Summary of the three roundtables

On the 9th of March, three interesting roundtable discussions took place in class. The groups discussed pressing issues that could affect our world in one way or the other. Each group had two teams and a moderator; one team supporting the topic while the other was against it.

The first group’s discussion, about green chemistry, debated about the possibility of Singapore replacing regular plastic bags with bio-degradable ones. The team that supported such an act gave an example of how New Water was implemented in Singapore and was successful. They concluded that if such a case was possible then the same could be done for bio-degradable plastic bags. They also pointed out the fact that the process of manufacturing bio-degradable plastic bags emitted less greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The team against bio-degradable plastic bags argued that since it was not subsidised by the government, it would be expensive. People would prefer to use normal plastic bags since they were cheaper.

The second group’s discussion revolved around carbon capture storage (CCS). The group supporting CCS, talked about how it was a convenient way to curb greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Since carbon dioxide would be stored underground or underwater, not much space would be taken on land. They also said that it was a very safe system because it possessed a so called “leak system”. The group against such an act pointed out that it was not feasible, because of the size of storage needed every single day. They also pointed out that small countries would not benefit from such a system. They never did release that much carbon dioxide, compared to larger countries, and there would not be enough underground space to store that much.

The third group discussed about the possibility of bio-diesel replacing normal car fuel. The group that supported such an act explained that the process of making bio-diesel was relatively simple and could be made from recycled cooking oil. They also mentioned that it was more environment-friendly. The group against pointed out that bio-diesel could in fact damage a car’s engine if bio-diesel was constantly used without proper engine cleaning. They also mentioned that bio-diesel has a high melting point, which meant that in colder countries; it would actually freeze and damage the car’s fuel system.

In conclusion, each one of the topics discussed had their pros and cons. If anyone of them was to be implemented, some sacrifice would have to be made, either by the government or by the people using such technologies.