Oral idea of progress

The idea of progress

the 21st century  is a period in our history where, we, as humans, live in a constant evolution, we are constantly progressing. And that is in different domains: The economy, The social field, our relationships, Technology… Most of the time, we assign progress to something positive. However it also has some flaws, like climate change which is one of the biggest crisis facing humanity. Then, we understand that progress is very wide and can have influence on our way of life. So, one may wonder: How progress impacts human’s lifestyle and his environment ? To answer this question i’ll deal first with the case of the Maldives, an example of the consequences of climate change. Then i’ll tackle the subject of redesigned cities who will play a determinate role in the future of Humanity. Finally, I have chosen to talk about the impact of global warming on the population of a village in Canada.

1-  Document 1:  The Maldives.

To begin with, progress as we said doesn’t have only advantages, actually it can be very devastating. In fact, progress can have bad impact on the environment. We all know that human is responsible of the climate change. Principally because of his polluant activities, mainly since the industrial revolution in the 18th century. So, it’s important to expose clearly the dangerousness of climate change. And the case of the Maldives Islands is the best example to show this idea. Nowadays, the islands existence is threatened. Indeed, because of climate change, the sea level is rising, compromising population’s land. The situation is so difficult that they started buying lands in other territories to ensure their survival. The hidden part is that Maldives are paying for act that they are not responsible of. Countries like USA and China put some other countries in danger due to their polluant activities. We notice that progress here can have bad consequences on the environment and provoque situations of poverty and famine.

2-  Document 2:  Redesigning cities.

The second document is an extract from a blog written by Irina Vinitshoya in 2012. It lays emphasis on the possible consequences of Hurricane Sandy on the city of New York and present’s us how planers and politicians could help fix this problem. Three solutions where proposed by the document to help stop fluid of water into the city. First of all, the solution that got the must attention is the introduction of sea-gates in the borders of the city, blocking the entry of water. However, such a developed solution would compromise the ecosystem of the city. This technological advance could be defined as a progress who could help saving million people live .

The second one was provided by…and promotes the idea of creating a homeland to oysters, fact that could not stop, just reduce the impact of the flood of water in the city. finally, architects proposed an eco-friendly solution to the problem, actually wetlands could play a key-role in saving the city. In fact, creating green areas could be both benefit to the well being of the population and to their protection, a progress in the favor of the ecosystem.

We can deduce from this document that progress could be advantageous, protecting populations from natural disasters.

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