GP notes collation: ~ disparity- great difference ~ downplayed - Make (something) appear less important than it really is: "this

report downplays the seriousness of global warming". ~ intractable- hard to control; hard to deal with. ~ abject experienced to a maximum degree; extremely bad or unpleasant situation. ~ avert prevent something unpleasant from occurring eg. avert a catastrophe. Environment: Two recent cases reflect the folly of Chinas fervent, albeit blind pursuit for economic growth at the cost of the environment. One happened last week when a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling accused China of illegally imposing export quotas on raw materials. A similar ruling on China's export restrictions on rare earth materials could be heard in the near future. The other case was the oil spill in the Bohai Bay. Oil leaked from a facility of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), China's largest offshore oil company, and ConocoPhillips China (COPC), a subsidiary of the US oil giant, about a month ago. The two companies' officials have downplayed the long-term impact of the oil spill on the environment, which environmentalists say is "appalling". More appalling is the fine, a maximum of 200,000 yuan ($30,940), which COPC will face under current laws on offshore pollution, a State Oceanic Administration official said. Many inland cities continue to welcome unconditionally polluting industries shifting from China's coastal areas or developed countries. And quite a few international pharmaceutical and chemical companies have subcontracted Chinese researchers and factories to produce highly toxic substances, because the cost of doing the same job would be tens, if not hundreds, of times more under the strict environment regulations of developed countries. Its clear that the worlds leading power companies see solar thermal as a critical resource for meeting the worlds growing needs for cost-effective and reliable energy, wrote Keely Wachs, spokesman for Brightsource Energy Australia announced its carbon tax plan in an effort to help fight climate change. AFP reports that the plan is to tax carbon pollution at $24.74 (USD) per ton, in a move similar to Europe's emissions trading scheme. Counter argument: To sooth belligerent voters, who polls show are 60 percent opposed to a carbon price, the government has offered tax cuts to low and middle-income households, as well as increased state pension and welfare payments."

Science and Technology: Fetal genetic testing: A troubling technology Scientists have been making rapid progress in identifying which of your genetic traits may be associated with the risk of getting a wide variety of diseases. But, what

underlies this benefit would be a morally contentious issue of sex determination. Expectant parents may be able to accurately tell what sex the baby will be as early as seven weeks into a pregnancy. Thats troubling. This new cheaper, safer and quicker form of sex selection is likely to become a modest business in the U.S. and a big business in India, China and other parts of the world. The combination of fetal testing very early in pregnancy and abortions that can be caused by a pill mean that the future battleground over abortion will be a womans conscience. Those who see todays report of the accuracy of sex identification as of importance only to a few families at high risk of having a child with a sex-linked deadly disease are ignoring what promises to soon be a very morally contentious technology. For Bangladesh, and other developing countries, achieving long-term sustainable economic growth in the face of climate change and other threats is of primary concern. To help respond to this concern, in late 2010 the U.S. Government launched a program to help countries develop in a way that ultimately reduces greenhouse gas emissions growth and improves resilience to the effects of climate change. Much more than just a climate change or energy program, the Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies [EC-LEDS] program takes an economywide approach, says Kit Batten, USAID global climate change coordinator. It's really about sustainable economic growth. The plan identifies ways that the U.S. Government can partner with Bangladesh to help the country achieve a low-emissions pathway, for example, by helping it to update or improve national greenhouse gas inventories, conduct feasibility studies for renewable energy sources, or by sharing best practices in wild fisheries management to conserve wetlands. Poverty: Millions of the world's poor are multiplying. In fact, the U.N. reported that the world's population is projected to surge past nine billion before 2050 and then reach 10.1 billion by the end of the century, if current fertility rates continue at expected levels. Unfortunately, without a higher standard of living, economic opportunity and better quality of life, the Third World's economic status stands to worsen as time marches on. Overpopulation is one of the factors, which plays a role in further widening the disparity between the developed and developing countries. Overpopulated, developing countries face more food shortages, water scarcity and stunted economic growth by far than more developed nations. Overpopulation would result in lack of sanitated Zero Hunger on Poverty: Brazil's $8 Billion War

The goal is to help citizens like Altaiza Silva. She lost her job cleaning houses two years ago, and thought she would have to pull her daughters out of school and put them to work, likely perpetuating the cycle of poverty that's claimed generations of her family. The programme Zero Hunger implemented by Brazil holds a huge budget of 1 billion U.S pounds. This has significantly helped to ameliorate the perennial issue of poverty, alleviating 19 million Brazilians out of poverty.

Arts: It helps to drive Singapore's economy and contributes to society in many ways, but more importantly, the arts also help to shape Singapore's identity as a nation Lee Hsein Loong the arts enrich Singapore's heritage, and promote cultural understanding and social dialogue. Key projects such as the National Art Gallery - due to open officially in 2015 and the National Design Centre add to Singapore's status as "The Global City in Asia" and a vibrant arts scene helps to make Singapore a leading cultural capital in Asia, said Mr Lee. reiterating the commitment to increase annual programme spending by more than 50 per cent to S$365 million a year, as announced in the Budget speech in February. make arts and culture an "integral" part of Singaporeans' lives, with one in two Singaporeans to actively participate in arts and cultural activities, up from one in five today. Globalization While Lee Kuan Yew retained his own seat without a contest, the country's Opposition posted its best performance since independence. If Singapore depends on the talent it produces out of three million people, it is not going to punch above its weight. It is because we enjoy talent from across the globe South Asia, Northeast Asia, China, India and beyond that we have a vibrant economy, he said.