanship dying out?
With the rise of social media, it’s easy to dismiss the acceleration in trend cycles as “the norm”. We buy items as though they’re disposable, swapping slightly used clothes for their newer, trendier version simply because the original became out of style. The same happens for appliances and personal tech devices; even though there is nothing inherently wrong with my iPhone, I may want to switch it for the latest model just because it has a few new updates, and not because I actually need to. This rise in consumerism can be rooted back to the Industrial Revolution. Before then, most items were handmade. People would visit tailors and craftspeople, who would have dedicated most of their professional lives to perfect their craft. When machinery was introduced to the design process, the speed of production increased exponentially, but not without a cost in the quality of items. Over a century and a half later, during the Great Depression, American adman Earnest Elmo Calkins proposed a selling strategy for economic stimulation that defined purchasing habits of the contemporary world: “consumer engineering,” or how advertisers and designers could artificially create demand. Manufacturers can boost this demand by intentionally incorporating planned obsolescence – the practice of designing products to break quickly or become obsolete in the short to mid-term. “That’s when manufactured products started to be sort of done in season for the cycles and fashion,” says Professor Matthew Bird, who teaches industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design. “If you change the style regularly, people get tired of the style. They start to treat cars like sweaters — it’s become grossly accelerated.” He states that this demand lowers the quality of the product because the development and testing are accelerated even more. In recent years, consumer engineering has become the role of the influencer, who fuels our consumerist mindset by naming things “cool” one day and “cringe” the next, leading to trends with shorter life spans, some dying out by the season. The consequence of this mindset is that people are buying five times more clothes than they did back in the 1980s. But in the last 10 years, due to the climate crisis, inflation, the pandemic, and a series of other international issues, the cost of materials (such as fabric, metals, etc.) and labor have increased. In other words, it is literally impossible to maintain the same quality of goods whilst keeping the prices relatively low. So industries started to cut corners: if everything is more expensive and the customers still want to pay the same price, whilst still constantly switching styles to follow short-lived trends, both the quality of the item and the quality of the laborers’ lives have to decrease. Material-wise, this could mean using thinner, cheaper fabric for clothes or using plastic and glue rather than metal and screws for appliances, for instance. The average customer won’t know the difference, especially when shopping online. For workers, these cut corners often lead to being overworked and underpaid. Take the emerging fast-fashion giant, Shein, as an example: workers in some factories supplying Shein are still working 75-hour weeks, according to an investigation by Public Eye, a Swiss human rights advocacy group. In contrast, St. Paul’s students spend less than 40 hours a week at school (excluding extracurriculars) and already think it’s too much. And none of the factory workers are earning much. According to the same group, wages fluctuated between $829 and $1,382 per month. However, after deducting overtime pay, wages fell to about $332 a month. For reference, the minimum wage in the USA is $7.25 per hour, which multiplied by a 75-hour week, then 4 weeks per month, would equal $2175. Shein workers in Asia are making 15% of what they would under minimum wage in the USA, for clothes that go to consumers often in the USA, which are soon discarded after they go “out of style”. Finally, by changing design to make items more manufacturable (more machines, fewer workers), companies can avoid higher labor costs. For products like phones, computers, remote controls, and others, it’s often cheaper to design in a way that reduces human labor. People are often required to assemble products, so designs with as few parts as possible are often preferred, as it’ll save a lot of time, and therefore money. “In the design of objects, they’re trying to reduce the amount of labor, and that changes what the object is,” Professor Bird says. “That produces cheaper goods, but it doesn’t necessarily produce better goods”. On the flip side, these objects can be harder to repair once broken, oftentimes lasting a lot less than they should. In conclusion, yes, modern consumer goods are often of lower quality than they were in the past. According to the Industrial Designers Society of America, industrial designers often focus on three things: appearance, functionality, and manufacturability, and it’s the first two that are often sacrificed to boost productivity. We as customers must remember that these items were made to serve us, not break apart after a few uses. Maybe it’s time to slow down, take a deep breath, and invest in items of higher quality rather than chase the fast-paced trend cycles. By B. Sapoznik Neuralink is a company founded by Elon Musk which has developed the technological advancements of neuroscience, the study of the brain. According to their company, their goal is to “Create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow”. This would be attained through the installment of a Neuralink device on a human’s head. This device is a small implant, which would be surgically placed on the brain of the patient. Now, this technology seems phenomenal and seems to be a promising path to take the next step in human development. Although, it is important to ask ourselves: what are the collateral effects of Neuralink’s technology? How might the electrical transmissions of the device interfere with brain usage and memory?
Neuralink states that its devices comprise a biocompatible enclosure (hatch), a wireless battery, electronic chips, and protective electrode threads. In its primary years, Neuralink was being used on animals, for research and interpretation of brain signals. Nowadays, it’s currently able to interpret those brain signals as different actions, such as thoughts to control interactions such as a simple videogame – and its main use is the remote control of computers for disabled people. In its due course, the corporation aims to be able to control external limbs, such as the usage of an exoskeleton regaining muscle movement or even assisting with memory and brain capacity. This, alone, appears to be a phenomenal cause that brings a hopeful future for the daily endeavours of disabled people. However, there is suspicion of Neuralink’s capabilities. If it claims to control body parts, what could be its effect on the brain? The main risk is brain damage. As far as we know about the brain, the implant of a Neuralink device seems safe, though it could potentially lead to brain tissue damage. Of course, this damage might scale from headaches to infections or inflammations (causing risk of amnesia, the loss of short and long-term memory) or even death, in certain cases. Another risk of using Neuralink is the deformation of the brain’s structure, which is also obviously detrimental to one’s health. Also, the research on the use of this technology is somewhat premature, and the long-term effects of this technology cannot be accurately pinpointed. So, even if we have a deduction of its side effects of 1 year; we cannot be sure about 50 years. Moreover, by having a precise interpretation of all thoughts, this technology can be used in an ethically incorrect way, such as reading one’s thoughts. Also, the electrical current/signals frequently in contact with brain cells may be an issue. Through the presentation of an electronic chip and electrodes, the Neuralink can detect brain activity, though it may also alter chemical reactions in brain cells in the long-term timescale. All the risks above are possibilities of issues when dealing with the brain, which may be emitted by the Neuralink. However, it is still too early to point exactly at the defects of the device, as only temporary short-term results are a base of evidence, and maybe most (or all) of the conditions above will be handled correctly by the team. So, it is certain that many alterations in our brain complex can have traumatising effects, which might include memory damage; but the Neuralink results haven’t yet shown any severe implications with the brain, and the largest issues were still on test subjects and the primary patient, which was almost forced to retract his device due to loose electrode threads. Therefore, it is important to keep attentive to Neuralink’s further impact on society, as its subsequent usage may make the world – or break it. Sources: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/brain-stimulation-therapies/brain-stimulation-therapies#:~:text=Electrodes%20are%20placed%20at%20precise,or%20feel%20the%20electrical%20pulses. https://electrocuted.com/blog/effects-of-electric-shock-on-the-brain/#:~:text=0%20Shares-,Research%20has%20shown%20that%20the%20effects%20of%20electric%20shock%20on,routine%20personal%20and%20professional%20tasks. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/neuralink-told-first-human-patient-185203705.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACOy71mtyapmclMYbTJ1fJeetj65Tg5jyCnAhzxSQLr73UhLVvw6qs8GXZuzvRPseZvHoMoOxlopT8ujkeOFh3N42XdSfCdNW80zH4c2lOAbiLdfkVl15qa57b1yhdy2v8rzhQOYGv9ggneaJoDK5M4Zkk6APhNVsPHvkBXyDvaX https://www.presencesecure.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-neuralink-on-humans/#:~:text=High%20risk%20of%20brain%20injury,cause%20permanent%20damage%20or%20death. https://www.wired.com/story/neuralink-brain-implant-elon-musk-transparency-first-patient-test-trial/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIn%20our%20studies%2C%20we%20have,a%20first%20in%20that%20regard. https://www.captechu.edu/blog/neuralinks-brain-chip-how-it-works-and-what-it-means#:~:text=The%20Future%20of%20Implantable%20Devices%20like%20Neuralink&text=It%20could%20be%20used%20to,augmentation%20and%20enhanced%20cognitive%20abilities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLfBAy826BA https://neuralink.com/ https://www.captechu.edu/blog/neuralinks-brain-chip-how-it-works-and-what-it-means#:~:text=The%20Future%20of%20Implantable%20Devices%20like%20Neuralink&text=It%20could%20be%20used%20to,augmentation%20and%20enhanced%20cognitive%20abilities. By A. Ribeiro do Prado How can we balance the high cost of electric cars and the pursuit of a more sustainable future?
Electric cars are significantly more expensive than cars that run on gas. Some people would argue that electric cars cost more than the cars that run by gas because filling a car that runs with gas costs way more than if you charge your car, so in the long term you would save money that you would spend on gas. Hybrid cars, hybrid meaning it runs on gas and electricity, are more popular because they have a bigger autonomy than electric cars, however they pollute less than cars that only run with gas. The Chinese company BYD has changed the electric car market in Brazil with its new and cheaper electric cars such as the Mini Dolphin, the Dolphin Plus, the Seal, the Yuan plus, and the Song Plus, a hybrid SUV. In 2023 1% of the cars sold were electric, around 19 thousand units sold across the country. As of April 2024, there are around 78 thousand electric cars in Brazil. The problem that most people face is the lack of chargers in infrastructure in Brazil, which is a bigger problem for people that travel by car because they can’t just stop in a charging station and charge their car. In the United States, however, they have super chargers that take minutes to charge cars, yet regular chargers take way hours. In the United States they have super chargers spread along the whole country because as of 2023 there were more than 3.3 million electric vehicles, so in the United States there is way more demand than in Brazil. But in Brazil the numbers are growing, and it is believed that in January 2025 Brazil will have more than 100 thousand electric vehicles. Some of the leading electric car manufactures are BYD, Tesla, Hyundai, BMW and Mercedes Benz. With that, the government should change the infrastructure in gas stations to house electric chargers. By C. Schall Gontijo In the modern world, most of us are incessantly connected to digital platforms and social media. Instant communication, widespread information access, and the international community created by this digital era are attractive elements that tempt a growing number of people into the world of technology. Therefore, there is increasing concern about the importance of finding balance between freedom and responsibility online, to shape a healthy digital ecosystem.
Digital freedom and digital rights allow people to access, use, create and publish media, as well as access computers, other electronic devices, and communication networks. People have the right to freedom of expression and online creativity. These rights ensure the protection of privacy and security, but also promote equal access to technology and non-discrimination. Therefore, this democratizes information, enables social movements on a larger scale, and fosters innovation. For example, social media played a pivotal role in the Arab Spring movements by mobilizing protests, spreading information, and garnering international attention. Digital platforms allowed activists to organize large scale demonstrations and document events as they unfolded, which then nurtured a feeling of solidarity in both the region and worldwide. Technology was essential in amplifying voices that would otherwise be unheard or forgotten. However, unrestricted digital freedom does have a dark side. There are the issues of spreading misinformation, cyberbullying, and the publication of harmful content. These aspects can lead to the worsening of mental health amongst internet users, that unfortunately are mostly teenagers going through crucial moments in their lives. For example, heavily edited pictures posted in social media can motivate comparison in teenage girls and make them insecure about their bodies when compared to unrealistic and unachievable standards, triggering a myriad of mental health challenges. There is also the case of digital freedom being impactful in a negative way in the political scenario. Misinformation during elections can lead to long-lasting consequences that may affect people on a national and international scale. That is when digital responsibility becomes crucial. It refers to using technology in an appropriate, constructive way for oneself and others. Ethical behaviour, critical thinking, and respectful online interactions must be used to ensure a safe and responsible digital environment for all. Practicing good digital citizenship makes the online world a more welcoming place for everyone. And it is not only the role of users to do so, but also of tech companies and governments to teach and foster a responsible digital culture. It then becomes our job to balance freedom and responsibility to maximize the benefits of digital platforms while minimizing harm. This balance can be achieved by promoting digital literacy education campaigns, platform policies that ensure respect and kindness, and enforcing the need for self-regulation in users. Tech companies, for example, can ease this balance by implementing content moderation and algorithm transparency in their systems. Governments, on the other hand, have a more challenging time balancing freedom and responsibility without promoting any type of censorship. However, that still can be done in a more subtle manner, like for example, digital education campaigns, as well as the establishment of policies. One excellent example is the Digital Services Act (DSA) in the European Union. It imposes obligations on platforms to tackle illegal content, protect user's rights, and increase transparency, which creates a safer digital space with accountable platforms. And most importantly, users are also responsible for the creation of a balanced digital environment. We must always remember to use our critical thinking skills and be mindful of our sources' reliability. Additionally, we must report any harmful content we meet and continually promote respectful discourse and spread kindness. This proactive attitude will contribute to a healthier online community and to the integrity of online spaces. In conclusion, the future of our digital society depends on this delicate balance, and it is up to us to contribute to its realization. By B. Sapoznik During strenuous times of examinations and the conclusion of the academic year, it is absolutely vital that a certain extent of meditation takes place. This is key for finding balance, as it allows for the improvement of both physical and mental health conditions, which are usually chaotic when faced with the urgency of exams. Not only for the preparation but also for the performance in exams – meditation is necessary to relieve stress and anxiety which is often caused when facing such important tests. However, what are the actual benefits of meditation? How does it work?
In simplistic terms, meditation works by the following process: by meditating, humans are able to weaken their reaction to stressful events. So, they can reduce the use of the medial prefrontal cortex. That way, it prevents the amygdala from producing high amounts of cortisol (stress/anxiety hormone) – making you overall much calmer. By having lower stress rates, the body can function better and more easily, which includes benefits such as the following: decreasing stress, anxiety, and depression through the restriction of hormones; mood improvement; memory improvement; controlling pain; controlling respiration levels; and energy restoration, amongst others. Thus, meditation is used successfully to influence the body’s physical characteristics. Keep in mind that these characteristics (amongst others) are key factors for success in exam conduct. Furthermore, the process of meditation also includes psychological impacts by ensuring a sense of calm (also decreasing stress levels), improving your concentration and attention span, improving sleep quality, and just basically restoring a healthy lifestyle. By meditating, you fulfill your attempts at expanding your body’s mental and physical capacities, which may lead to better studying and learning. Even during exam season, it is also important to meditate, because it improves most personal aspects of your life. Moreover, it’s not really about the amount of meditation that you do, but just the fact that doing it already measurably improves your personal well-being. The simple scientific reaction of restricting stress hormones in your brain is enough to physically improve your body – which only serves as proof for the power of the mind. In summary, it is very important to meditate. It brings you quantifiable development of both physical and mental aspects and helps you perform better in any occasion. Whether it is for a basketball match or for academic execution, there is a large scientific persuasion to meditate for a moment – might it be 1, 3, or 10 minutes; just remember that by controlling your mind you’re able to accomplish a much larger quality of performance. Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4895748/ https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858#:~:text=Meditation%20can%20give%20you%20a,centered%20and%20keep%20inner%20peace. By: Tiago Junqueira ![]()
By: C. Schall Gontijo In recent years, a growing awareness of the profound effects of climate change and the need for immediate action have led to an extraordinary global advance in attempts to prevent it. Like the cooperative attitude we cultivate within our school community, this new attention focus represents a global commitment to protecting our planet for present and future generations.
The Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, is at the center of global climate action. It intends to restrict the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, with a target of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. 190 nations have accepted the pact, indicating a striking degree of universal consensus over the necessity of fast and precise action. The Paris Agreement's commitments are backed by scientific data that emphasizes how urgent it is to combat climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has also issued a warning, stating that going over the 1.5-degree mark could have catastrophic and irreversible effects, such as rising sea levels, extreme weather, a decline in biodiversity, and disruptions to the supply of food and water. This data highlights how vital it is to cut greenhouse gas emissions and move towards a more sustainable way of living. Governments and corporations are uniting in response to these obstacles to quicken the shift to renewable energy sources and decrease dependency on fossil fuels. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) reports that the capacity for renewable energy worldwide has more than doubled in the last ten years, with 72% of all new power capacity increases expected to come from renewable sources in 2020. Furthermore, well-known organizations like the United Nations are campaigning to inspire universities, corporations, and investors to pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The significance of sustainable finance and investment is becoming more widely acknowledged in propelling the shift towards a low-carbon economy. Additionally, environmental and social considerations are being incorporated by institutions, indicating a rising understanding of the potential provided by sustainable investments and the financial hazards associated with climate change. But even with these positive developments, there are still big obstacles to overcome. According to World Bank projections, $2.3 trillion in renewable energy alone will need to be invested to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement, a significant increase above present levels of investment. Another upsetting factor is that underprivileged communities are disproportionately affected by climate change, which deepens inequities and emphasizes the need for equitable, empathetic responses that include and consider everyone's situations. In our school community and beyond, as Lions, we have a vital role to play in furthering climate action. We may support the international effort to address these issues by spreading awareness and incorporating sustainable habits into our everyday lives. Education drives change. We can participate in the worldwide battle against climate change and build a future that is sustainable and resilient for everyone. In conclusion, combating climate change is a critical issue of our day that calls for decisive action at all societal levels. Through a spirit of joint perseverance and cooperation, we can confront this obstacle and make progress in creating a fairer and more sustainable global community. Bibliography UNFCCC. "The Paris Agreement." United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement. IPCC. "Global Warming of 1.5°C." Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/. International Renewable Energy Agency. "Renewable Energy Statistics 2022." IRENA, https://www.irena.org/Publications/2022/Jul/Renewable-Energy-Statistics-2022. World Bank Group. "World Bank Group Launches Renewable Energy Initiative to Enhance Energy Security and Affordability in Europe and Central Asia." World Bank, 28 Mar. 2024, https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2024/03/28/world-bank-group-launches-renewable-energy-initiative-to-enhance-energy-security-and-affordability-in-europe-and-central. By: B. Schwartzman Lucio You may have heard that our world is being consumed by climate change: temperatures are rising, glaciers are melting, and cities are drowning. And that’s not all – carbon emissions are polluting our air and dooming our respiratory systems. Luckily, simple solutions such as electric vehicles are being introduced as the solution to our environmental crisis. The idea sounds promising: countries such as Great Britain and Canada, who aim to have 100% of vehicles sales to be zero emission by 2035.
However, using electric vehicles to eliminate carbon emission is like placing a band-aid on a big open wound – and band-aids are no remedy. If anything, electric vehicles are the entry door to many other problems. Although electric vehicles are being introduced to reduce carbon emissions and their effects, there is not a significant reduction being observed, for three main reasons: the extraction of rare metals, longer carbon journeys involved in the production of these vehicles and the origin of electricity used to power these cars. Mining Rare metals such as lithium and cobalt are key components of batteries. According to MIT’s Climate Portal, every ton of extracted lithium is equivalent to 15 tons of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. This is equivalent to the energy usage of two average American households – in a year! In addition, many ecosystems are lost in mining, only increasing carbon emissions. Not to mention that there are also many ethical problems involved in the mining of these finite resources. Around 60% of the world’s cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where thousands of miners dig by hand – including children. Around 5 to 10 kilograms of cobalt are used in the typical electric car. And as lithium and cobalt are increasingly required not only for electric vehicle batteries, these will soon be depleted. Longer carbon journeys As components of electric vehicles are produced in different parts of the world, including rare metals which often come from Africa, these are shipped several times across the world throughout the manufacturing process. It is recognized that the production of electric vehicles can release up to 60% more carbon than of regular diesel or petrol cars. A study conducted at the University of Munich concluded that a Mercedes C220 diesel model creates less greenhouse gases than a Tesla Model 3. The Origin of Electricity We must consider that our electric vehicles are only as green as the power grid they draw from. Consider driving an electric vehicle in Norway, where 98% of electricity comes from renewable sources such as hydropower and wind power as opposed to driving an electric vehicle in China, where as much as 65% of electricity generated is drawn from sources such as coal and natural gas, as reported by the International Energy Agency. Experts such as Professor Michael Kelly from Cambridge University also argue that the need to charge electric vehicles could overload the power grid and lead to power cuts in Britain, which could be applicable to any other country. Finding the solution Currently, there are no plausible solutions that will eliminate carbon emissions worldwide. In terms of transportation, the same applies. Therefore, we must seek options that minimize carbon emissions effectively. One possible solution could be to implement greener public transportation, such as electric buses. Around 98% of the world’s electric buses are in China. With that, we can have more people sharing the same vehicles, thus polluting significantly less. Cliché but true: change starts with us. If we begin to consider, how can we contribute to lower carbon emissions, we will begin to experience change. Could you walk? Could you ride a bike? Could you share a ride? How can you help? Bibliography: https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/how-much-co2-emitted-manufacturing-batteries https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/batteries/congo-cobalt-mining-for-lithium-ion-battery/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1025497/distribution-of-electricity-production-in-norway-by-source/ https://www.iea.org/countries/china https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/19/business/electric-vehicles-carbon-footprint-batteries.html https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/transport-and-mobility?activeTab=fa515f0c-9ab0-493c-b4cd-58a32dfaae0a https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/media_gstc/FACT_SHEET_Climate_Change.pdf https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pathway-for-zero-emission-vehicle-transition-by-2035-becomes-law https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/electric-vehicles-your-questions-answered-1.7064944 By: A. S. Thiollier What would you do if you knew you were running out of water? If you knew that one day, one day soon, you could simply run out? This consideration is the scary reality for inhabitants of Mexico City, where water has become a scarce commodity. For months now, water has become a very irregular visitor: most days the tap barely trickles, some days, it doesn't offer anything at all. The worst thing is, there seems to be no solution in sight, or, rather, the most likely end would be one where the water simply... dries up.
The water scarcity problem has been developing since the city's inauguration, centuries ago. Mexico City was built on a high-altitude lakebed, and since then the city has experienced centuries of major expansion and extreme environmental changes. The original settlers of the region were the Aztecs, who decided to build their Tenochtitlan in this area. They used the region’s ample water to their advantage, building canals and bridges. However, in the early 16th century, all this care became for nought when Spanish conquistadors completely transformed the environment. Wetlands were paved over, rivers diverted, and forests razed, creating the roots of problems modern-day citizens face so harshly today. 60% of Mexico City’s water is drawn from a belowground aquifer that is depleting at such an alarming rate that the city is actively sinking because of it. What’s worse, due to the city’s high altitude, when it finally rains, the water does not sink into the ground, instead, it runs off the concrete city. Other sources of water must be pumped uphill, and this process is so inefficient nearly half of the water is lost through leaks before reaching the city. The prospect of "day zero" - a name given to the imminent possibility of an end to the water supply - is becoming increasingly likely, without many solutions coming to light. A source in local media stated that this fated day could come as soon as June 2024. Despite these challenges, possibilities for resilience and adaptation emerge. Some solutions such as enhanced wastewater treatment and rainwater harvesting provide some hope in these dark times. Restoring rivers and wetlands replenishes water sources while also restoring urban ecosystems, addressing many challenges (including air and water pollution, biodiversity restoration) at once. As Mexico City battles its water crisis, the need for a united front grows increasingly essential. Because while day zero is more imminent for Mexico City, the whole world faces a serious climate change issue, that could have drastic consequences beyond just water scarcity for everyone on the planet. |
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