SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL AND

BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(Division of Chemical &Biomolecular
Engineering)

CH0493
Environmental Sustainability

AY2014/2015 SEMESTER 2

Assignment 1

Name

: Tan Wei Chai Simon

Matric no

: U1122420C

Question 1
Read textbook Chapter 1 and 2, and make sure you are able to find answers to the
Chapter Review questions. Please confirm whether you have done these tasks?
YES.

Question 2
Environmental ethical questions (there are no standard answers for the following questions,
and you just record your thoughts now. Please answer these questions again by the end of
this semester, and compare your answers at two different times)
(1) Why should we care about the environment?

The environment is where we live in. We affect it and it also affects us directly. With a
healthy and sustainable environment, we will also be healthier. Furthermore, the same
environment will be the place where our future generations will live in, we should therefore
do our part in maintaining this healthy environment for our future generations.
(2) Are we the most important being on the planet or are we just one of the earths millions
of different forms of life?

As an individual, because we are humans, I believe that all humans have some form of
selfishness in them. Therefore, from an individual point of view, we humans are the most
important being on the planet. Without us, what's there to talk about regarding the other forms
of life on earth?
However, we must also note that each forms of life interact with each other directly or
indirectly. For example, some forms of life interact with each other directly via food chain.
While a broader, more indirect point of view how different species interact with each other
would be for example through the carbon cycle.
As such when viewing things in a broader point of view, we humans would just be on of
earth's millions of different forms of life.
(3) Do we have an obligation to see that our activities do not cause the extinction of other
species? Should we try to protect all species or only some? How do we decide which to
protect?

Yes, we do have the obligation. Other species have their own lives, so who are we to deny
them of their rights to live? Some superior beings created them and us, and if our activities
denied them of a chance to live, then we are just acting like a superior beings, or some say
god, in which we aren't.

As I had mentioned in question 2, humans have some form of selfishness in us. As long as
our livelihoods are not affected, I believe we should do our best to protect as many species as
we can.
(4) Do we have an ethical obligation to pass on to future generations the extraordinary
natural world in a condition that is at least as good as what we inherited?

Yes, we do. We simply do not own the environment we live in. It is given to us by the very
efforts of our forefathers and we should also maintain it as best as we can for our future
generations. The condition must be at least as good since we do not own any of the
environment.
(5) Should every person be entitled to equal protection from environmental hazards
regardless of race, gender, age, national origin, income, social class, or any other factor?

Yes, a life is a life. Regardless of race, gender, age or any other factor. Equally should be for
all, as each one of us do not own any part of another person's life. Therefore, one does not
have any rights to deny any degree of protection from another person.
Question 3
Critical thinking questions
(1) Do you think you are living unsustainably? Explain. If so, what are the three most
environmentally unsustainable components of your lifestyle? List two ways in which you
could apply each of the three scientific principles of sustainability and each of the three
social science principles of sustainability to making your lifestyle more environmentally
sustainable.

Yes. Firstly, my air-conditioner is of a very old age, meaning that it is not energy saving and
CFC-"free", thus contributing to global warming. Secondly, I tend to be very picky about
food, and thus wasting food that I dislike even though they are edible. Lastly, I could have
used my own bag instead of getting plastic bag from NTUC or wherever I do shopping, as
plastic bags are non-biodegradable.

Dependency on solar energy

1. Try to use solar-powered devices
2. Try to take solar-powered vehicles

Biodiversity
1. Try to protect any animals whenever needed
2. Not purchase or eat any endangered species products

Chemical cycling
1. Support the idea of preservation of vegetation
2. Grow some plants at your home

Full-cost pricing
1. Support the increase in taxation of products/services that has significant
environmental impact
2. Support the increase in price of cigarettes

Win-win solutions
1. Support the idea of projects that reduce the loss of vegetation
2. Purchase environmental friendly products even if it costs more

A responsibility to future generations

1. Not to waste food
2. Not to waste resources

(2) Response to the following statements:

a. Scientists have not absolutely proven that anyone has ever died from smoking cigarettes.

Yes, the only prove they can give is the increase risk of having certain diseases due to
smoking. However, for those diseases, like lung cancer, there are also other possible causes
for them. To pinpoint each death to smoking would not be right as an increase in risk of
having diseases does not necessary mean that the disease is caused by smoking.
b. If someone wants you to invest money in an automobile engine, claiming that it will
produce more energy than it found in the fuel used to run it. What would be your response?
Explain.

My response would be to ask him to go back to high school and study a topic called
thermodynamics. As first law of thermodynamics clearly state that energy can neither be
created nor destroyed. Therefore in the transfer of energy from fuel to other forms of energy,
the maximum amount of energy produced would equate to that of the fuel. And practically,
the amount of useful energy would be infact lesser, as some energy would be lost as heat.
c. Why we can use oil only once as a fuel, or in other words, why we cannot recycle its highquality energy.

As mentioned above, when we transfer energy from one form to another, some energy is lost
as heat. In this case, the high quality energy from oil will be used to produce a lesser quality
energy, therefore we will be unable to recycle the same amount of energy that oil can
produced.