Content/Examples
Environment:
The Singapore government has introduced a carbon tax on large direct emitters of
greenhouse gases such as power stations to be implemented in 2019.
Reykjavik, is one of the greenest cities in the world. Reykjavik acquires only 19% of
its primary energy from fossil fuel sources, and the rest of the energy comes from
geothermal and hydrogen power. Reykjavik gets 100% of its electricity from
geothermal and hydrogen power.
36 new plots of farmland spanning 60ha are to be up for bidding to boost
Singapore's food security. Priority will be given to High-tech farmers.
Hurricane Irma developed on the 30th of August, rapidly increasing in the Saffir
Simpson Scale to a category 5 hurricane. The damage caused cropped up to a 62.9
billion USD, with over a hundred fatalities.
The Brando, resort on French Polynesian island is powered by more than 2000 solar
panels and generators fueled by coconut oil. It's air conditioning is powered by deep
seawater. This shows that luxury eco-tourism is on the rise; people are becoming
increasingly environmentally aware.
Indian government’s promise to use coal fire stations to increase electricity access
for its citizens--> Most of the country’s power-generating capacity still comes from
about 125 coal-fired power plants and as many as 140 coal-fired plants are planned
or in the pipeline
Politics:
Trump at the time failed to reciprocate Mexico’s offer for aid to Hurricane Harvey
victims after Mexico endured a magnitude-8.1 earthquake and Hurricane Katia, and
he didn’t offer his condolences until days later.
Ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar: Buddhist protesters threw petrol
bombs to try to block a shipment of aid to muslims, reflecting rising communal
animosity.
North Korea: PM Shinzo Abe addressed the detonation of the sixth nuclear bomb
and a series of missiles fired over or near Japan, demanding strict implementation of
UN sanctions on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the latest round including a ban
on NK’s textile exports and a freeze on work permits to NK guest workers.<-- limited
effect
Technology:
On average, Singapore consumers spend 12hr 42 min a day on digital devices, as
reported by The Straits times.
According to the Straits Times, 55 percent of nine-year-olds are actively using social
media and chat applications, despite such platforms requiring participants to be at
least 13 years old.
An estimated 5 million U.S. factory jobs have evaporated since 2000 and most of
those (88%) were lost to increased productivity due to automation
Education:
From 2018, all secondary schools will be able to admit up to 20 percent of their
non-integrated programme intake through DSA.
According to a survey conducted by The Straits Times, 7 out of 10 parents in
Singapore send their children for tuition.
The pre-school sector will get a new centralised institute,the National Institute of
Early Childhood and Development (NIEC), to train pre-school teachers and carers
Increased pre-school places in SG (addition of about 40,000 in next 5 years) to
encourage all parents to sign children up for services.
PAP Community Foundation (PCF) will build more Early Years Centres in new HDB
developments. A child who goes to one of these centres will have a place reserved
in a nearby kindergarten run by the Ministry of Education (MOE) when he or she
turns five.
In the next five years, MOE will run 50 kindergartens - from the current 15 - to
"influence and uplift" the quality of the whole sector.
Healthcare:
According to the Straits Times, it is estimated that by 2050 one million Singaporeans
may suffer from diabetes.
While Singaporeans live up to the age of 82 on average, they experience on average
eight years of ill health in old age.
Only about 20 per cent of teenagers from top schools in Singapore get enough
sleep, according a study by the Duke-NUS Medical School.
There will be a highly subsidised flat health screening fee of $5 for those above the
age of 40 in Singapore.
Inequality:
Others:
By 2030, 1 in 4 people will be age 65 and above in Singapore
The divorce rate in Singapore increased by 2.9 percent from 2014 to 2015.
A 2016 Prudential Relationship Index indicated that a quarter of married couples in
Singapore are thinking of divorce.
Singapore's first step will be to work with soft drink manufacturers to reduce the
sugar content in all their drinks sold here, he said.
1 in 9 Singaporeans have diabetes. 1 in 3 Singaporeans aged >60 have diabetes.
International events
-Climate march in US following Trump’s comments that climate change is a hoax
-Women's march
-Extreme weather events (Hurricane Harvey, Irma)
-Charlottesville protests (white supremacy)
-Syrian refugee crisis, Trump’s Muslim ban and crackdown on undocumented
immigrants under DACA
-North Korea's nuclear threat
-South China sea dispute
-Brexit, Trump (rise of populism)
-Obamacare repeal
-Ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar
Useful Government policies/events:
Education: National sliver academy, Skillsfuture
Health: ActiveSG, Medisave (3M healthcare system), Community Health Assist
Scheme(CHAS), Wage war on diabetes
Environment: Singapore Green Plan, Plant-A-Tree Program, Paris climate pact,
climate march.
Freedom of speech/ expression: Pink Dot, Amos Yee, Media censorships by Media
Development Authority(MDA)
Security: SG secure, Internal Security Act
Technology: Vision of becoming a smart nation, discontinued use of 2G mobile
phones
Arts and Culture: Bukit Brown, National Gallery
Increased pre-school places: 40,000 in next 5 years
PM Lee’s national day rally: fight diabetes, smart nation and better education for
kindergarten children
2017 Singapore’s presidential election and Halimah Yacob’s ascension to the
position of president
Useful ideas
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Utilitarianism
Morally correct choice is the choice that benefits the most number of people.