In the statement “Joint statement of United Nations entities on the right to healthy environment,” the UN Environment Programme rightly suggests that we are faced with three environmental crises: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
From my day to day observations— reading and watching news — the emphasis has been on climate change, overshadowing the other two: biodiversity loss and pollution. I do not have the expertise to prioritize one over the others, but I can definitely say that those three crises are tightly intermingled. There is no doubt climate change will impact biodiversity. The opposite is also true, a…
In the first part I discussed the current state and #trends related to COVID and the environmental issues. In this second part I will touch on prospects in other areas including society, science and technology, economy, politics and global dynamics.
1. Social Transformation
1.1. Moving and Socializing
In 2020 social dynamics was affected by two major forces: COVID-19 and violence against people of color. In the U.S. — and probably other developed nations — two interesting phenomena were observed during the pandemic. First, people relocated to more livable places with lower cost and better quality of life. This was possible due to the flexible work policy [DAIL20]…
1. Introduction
We are living in unique times. The disruption that COVID-19 brought to the world was unprecedented in terms of impact, scale and intensity. It changed the way we live and work. While COVID-19 was wreaking havoc, climate change was manifesting acutely in the form of extreme weathers affecting millions of people. Urgency is in the atmosphere. Politicians are quick to politicize these phenomena adding more fuel to the already polarized politics. Emotionally affected society reacts with fervor to the violence to black people. As people were hit hard by the pandemic, with millions losing their job, the stock market rebounded…
Background
It’s been a month since I’ve been on Leave of Absence (LoA) from my day job. For the context, the LoA was not voluntary. On one hand, I was somewhat concerned about my job during COVID-19 outbreak — the company that I work for went through several re-org since the pandemic. On the other hand, I was looking forward to some time for my personal growth.
When the LoA started, It was Christmas time. My to-do list was already full: make Christmas cards, write greeting emails, decorate the house, prepare for the Sunday School event, and do the end-of-the-year retrospective.
2020 was a year that deeply changed our lives.
This year, many global conflicts shook the political sphere: Turkish military involvement in Syria, the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia, border friction between India and China, the civil war in Yemen, and the Persian Gulf crisis. Those who suffered the most were the innocent civilians.
The acts of terrorism in Nigeria and Afghanistan; national security law that China imposed on Hong Kong, the violence against women, and the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake, and other black citizens created waves of movements in the society across the world.
People…
There is a high interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education, especially math as it is regarded as the base of the rest of the science and engineering fields. Government, educational institutions, and even non-educational private companies are jumping into the math education industry, providing direct or indirect solutions to teachers and/or learners.
Many researchers, educators and companies gathered at National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) 2015 Conference held in Boston on April to share knowledge about math teaching and learning. …
Young Suk Ahn Park
Software engineering, environment conservation, and other uncomfortable but relevant topics. Introspecting, discerning, acting, retrospecting.
