Peer review on Yit Wei's WA2

Well, this is a well-constructed essay. Statements and arguments are quite clear supported by enough evidence. I only find two places which may be improved. In the first paragraph, one of the argument which is expanded in the coming paragraphs is soly exposed (SRM lacks expericental data), which is a little bit abrupt. It could be improved by introducing other arguments in the paragraph or delecting that sentence and adding a more genral sentence. The other one lies in the last paragraph. "we should only focus on ..." is too absolute. Anyway, it is just a piece of small suggestion. The whole essay is quite good.

Peer view on Yit Wei

The essay is quite clear. The first paragraph gives readers a brief introduction of the essay, namely talking about the commitments and is followed by the expansion except the last conclusion paragraph with different concerns of each paragraph.

But the third paragraph is not that coherent, my recommendation is that the effect of forest fire towards climate change should be put in the first place. Here another problem came out, that is, some information or opinion which the writer provided is not accurate and lack of authority like the sentence below:

“Developing countries, particularly Indonesia must educate the population about the impact of forest fire toward the environment and climate change, and so to prevent deforestation activities to grow worst.”

Because in each paragraph with different concerns, the writer intended to contrast (compare) the different (same) responsibilities of developed and developing countries at the same time. When contrasting, the writer should care about more the showing sequence of developed countries and developing countries. That will make the whole essay more cohesive.

Last but nor least, I think that we are required to consider the factors that two groups must mull over before signing a new treaty, not only the commitments. For this part, at least in my personal view, I don’t see that in the essay. That is a pity, because in general, this is a good essay which answers the question mostly.

Summary of Presentation by Assistant professor Benjamin K. Sovacool --- Institutional and Individual Response to Climate Change Issues

We first look at the big picture of climate change conundrum. CO2 is the main green gas which causes climate change (global warming) and most green gas results from anthropic need of energy. Meanwhile, global warming is an Asian countries dominated problem. Although we have many protocols on climate change, few countries have successfully reduced their CO2 emission. There is a trend that the amount of carbon dioxide per capita in developed countries is relatively higher than that in developing countries. Thus both institutional actions and individual actions are called upon for fighting against climate change. Institutions can contribute in many sides: energy supply, transport, buildings, industry, agriculture and forestry, and waste management for instance; while individuals can make a difference by considering more sustainable factors on surrounding things. We may use renewable electricity or combined heat and power to promote energy efficiency. Technology in clear energy field needs our support and also needs novel characters to draw people’s attention. We can also help mitigate climate change by changing our food habits. Besides, a lot of energy is wasted for home use. Finally, in spite of the width and the depth of the world’s energy, food and climate changes, individuals’ behaviors are the essence. Institutions can regulate but we still have much to do and what we do matter!

An introduction of myself

I'm Ren Yue from materials science and engineering. I come from Chengdu, known as the home of pandas. Half year ago, I came to Singapore. Although small, it is beautiful and well-designed especially in transportation. I confronted many problems involving a lot of detail problems which are never ever being considered when I was in China, living with my parents. But fortunately, I'm only 18 (I'll be 19 soon). I believe I can create my future upon my getting used to all the stuffs here. My favorite sports are basketball, ping pang and swimming. I played basketball quite a lot when I was in high school with my classmates. I truly love these sports because water and sports are source of life. When talking about eating, I love kinds of food as long as it is can be eated. Even for the most strange food, I'd like to give a try. I'd like to experince all the unknown(for me) things and ponder the human nature though communications with people from all around the world. The point is that it is experinces that enrich my life!