Intensive English Study Final Report (2023 Oct. ~ Dec.)

2023 FALL FINAL REPORT Intensive SDGs English Study

Intensive English Study Group

HOPE TO THE FUTURE ASSOCIATION CSO Representative at the United Nations Department of Global Communications Official Member of the United Nations Academic Impact Korea

Web: www.hopetofuture.org I Address: 4F, Bongeunsa-ro 176, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea Tel: +82-2-6952-1616 I Email: webmaster@hopetofuture.org

Editor-in-Chief Hyeonkyung HA I Program Associate

Assistant Editor Soonwoo LIM I Intern Haelynn KIM I Intern

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PROGRAM INTRODUCTION

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1. What is SDG Book Club?

‘UN SDG Book Club’ is a youth book discussion group initiated by the United Nations Publications, to teach the international youth about the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But reading is just the first step. The ‘Intensive Reading/Writing Study’ is an intensive and professional English class based on the high-end English books selected by the UN selection committee including the UN Publications and the International Publisher Association in New York, USA, etc. Based on the international model UN curriculum, the study program consists of individual/group English discussions and/or case studies, Model iBT TOEFL test, and expert feedback using the US Educational Testing Service (ETS).

All participants are expected to achieve in-depth educational book reading skills as well as report writing skills by writing academic essays on the monthly theme, 2030 Agenda, and the UN SDGs.

2. Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planetand improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere. The 17 Goals were adopted

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by all the UN Member States in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

With just under ten years left to achieve the SDGs, all sectors of society should mobilize for a decade of action on three levels: global action to secure greater leadership, local action embedding the need transitions in the governments, cities, and local authorities, and people action, including by the youth, civil society, the media, and other stakeholders, to generate an unstoppable movement pushing for the required transformations, We should all achieve the Goals by the target date of 2030, leaving no one behind.

3. Definition & Purpose of the SDGs Goal 1: No Poverty Poverty is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. There is less poverty than there was in 1990, but some people still live a poor life. Most countries lack food, safe drinking water, and clean facilities. Many other countries with well-growing growth gave benefits to poverty countries. However, across South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for 80 percent of the poorest people, they haven't ended poverty. So SDG though they still needs a great idea of effort to get people out of poverty and not just have food and services. But it does not mean that they won't provide the food; they will continue with another way.

Goal 2: Zero Hunger Ending hunger by 2030 and ensuring food security is the uttermost important part in order to achieve this goal. The goal is to ensure that everyone has enough food that is in good quality to lead a healthy life.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim would require increased access to food and widespread promotion of sustainable farming. Improving the productivity and incomes of small-scale farmers by promoting equal access to land, technology and markets, sustainable

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food production systems, and resilient agricultural practices. It also requires increased investments through international cooperation to bolster the productive capacity of agriculture in developing countries.

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being The goal is to promote people's well-being and ensure healthy lives by improving reproductive and maternal and child health and eliminating non-communicable and environmental diseases. Achieving this goal will lead universal health coverage and ensure universal access to safe, affordable and effective drugs and vaccines. So world leaders are committed to supporting research and development, increasing health resources, and improving all countries’ capacity to mitigate and manage health risks.

Goal 4: Quality Education The goal is to ensure access to quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all people. The SDGs aim on the acquisition of basic and higher-order skills at all stages of education and development. In addition, giving more equal access to quality education at all levels and to give opportunities for all.

Goal 5: Gender Equality After the 13th amendment and the 15th amendment every slave was freed and had human rights, but until the 13th amendment, women had no right to vote. Finally, after the 15th amendment, they got the right to vote. Discrimination has existed between men and women since ancient times, and it still occurs wherein labor. Women are discriminated against not only in the workplace but in

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many other problems. There is a lot of discrimination not only between men and women but among children as well. The SDGs hope to resolve all problems facing women.

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation Water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of people, an alarming figure that is now known to rise as temperatures do. Although 2.1 billion people have improved water sanitation since 1990, diminishing drinking water supplies are affecting every minute. More and more countries are experiencing water stress.

By 2050, it is projected that at least one in four people will suffer due to water shortages. Safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030 requires investigation of inadequate infrastructure, providing sanitation facilities, etc. By prioritizing clean water, we can improve the health and livelihoods of millions of people. This is what the SDGs are working on to prevent serious problems from happening.

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy Between 2000 and 2016, the number of people with electricity increased from 78 to 87 percent, and the numbers without electricity dropped to just below one billion. As the population continues to grow, so will the demand for cheap energy. Furthermore, an economy reliant on fossil fuels is creating drastic changes to our climate. Investing in solar, wind and thermal power, improving energy productivity, and ensuring energy for all is vital if we are to achieve SDG 7 by 2030. Clean, sustainable energy is not just about the environment. Around 4.3 million people die every year from pollution resulting from indoor cookstoves that use fire or toxic fuels. These deaths are entirely preventable. We can make sure every person has access to renewable energy by 2030.

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Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth Over the past 25 years, the number of workers living in extreme poverty has declined dramatically, despite the lasting impact of the 2008 economic crisis and global recession. In developing countries, the middle class now makes up more than 34 percent of total employment – a number that has almost tripled between 1991 and 2015. However, as the global economy continues to recover, we are seeing slower growth, and an insufficient amount of jobs to keep up with a growing labor force. According to the International Labour Organization, more than 204 million people were unemployed in 2015. Encouraging entrepreneurship and job creation are key to this, as are effective measures to eradicate forced labor, slavery, and human trafficking. With these targets in mind, the goal is to achieve full and productive employment, and decent work, for all women and men by 2030.

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure Investment in infrastructure and innovation are crucial drivers of economic growth and development. With over half the world's population now living in cities, mass transport and renewable energy are becoming more important, as are the growth of new industries and information and communication technologies. Technological progress is also key to finding lasting solutions to both economic and environmental challenges, such as providing new jobs and promoting energy efficiency. Promoting sustainable industries, and investing in scientific research and innovation, are all important ways to facilitate sustainable development.

Goal 10: Reduced Inequality Income inequality is on the rise—the richest 10 percent have up to 40 percent of global income whereas the poorest 10 percent earn only between 2 to 7 percent. If we take into account population growth inequality in developing countries, inequality has increased by 11 percent. We cannot live in

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a truly developed world without equal opportunities for both countries and their citizens.

Equality is at the core of all the sustainable development goals. Together we can empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all people irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic or another status.

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities About a quarter of the world's population resides in cities. By 2050, twothirds of all humanity—6.5 billion people—will be urban. Sustainable development cannot be achieved without significantly transforming the way we build and manage our urban spaces. The rapid growth of cities—a result of rising populations and increasing migration—has led to a boom in mega-cities, especially in the developing world, and slums are becoming a more significant feature of urban life. By 2030, almost 60% of the world's population will live in urban areas, and most of that urban expansion will be in the developing world. Rapid urbanization puts pressure on supplies of fresh water, sewage systems, the living environment, and public 28 health. The SDGs are working to resolve this by investment in public transport, creating green public spaces, and improving urban planning and management in participatory and inclusive ways.

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production Achieving economic growth and sustainable development requires that we urgently reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume goods and resources. The efficient management of our shared natural resources, and the way we dispose of toxic waste and pollutants, are important targets to achieve this goal. Encouraging industries, businesses, and consumers to recycle and reduce waste is equally important, as is supporting developing countries to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption by 2030.

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Goal 13: Climate Action The UN aims to take action in the fight against climate change by reducing the amount of pollution and carbon emissions around the world, specifically in developed countries. To take action against global warming, the UN aims to mobilize $100 billion annually in an attempt to aid developing countries to adapt to climate change and invest in the development of low-carbon emitting technologies. Achieving SDG 13 would contribute to not only preventing global climate change but would also contribute to other SDGs including Goals 14 and 15, saving life on land and below water.

Goal 14: Life Below Water The world’s oceans – their temperature, chemistry, currents, and life – impact global systems that make the Earth habitable for humankind.

How we manage this vital resource is essential for humanity as a whole, and to balance the effects of climate change. Over three billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. However, today we are seeing 30 percent of the world’s fish stocks overexploited, reaching below the level. Marine pollution, an overwhelming majority of which comes from land-based sources, is reaching alarming levels, with an average of 13,000 pieces of plastic litter to be found on every square kilometer of ocean. The SDGs aim to sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems from pollution, as well as address the impacts of ocean acidification.

Goal 15: Life on Land Human life depends on the earth as much as the ocean for our sustenance and livelihoods. Plantlife provides 80 percent of the human diet, and we rely on agriculture as important economic resources. Forests cover 30 percent of the Earth’s surface, provide vital habitats for millions of species, and important sources for clean air and water. Every year, 13 million hectares of forests are lost,

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while the persistent degradation of drylands has led to the desertification of 3.6 billion hectares, affecting poor communities. Moreover, nearly 7,000 species of animals and plants have been illegally traded. Wildlife trafficking not only aggravates biodiversity, but creates insecurity, fuels conflict, and feeds corruption. Urgent action must be 29 taken to reduce the loss of natural habitats and biodiversity which are part of our common heritage and support global food and water security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and peace and security.

Goal 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions We cannot hope for sustainable development without peace, stability, human rights, and effective governance, based on the rule of law. Yet our world is increasingly divided. Some regions enjoy peace, security, and prosperity, while others fall into seemingly endless cycles of conflict and violence. This is not inevitable and must be addressed. Armed violence and insecurity have a destructive impact on a country’s development, affecting economic growth, and often resulting in grievances that last for generations. Countries must take measures to protect those who are most at risk.

The SDGs aim is to significantly reduce all forms of violence, and work with governments and communities to end conflict and insecurity.

Goal 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goal The SDGs can only be realized with strong global partnerships and cooperation. Official Development Assistance remained steady but below target, at US$147 billion in 2017. Furthermore, humanitarian crises and natural disasters continue to demand more financial resources and aid. Many countries also require Official Development Assistance to encourage growth and trade. The world is more interconnected than ever. Improving access to technology and knowledge is an important way to share ideas and foster innovation.

Reference: United Nations

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MEMBER PROFILE

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Student Member Dael Byun, Busan Logos International Christian School Dayool Byun, Busan Logos International Christian School Hyowoo Park, Sunae Middle School Lahye Yun, Korea International School, Jeju Campus Tae Wook Ha, Calvin Manitoba International School Tsai Shin-Yun, Kaohsiung Municipal Ying-Ming Junior High School

Instructor Seohyun Yoon, Seoul National University

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CLASS SLIDES

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STUDENT WORK

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Dael Byun Busan Logos International Christian School

Essay 01.

In exploring the theme of "Life Below Water,” highlight the global significance of SDG 14 and its relevance to ecological sustainability. Investigate the significance of protecting our oceans and marine life and how individual actions can make a difference.

Ocean: Our Precious Friend Who We Should Care For Water covers approximately 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, and oceans hold about 97 percent of all the water on Earth. The vast ocean provides humans with food, entertainment, and even jobs. However, we humans have the responsibility to look after it.

But instead of taking care of the ocean, we took everything it provided for granted, and some of us even wasted away. Is it right that we treat the ocean this way? This essay will cover two significant problems of the ocean and how humans should help the ocean.

As mentioned before, the ocean supplies humans with natural resources, and we should be grateful for it. Unfortunately, the use of plastic–especially one-time-use plastic– has increased, leading to marine pollution. The deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, the Mariana Trench, has been littered with plastic bags. That’s saying something since the Mariana Trench is over 36,000 feet deep. It is possible for the plastic littered in the Mariana Trench to float all the way in that deep because of plastic waste from ships aboard or precipitation such as rain drifting the plastic to the ocean. However, it is not only the Mariana Trench that is suffering from littering and pollution; the entire oceans of the world are. Each year, a whopping 14 million tons of plastic trash wound up in the oceans. Studies have found the most common plastic wastes in the oceans are plastic bags and bottles. Not only do plastic bags and bottles take a tremendous deal of time to decompose, ranging from 20 to

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450 years, but they can also omit chemicals, which are harmful to marine life, both animals and habitats.

So how can we stop, or at the very least, decrease, the amount of plastic waste in the ocean? It is difficult to dive very deep into the ocean, so the best we can do is to focus on the present situation. One ideal solution is to limit your use of plastic. Don’t overbuy too much plastic; just buy the right amount you need. Another way is to use a completely different material instead of plastic. For example, if you go shopping for groceries with a one-time-use plastic bag, you can instead take an eco-bag or any other bag made of reusable material.

This is the way you can both stop your excessive use of plastic and influence others to gradually slow down their use of plastic as well.

Another problem that harms the ocean is chemical waste. It is any waste, in the form of solid, liquid, or gas, that escapes into the ocean because of poor waste management or careless actions of individuals. Solid chemical waste is any solids that have a chance of being polluted. Liquid chemical waste includes acryl, any type of oil, latex, and makeup grease.

These are all liquids that can be easily contaminated by chemicals. Gas chemical wastes are carbon dioxide and methane, which contribute heavily to global warming. Countless marine species prone to chemicals could suffer or die, as well as animals like pelicans and turtles.

Their habitats also could be ruined. Now, how can we put an end to chemical waste? This is similar to the first problem that this essay posed.

As mentioned previously, we should focus on becoming better in the present instead of fixing the mistakes we have made in the past. As such, we can swap solids, liquids, and gasses that can be contaminated with chemicals to less toxic material. For instance, you can either switch highly toxic nail polish with non-toxic matter or simply don't use it at all. As always, there's an option to use sunscreen.

This essay talked about two major problems that the ocean is suffering and the solutions to the problems. As you can see, the ocean is suffering from both plastic and chemical waste. We learned that one simple action, like limiting one’s use of plastic or switching toxic liquids to less harmful liquids, can affect the entire ocean, like a little pebble spreading out big ripples on a pond. Let’s work together toward our goal of a cleaner ocean environment.

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Citations AZoCleantech.com.

(2022,

October

19).

How

does

https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1624

chemical

pollution

affect

the

ocean?

MarineBio. (n.d.). Ocean Pollution ~ MarineBio Conservation Society. MarineBio Conservation Society.

https://www.marinebio.org/conservation/ocean-dumping/

CleanHub. (2023, October 10). The Top 6 Ocean Pollutants — And How to Remove Them. CleanHub.

Retrieved October 12, 2023, from https://blog.cleanhub.com/the-top-6-ocean-pollutants

Plastic

bag

found

at

the

bottom

of

world’s

deepest

ocean

trench.

(n.d.-b).

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/plastic-bag-found-bottom-worlds-deepest-oceantrench/

Speight, J. G. (2017). Sources and types of organic pollutants. In Elsevier eBooks (pp. 153–201).

https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-804492-6.00004-6

Reducing

toxicity

of

household

hazardous

waste

|

Klickitat

https://klickitatcounty.org/381/Reducing-Toxicity-of-Household-Hazardous

County,

WA.

(n.d.).

Essay 02.

Write an essay on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Emphasize the imperative for a balanced and thoughtful integration of AI into global initiatives.

Artificial Intelligence and its Effects on the SDGs Tracing all the way back to the 1950s, artificial intelligence was being used. Artificial intelligence, or AI, is the study of the science of making machines capable of “thinking” like humans. So how can AI affect sustainable development goals positively? There are countless answers, but this essay will choose three ways AI can help the SDGs. First, let’s take a look at SDG 3: good health and well-being. You need to exercise regularly, eat healthy food, and wash your hands every once in a while to maintain good health. AI can provide people with these pieces of advice to maintain good health. Also, SDG

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3’s goal is to “promote well-being for all at all ages.” AI can be accessible to all people, regardless of age.

Second, SDG 11 declares that human inhabitations should be “inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.” Sadly, there are people in developing countries who are living in “slums,” or densely packed houses often for poor people who can’t afford regular houses. In this situation, AI could arrange building plans for those developing countries, and the rest is up to the people to follow the AI’s instructions to house people in developing countries.

Third, SDG 16’s objective is to allow “justice for all.” AI could be used in lawmaking because AI can absorb great amounts of information and make laws suitable for several situations. AI could also be used to summarize political facts and expert opinions quickly.

This is especially helpful during a crime scene.

In conclusion, AI, in various ways, can affect sustainable development goals positively by advising people to eat healthy food, providing construction improvement instructions, and enacting legislation. If we utilize AI in these circumstances for our SDGs, our lives will improve.

Citations Thinking DEEP to ensure AI delivers the greatest impact | United Nations Development

Programme. (n.d.). UNDP.

https://www.undp.org/blog/thinking-deep-ensure-ai-delivers-greatest-impact

Goal 3 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal3

Goal 11 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal11

Goal 16 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal16

Essay 03.

Explore the employment challenges in a specific country, identifying the nuanced issues within the employment landscape and proposing effective solutions. Emphasize the

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importance of public-private partnerships and international collaborations to leverage global expertise in addressing the specific employment challenges faced by the country.

North Korea‘s Employment Problems North Korea is the upper part of the Korean peninsula, located in East Asia. It is officially called the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and its president–specifically, the dictator–is Kim Jong Un. Because it is an isolated, secluded country, North Korea has economic problems and low wages for workers. It is entirely possible to find employment problems in such a land like this. North Korea has limited employment problems because of the centralized government of Kim. Besides getting a job–which is considerably difficult to achieve in North Korea–having a job is as difficult. Jobs like farming have low wages because they lack materials to farm well.

Did you know the average pay for a working person in North Korea is about 5,000 to 10,0000 won monthly? This leads to an uncontrollable death range from 300,000 to 800,000 people dying in North Korea each year because of poverty.

So, how can we solve these employment problems in North Korea? There is not much we can do; it is up to North Korea itself. First, the government has to provide freedom for the North Koreans to select their jobs. If Kim rules over literally everything, how can the citizens make a living out of that? Second, North Korea can compensate more for jobs for North Koreans, thus encouraging people to get employed to make money.

In conclusion, it is not we who can help North Korea, but ultimately North Korea itself.

It has to turn away from its secluded government and step out to care for its citizens. In other words, this essay can be a guideline for North Korea to follow these instructions. If, someday, North Korea provides freedom to the people with various employment opportunities, both the people and the government will have a brighter future.

Citations

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Bryanbetts. (2022, February 16). What’s in it for the working man? Why North Koreans show up for lowwage jobs. NK News - North Korea News. https://www.nknews.org/2022/02/whats-in-it-for-the-working-

man-why-north-koreans-show-up-for-low-wage-jobs WashingtonPost.com:

Korea

Special

report.

srv/inatl/longterm/korea/stories/famine082098.htm

Employment

in

(n.d.).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-

N.

Korea.

(n.d.).

https://world.kbs.co.kr/special/northkorea/contents/news/closeup_view.htm?lang=e¤t_page=16&No=36 0144

Essay 04.

Write an essay on the crucial dimensions of Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8), focusing on promoting decent work and economic growth while ensuring an inclusive and sustainable working environment for all.

Decent Work for Children, Too Decent work, employment that pays justly and socially protected, has to be available for everyone regardless of age, gender, and race. However, a type of case where decent work cannot be found is child labor. Child labor forces young children to toil for several excessive hours and has the potential to cause both physical and mental harm. This is not right at all.

The continent with the highest number of child laborers is Africa, with 86 million working children, followed by Asia with about 26 million. Children can be found working in hazardous environments, which certainly need to be safe and secure for the laborer’s sake.

For example, for children who mine coal, the harmful dust can get in their lungs and interfere with their breathing. How can they overcome these unfortunate situations?

There are two things we can carry out to help children in labor. First, don’t buy products made from child labor, but you should instead support companies’ products made without child labor. This encourages child-labor-free companies to make more products

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while discouraging child labor to an end. Providing children in developing countries with food and education is another step. If the children eat food they’ll become healthy. By becoming students, they will learn basic background knowledge of the world (math, science, language, etc) and utilize those skills to make a living for their families instead of physical labor.

Children often engage in child labor because they pretty much don’t have a choice.

Do we sometimes take a few seconds in life to be grateful for what we have? By not buying child-labor-made products and providing poor children with education, we can stop child labor once and for all and provide the children with decent work, looking forward to a radiant society.

Citations Rakestraw, M. (2023, July 25). 10 tips for helping end child Labor. Institute for Humane Education.

https://humaneeducation.org/10-tips-for-helping-end-child-labor/

4 actions to help end child labour and build a fair economy. (2022, August 29). World Economic Forum.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/08/4-actions-to-help-end-child-labour-and-build-a-faireconomy/

Essay 05.

Write an essay examining whether the world is a better place compared to 50 years ago, with a particular focus on the role of technological changes in shaping this evolution.

Explore the positive and negative dimensions of technological advancements over the past five decades.

Chess Online and Offline

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The modern world has cell phones made by various companies like Apple and Samsung, and they have all sorts of functions and features. Not only do cell phones work both conveniently and efficiently, but they also have special perks that make them practically invincible. But perhaps the greatest ability of cell phones is this: sending messages. Because of this, I believe that the technological changes in cell phones have brought several positive impacts.

In the 1970s, people used letters to communicate with each other from long distances. Mailed letters could have been slowed down by weather, etc. Today, with cell phones, messages on platforms such as Kakaotalk, Whatsapp, Discord, and Google Chat can be sent and received almost immediately.

Chess is a popular board game. “Grandmaster” is a term referring to players who are considerably talented in chess. Back in the 1970s, chess boards were expensive so grandmasters had to mail chess moves on the letters, one at a time. It would even take years for a single game to finish. However, chess masters today can just log in on mobile devices and finish their game conveniently, without having to go through the troubles of writing a letter, mailing it, and waiting for the other person’s letter to come back.

Technological changes in cell phones had an impact on the whole world and still do today. First, you can communicate with people in any part of the world with cell phones, as the message takes only a few seconds to get delivered. Second, chess grandmasters can compete with each other online instead of sending time-consuming letters. In conclusion, cell phones are a brilliant invention that has changed everything. We should be able to control our use of cell phones and use it for our own good.

Citations Wikipedia

contributors.

(2022,

September

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970_in_chess

3).

1970

in

chess.

Wikipedia.

How fast do texts on a mobile phone travel? (n.d.-b). Quora. https://www.quora.com/How-fast-do-textson-a-mobile-phone-travel

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Essay 06.

Explore how we can build better cities, drawing from personal experiences and evaluating the pros and cons of residing in a metropolis. Examine the advantages of living in a big city, such as diverse cultural offerings, economic opportunities, and access to amenities, and the disadvantages including congestion, pollution, and the fast-paced lifestyle.

Cramped Space: What Can We Do About It? Busan is a major city in Korea. It is approximately 1.3 times geographically larger than Seoul, Korea’s capital city, making it the largest city in Korea. Compared to Seoul, Busan has about 3 times less population (as of 2017). However, as Seoul deals with traffic and air pollution, Busan has some pros and cons.

From my experience, the pros of living in a large city like Busan is that the buildings are close together, allowing different kinds of buildings to be right next to each other, resulting in easy shopping. Another great thing is because my school shares the same building with other companies, there is a hospital, cafe, fitness training, and a library, all in the same 13-floor building.

But whenever something’s too good, there’s bound to be a downside. Sometimes, there are too many buildings squashed together, it feels like there’s no space to ride bikes and exercise. Another con of living in Busan is that there isn’t that much space, and it is uncomfortable and time-consuming to ride public transportation, especially on narrow onelane roads, especially during traffic or rainy days. So the problem is there is not enough land to do large-scale physical activities. What are some solutions?

We can build better cities by converting excess land like mountains into hiking or biking areas. We also can plant more greenery like trees on sidewalks for sucking in polluted air and letting out fresh, healthy air. In conclusion, converting mountains into hiking and/or biking areas and planting vegetation, especially trees like ginkgo and conifers, can let people enjoy outdoor exercise and just may be able to brighten our everyday moods.

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Dayool Byun Busan Logos International Christian School

Essay 01.

In exploring the theme of "Life on Land,” highlight the global significance of SDG 15 and its relevance to protecting terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity and suggest ways to prevent deforestation and land degradation.

Save the Land Even though the earth is covered more with water, there are still many creatures including plants and animals living in the land of our planet, earth. There are birds in the sky, and fish in the oceans. These animals also have life in them, and they are a species of one kind, like us people. They are to be protected, restored, and to be cared for by the world, which has the authority to control it, and protect it. However, did you know that our nature is being destroyed one by one? Every year, 13 million hectares of forests are lost. We should try our best not to lose trees. There are many citizens who are trying to fix this. They plant trees, for the reason of expanding the habitats of the animals in help. There are two problems I would like to talk about in this essay.

Forests are important in nature. For example, when we print at home, we can print double-sided, for the reason of not wasting paper. Paper comes from the trees, the trees come from the forest, and the forest is home to the animals. If we waste paper, then we would need to buy more, which leads to chopping off more and more trees in forests. If we don’t have enough trees, we would lose our forests. If we lose our forests, the animal’s habitat will be lost and that animal will be long lost too. If we chop off trees, the air is not as clean as before we had trees. The tree provides air to us. If we don’t have trees, the ecosystem would be destroyed.

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Did you know that 22 percent of the animals are almost going extinct? We need to restore desertification, land degradation, and deforestation. If these things are going on, the land won’t be able to produce clean water and enough food for the cattle, sheep, pigs, chicken, etc. Then, the animal won’t be able to produce. The cattle won’t be able to produce cheese, milk, yogurt, and other different kinds of dairy we eat throughout our daily lives. If there are no chickens, they won’t be able to lay eggs and we won’t be able to eat their meat.

The causes of changing or breaking down an animal’s habitat may give sudden changes in the animal’s life. This causes extinction. To stop extinction, we need to get on the move. We need to protect the place they live in. For example, a tiger lives in the jungle. But if the jungle gets destroyed, the tiger won’t be able to live properly. We need to provide enough water, food, oxygen, place, and the right weather conditions for them to live in, and to survive in.

In conclusion, protect our life on land. We should try our best to not trash in the wrong place, wearing shoes as long as possible, not making leftovers when eating, and saving papers and toilet papers. These are just a few things that are basic, that we violate everyday, forgetting that this is all given for granted. We should learn to be more appreciative that we can even have the opportunity to have these things.

Citations “Goal 15: Life on Land - the Global Goals.” The Global Goals, 18 Apr. 2023,

www.globalgoals.org/goals/15-life-on-land.

Fahad, and Fahad. “How to Protect the Environment in Daily Life?” Earth Reminder, Mar. 2022,

www.earthreminder.com/how-to-protect-the-environment-in-daily-life.

Essay 02.

Write an essay on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Emphasize the imperative for a balanced and thoughtful integration of AI into global initiatives.

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Artificial Intelligence bonding with SDG? All over the world, different kinds of AI have been created. There are many main sources we use everyday such as Siri and Alexa. There are other AI websites people use these days: Chat GPT. Chat GPT can give information people need and don’t need to know about.

The disadvantage of AI is that they cannot let people be creative and lose their skills of thinking outside the box. They can also give addiction to the students who are still learning.

People should think further than just asking the AI for answers. Also, we shouldn’t trust AI for the correct answer. These are the kinds of disadvantages of AI. But AI can also give people inspirational ideas they can use throughout their daily lives and important details of history. There are advantages for AI usages. Using these sites I’ve mentioned earlier can save time during business, give ideas used for learning in short words that are important, and so on. But we have to be careful of AI. The outward appearance could be attractive, but we shouldn’t be too viral for this. But on the other hand, AI can help us achieve the SDG goals. The AI can give information that can support the SDG goals. They can also teach people about better medicine, which relates to SDG number 3. These are ways I think that AI can encourage us to achieve the goals of the SDGs. In closing, I think that AI can encourage and help us to help others in need. They can have new and better ideas that people haven't discovered yet, and help us become better citizens throughout our lives.

Essay 03.

Explore the employment challenges in a specific country, identifying the nuanced issues within the employment landscape and proposing effective solutions. Emphasize the importance of public-private partnerships and international collaborations to leverage global expertise in addressing the specific employment challenges faced by the country.

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Searching through the country One of the countries that are facing employment problems around the world is South Africa. We can all see the reason as the Covid-19 pandemic. And because of Covid-19, 32.7% of South Africans are currently without work. The biggest issue of the employment problem is structural unemployment. The people in South Africa are facing big problems with job losses. For example of structural unemployment, there could be a doctor who’s job is to treat injuries or illnesses of patients, but there could be no hospital in the land. The doctor wouldn’t be able to do his or her job correctly. The people’s jobs in South Africa are like this.

Uneven. Also, many teachers have quit teaching in schools because of many reasons. Firstly, they think that there is a low opportunity in South Africa. Secondly, there are weak education systems, and poor working conditions which may affect some of the teacher’s life. Schools are falling apart like this. Low-wage workers have also lost jobs because of the Covid-19 virus.

Also, poor government policies have affected the cause of job losses. Because of these many reasons for unemployment, South Africa may have some lack of wisdom and strength. But there are also many ways we can solve these employment problems in South Africa. We can provide social protection to these people, and social security can be improved as well.

We can do these things to help people who need jobs to live throughout their daily lives. If we can keep on helping South Africa like it’s our country, it can be much easier and faster to help. So, why don’t we have a heart and lend a hand to South Africa?

Citation ILO | Social Protection Platform. www.social-protection.org/gimi/ShowCountryProfile.action?iso=ZA.

Essay 04.

Write an essay on the crucial dimensions of Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8), focusing on promoting decent work and economic growth while ensuring an inclusive and sustainable working environment for all.

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How Covid-19 affected decent work Some citizens around the world are struggling with the worldwide pandemic, Covid 19. Even though other citizens in safe countries may think that it’s over, the country is covid.

Because of the virus, it brought massive disruption to education, and students couldn’t learn anymore until the spread was clear. Because of this, students had to participate in lessons with their devices at home. The virus affected our daily lives by setting a bar to stop working and getting sick, which is related to SDG number 3, good health and well-being. But how is this related to decent work? SDG number 8 says that we should promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

This means that everyone should get the opportunity to have a fair and equal job. But because of Covid 19, many people lost the opportunity of receiving a job, and working for money to help them throughout their daily lives. The poor couldn’t work more because of the spread, and many people died. The elders mostly died at the age of 60 through 70 because of the disease. This meant that more and more citizens were losing their jobs during the period.

In conclusion, covid-19 may have affected us even until now, but we still have to stand strong. Our country shall not fail and weaken. We still should be grateful to our caring and hard-working governors, and other citizens who are attempting to make a change in this world. Everyone should have the chance to get a job and the opportunity to have a happy life.

Citation “Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth - the Global Goals.” The Global Goals, 18 Apr. 2023,

www.globalgoals.org/goals/8-decent-work-and-economic-growth.

Nandi, Shirsendu, and Chetna Chauhan. “Impact of COVID-19 on Decent Work, Economic Growth, and World Trade.” Elsevier eBooks, 2022, pp. 105–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-323-91307-2.00002-x.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/11/covid19-education-impact-legacy/

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Essay 05.

Write an essay examining whether the world is a better place compared to 50 years ago, with a particular focus on the role of technological changes in shaping this evolution.

Explore the positive and negative dimensions of technological advancements over the past five decades.

Love is important Long before there were technical devices in the world, there were physical and global community issues, communication problems, and most importantly, women could not receive special jobs. For families who were in poverty, the patriarch even couldn’t receive a job to provide for his family. Some people were mechanics, plumbers, electricians, workers, and construction workers. But for rich people, they received a high-wage job such as lawyers, bankers, etc. These people lived very well, and had more money than they actually needed.

Life was hard for people who were poor, and who were in poverty. But these days, even people who are in a low position could be boosted up to be workers, or surprisingly, CEOs. Back then 50 years ago compared to now there have been a lot of changes and modified into a new and better place for the people to live in. But because the world’s technology physically changed these days, it doesn’t mean that the citizens stay the same. People talked and communicated with each other more than we usually do these days. For example, there weren’t any phones and technical devices in the 1950s, so people could communicate with each other whenever they wanted face-to-face. But now, since there are phones, computers, laptops, and other devices, people would chat with each other without looking each other in the face at all. Even in cafes, two friends would sit down, order a menu, and when they got the menu, they would start the not-looking-at-each-other-competition.

In conclusion, I think that the world was better 50 years ago compared to now, because they could communicate with each other more than our world does right now. I think the important thing is to love and take care of each other rather than to stare at phones even inside cafes.

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Essay 06.

Explore how we can build better cities, drawing from personal experiences and evaluating the pros and cons of residing in a metropolis. Examine the advantages of living in a big city, such as diverse cultural offerings, economic opportunities, and access to amenities, and the disadvantages including congestion, pollution, and the fast-paced lifestyle.

Building better cities In Korea, there are many cities like Seoul, Busan, Daegu, and so much more. But how can we build better cities? Primarily, we need to know about the country’s infrastructure. To do this, we need to learn how to communicate with the country. This can create a bond with the community. Secondly, we need to research innovative solutions for constructions. Also, we could try our best to reduce food waste from the citizens. For Instance, a student who gets food he or she doesn’t like could waste and not eat the food. In my school, this had happened. Because of this, there was this “campaign” that said no deserts for 2 weeks! I still think this is harsh. Anyways, reducing food waste is another good idea to build better cities.

Als, we would need to prepare a green and urban ecosystem and environment for all. For this project, we would need to do some undergrowth for vegetation. Living in a big city allows you to connect and communicate with more people, and the public transportation is good as well. Also, there is faster transit to the hospital when hurt, and there are better entertainment activities than in the countryside. But on the bad side, they mostly don’t have fresh air, and it can be really smoky and cloudy. Also, living in a big city can cause noise pollution and interrupt other people when living in apartments or hotels. According to my research, it is said that there are higher crime levels when living in a big city other than towns and villages. I don’t think that people like it when they are crowded in one area. Imagine that you are on a beach and there are so many people you can’t even move a single finger!

In conclusion, even though there are pros and cons, I think that we can and will build better and comfortable cities in the future someday. If people gather together, and join as a team, I believe that one city can make a big change in the world.

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Citations “Five Ways to Make Cities Healthier and More Sustainable.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, www.fao.org/fao-stories/article/en/c/1260457.

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Hyowoo Park Sunae Middle School

Essay 01.

In exploring the theme of "Life Below Water,” highlight the global significance of SDG 14 and its relevance to ecological sustainability. Investigate the significance of protecting our oceans and marine life and how individual actions can make a difference.

Awareness of the Water Solution What kind of thoughts come to mind when you hear the word "sea"? Fish? Seashore?

Summer? or any fantastic vacations? We are all living on earth. On this earth, 71 percent of the surface is occupied by seas. (And only 2.8 percent of the water on earth is on land. That means, most of our water here is on seas.) Also, the ocean regulates the climate and supplies oxygen, which is essential for human life(according to the Marine Stewardship Council). As we can notice at this point, the ocean influences much on our daily lives and likewise the whole world. However, we are still fishing marine creatures and throwing away trash on every country's ships and individuals. These terrible acts cause the rapid collapse of the marine ecosystem- which connects to the climate crisis and extreme danger on Earth.

Is there a solution that we can do? Aren't we too late? The answer I can tell at this question is all "No.". In this essay, I will clarify how can we overcome these massive problems Firstly, lower the plastic pollutions. The reduction of plastic pollutionis a fundamental step in protecting marine life. Plastic waste poses a severe threat to marine creatures. This often leads to ocean lives misunderstand plastics to preys and eat, and sometimes to get tangled. Related to this, individuals can actively participate in reducing plastic pollution by adopting reusable items, such as bags, bottles, and containers. Proper disposal and recycling of plastic waste are equally crucial to prevent it from finding its way into the ocean. By

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making small, conscientious choices, individuals can have a substantial impact on curbing the influx of plastics into marine habitats.

Secondly, support sustainable fishing. This is a critical component of marine ecosystem preservation. Overfishing and unsustainable fishing practices have driven many fish stocks to the brink of collapse. Consumers can contribute to reversing this trend by choosing seafood that is sustainably sourced, as indicated by certifications like the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) label. This selection encourages responsible fishing methods and helps protect marine species from further exploitation.(On March 24th, 2021, the documentary named "Seaspiracy" was released. (Some kind of marine/fishing industryrelated experts point out that there are some exaggerated numerical data in this movie, but this is still making many people aware of the collapse of the marine ecosystem)this movie is pointing out the problems at our fishing industry and world related to climate/marins crisis) Lastly, reducing carbon dioxide emissions. I think people interested in environmental issues have probably heard a lot about the solution to reducing carbon emissions. People can be bored at this solution but the reason this solutions is repeated over and over again is because this solution is important and simple(maybe very not so simple on the procedures).

Reducing carbon dioxide emissions can prevent ocean acidification. The warming of the Earth and its oceans endangers marine ecosystems, causing coral bleaching and shifts in species distribution. Individuals can reduce their carbon emissions by using energy-efficient appliances, carpooling, using public transportation, and advocating for clean energy alternatives. Addressing climate change not only benefits marine life but the entire planet.

Essay 02.

Write an essay on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Emphasize the imperative for a balanced and thoughtful integration of AI into global initiatives.

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Impact of AI on SDGs My opinion is that AI can encourage the achievement of the SDGs. First of all, AI can be used to analyze / predict data. It can process and analyze large datasets to identify trends, patterns, and insights related to various SDGs. This approach can inform making decisions and policy formulation. For example, the SDG 2 goal can be helped by using AI-powered precision agriculture and data analytics- that can improve crop yields, and ensure a more sustainable and efficient food supply chain, and etc. Plus, AI-powered technologies can enhance crop monitoring, precision agriculture, and supply chain management, which can improve food production and distribution, supporting the goal of zero hunger too.

Second, it can manage resources. AI can optimize the allocation and use of resources, such as energy, water, and transportation, to make them more sustainable and efficient, contributing to several SDGs, including clean energy and sustainable cities. Also, AI can help in water quality monitoring, efficient distribution, and crisis prediction, supporting the goal of clean water and sanitation (6) Further, AI can optimize energy usage in various sectors, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting the goal of affordable and clean energy(7).

Third, it can cooperate with controlling human healthcare disease. AI can assist in early disease detection, drug discovery, telemedicine, and health data analysis, contributing to the goal of good health and well-being. And, clean water is important on here. AI can help in water quality monitoring, efficient distribution, and crisis prediction, supporting the goal of clean water and sanitation.

In summary, AI has the potential to be a powerful tool in addressing the complex and interconnected challenges of the SDGs by providing data-driven insights, optimizing resource allocation, and enhancing various sectors like healthcare, education, agriculture, and more. It can help accelerate progress toward a more sustainable and equitable future.

Essay 03.

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Explore the employment challenges in a specific country, identifying the nuanced issues within the employment landscape and proposing effective solutions. Emphasize the importance of public-private partnerships and international collaborations to leverage global expertise in addressing the specific employment challenges faced by the country.

Employment Issues around the World Because I am a Korean living in South Korea, which is a country in the middle of my daily life, I chose to describe employment problems here in South Korea. South Korea faces several employment problems that have persisted for years, and addressing them requires a multi-faceted approach.

First, Korea has many unequal points at work/employment. For example, high youth unemployment rates in South Korea- due to a competitive job market and a strong emphasis on education. Solutions can include some economic assistance from the government to the youth, encouraging entrepreneurship. Also, South Korea has one of the highest gender pay gaps among OECD countries. We could promote gender-equal policies in Korean companies through legal changes like vouching for equal pay for equal work, affordable childcare, and flexible work arrangements. This can help lower this gap in Korea.

Second, precarious employment. Many South Koreans are stuck in temporary or parttime jobs in convenience store(for example) with limited job security and benefits. Labor market reforms, such as strengthening labor unions and improving job protection, can address this issue.

Lastly, the high-age population and low pay. The rapidly aging population presents challenges in supporting the elderly and creating job opportunities for older workers.

Encouraging companies to hire and retain older employees, while providing social safety nets, can help mitigate this problem. Also, the low wage growth affects this. Stagnant wages are a concern, partly due to the concentration of large conglomerates that can dictate labor conditions. Encouraging small business growth, promoting fair competition, and raising the minimum wage are potential solutions.

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Solving these issues requires a combination of government policies, private sector initiatives, and cultural shifts to foster a more inclusive and flexible labor market in here South Korea.

Essay 04.

Write an essay on the crucial dimensions of Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8), focusing on promoting decent work and economic growth while ensuring an inclusive and sustainable working environment for all.

Resolution for Decent Work Problem In the pursuit of making equitable and humane workplaces, the concept of "decent work" has emerged as an important point these days. I will introduce some examples(2) around the world.

In developed countries, like the U.S., there a cases where "decent work" hasn't been fully achieved, especially for certain low-wage workers. Many workers in industries such as fast food, retail, and hospitality face challenges like low wages, limited benefits, and uncertain work schedules. These workers often struggle to make ends meet when working full-time too.

Efforts have been made to address this issue. Some cities and states have increased the minimum wage to help workers earn a better income. Advocacy groups effected too.

However, there are still gaps in ensuring decent work for all.

On the other hand, in textile industry of Bangladesh, a notable case illustrating the non-achievement of "decent work" is prevalent. Laborers in many garment factories endure substandard working conditions, including excessively long hours, insufficient wages, etc.

The issue stems from the intense global competition, prompting factory owners to prioritize cost-cutting measures at the expense of worker well-being.

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Efforts to address this concern have been initiated by both local and international stakeholders. Non-governmental organizations and trade unions have advocated for improved labor standards and conducted awareness campaigns. Additionally, international entities have engaged in audits and certification programs.

To resolve this issue comprehensively, a multi-faceted approach is imperative. Firstly, strict regulatory frameworks must be implemented and enforced to ensure adherence to international labor standards. Collaborative efforts between governments, industry stakeholders, and advocacy groups are crucial for effective policy implementation.

Furthermore, consumers can play a pivotal role by supporting ethically produced goods.

Ultimately, fostering a culture of corporate social responsibility and ethical business practices is indispensable in achieving the goal of "decent work" in the textile industry and beyond.

Essay 05.

Write an essay examining whether the world is a better place compared to 50 years ago, with a particular focus on the role of technological changes in shaping this evolution.

Explore the positive and negative dimensions of technological advancements over the past five decades.

Is the World Better Place Compared to the Past?

The world has undergone significant transformations in the past 50-100 years, from the 1920s to the 1970s. This period witnessed remarkable advancements in technology, changes in societal norms, and shifts in global dynamics. The question arises: Is the world a better place now compared to this era? Let's explore various aspects to understand the nuances of this complex question(topic).

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First, about the technological advancements. One of the most striking differences between then and now is the breathtaking pace of technological progress. Back in the mid20th century, people marveled at the advent of television and the first computers. Fast forward to today, and we live in a world dominated by smartphones, the internet, and artificial intelligence. These innovations have transformed communication, healthcare, and education, making information more accessible and connectivity seamless.

Secondly, about the economic prosperities. Economically, the world has experienced substantial growth over the past century. The post-World War II era saw the rise of industrialization, contributing to increased prosperity in many parts of the world. However, it's crucial to acknowledge that economic progress has not been uniform, and inequalities persist. While some regions have flourished, others still grapple with poverty and economic disparities.

Thirdly, social progress. The 20th century had marked significant social changes, such as the civil rights movement, women's liberation, and the fight against apartheid. These movements paved the way for increased inclusivity and diversity. Today, societies are generally more accepting and diverse, celebrating differences rather than enforcing rigid norms. However, challenges like discrimination and inequality persist, emphasizing the need for continued progress.

Last, environmental concerns. While technological and social advancements have undoubtedly occurred, the environment has faced unprecedented challenges. The postWorld War II era witnessed rapid industrialization and increased use of fossil fuels, contributing to environmental degradation. Today, the world grapples with the consequences of climate change, demanding urgent global cooperation to address environmental issues and ensure a sustainable future.

In conclusion, evaluating whether the world is a better place now compared to 50100 years ago involves considering various factors. The rapid technological advancements, increased economic prosperity, and social progress indicate positive change. However, environmental challenges and persistent global issues underscore the need for continued efforts to create a truly better world for future generations. As we navigate the complexities

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of our present (now), reflecting on the past helps us appreciate the progress made and inspires us to work towards a more inclusive, sustainable, and harmonious world.

Essay 06.

Explore how we can build better cities, drawing from personal experiences and evaluating the pros and cons of residing in a metropolis. Examine the advantages of living in a big city, such as diverse cultural offerings, economic opportunities, and access to amenities, and the disadvantages including congestion, pollution, and the fast-paced lifestyle.

Sustainable Cities: Challenges and Opportunities Building better cities requires a diverse approach. They address various aspects of urban life. One crucial aspect is sustainable urban planning, incorporating green spaces, efficient public transportation, and eco-friendly infrastructure. Implementing smart technologies can enhance resource management and improve the overall quality of life.

Encouraging community engagement and fostering a sense of belonging can create more inclusive and vibrant urban environments.

However, living in a big city comes with its set of pros and cons. On the positive side, cities offer diverse job opportunities, cultural experiences, and access to top-notch healthcare and education. The concentration of talent and resources in cities often leads to innovation and economic growth. Moreover, the social scene in cities is dynamic and diverse, providing a melting pot of ideas and perspectives.

Conversely, the drawbacks of urban living include issues such as congestion, pollution, and high living costs. Rapid urbanization can strain resources and infrastructure, leading to traffic gridlock and environmental degradation. Additionally, the fast-paced city life can contribute to stress and a sense of isolation, as individuals may feel lost in the crowd.

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My city(hometown) is a middle(maybe)-sized city. It has many subway routes connected to Seoul and more, and has high-quality education/medical treatment(hospital?) system. I like that part. But, sometimes I feel bad because of some of the construction issues. As my city is little old- so many of the apartments and schools(they were built in the same time) has common old building issues. But I don’t actually mind at thet problem that much.

In conclusion, building better cities involves striking a balance between urban development and sustainability. While big cities offer numerous advantages, it is essential to address the challenges they pose, ensuring that urban growth is both inclusive and environmentally conscious. Sustainable urban planning, technological innovation, and fostering a sense of community are key to creating cities that are not only bustling economic hubs but also thriving, livable spaces for all.

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Lahye Yun Korea International School, Jeju Campus

Essay 01.

In exploring the theme of "Life Below Water,” highlight the global significance of SDG 14 and its relevance to ecological sustainability. Investigate the significance of protecting our oceans and marine life and how individual actions can make a difference.

Clean Water and Sanitation In the global pursuit of improved living standards where people live indulging in greater comfort and happiness, one of the most fundamental yet often overlooked factors is access to clean water and sanitation. It seems as if people have forgotten the importance of these two factors, let alone appreciate them due to their easy access. In fact, in the majority of the world’s nations, it can be said that the everyday act of turning a faucet and witnessing a steady flow of pristine water has seamlessly integrated into one’s daily life. Yet, it is important to remember that not only do clean water and sanitation play a crucial role in our overall well-being, but they also contribute greatly to a community’s health, economic development, and environmental sustainability.

When talking about access to clean water and sanitation, one can not leave out its crucial role in maintaining a healthy community and preventing the spread of diseases.

Contaminated water and poor sanitation are the key ingredients in the recipe for the formation of illnesses. The World Health Organization states that such polluted waterways and inadequate sanitation facilities are linked to the transmission of diseases, namely cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, and polio.1 These diseases hold the power to incapacitate not only certain individuals, but entire communities, leading to the shutdown of entire nations. A glimpse of history can serve as a cautionary tale, as during the 18th century, Hungary suffered 190,000 deaths from cholera due to its pitifully contaminated water

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sources.2 By opening the availability of clean water and sanitation to all, society can prevent the spread of such appalling disease, while also enhancing the overall well-being of the public.

Clean water and sanitation are the cornerstones that buttress a community’s economic development. Businesses require clean water for the production of processes and sanitation facilities for the betterment of their workforces. In fact, globally, approximately 17 percent of water production is used by companies for industrial purposes, 3 suggesting that the shortage of this supply could lead to a great downfall of numerous businesses. Such a scarcity creates a domino of drawbacks, forcing the people to face dire straits. With no access to clean water, productivity will diminish, with companies struggling to buttress the economy.

This hinders economic growth and hampers the overall prosperity of a community. On the other hand, the production of clean water and sanitation fuels economic development, helping communities flourish.

Environmental sustainability is paramount for a society’s long-term well-being, with clean water and sanitation being the key. Clean water and effective sanitation practices are indispensable for preserving and bettering the environment. Proper sanitation and wastewater treatment prevent water pollution, ensuring a healthy ecosystem that is able to “provide wildlife habitats”.4 Efficient water use and wastewater management, along with the conservation of precious natural resources through sanitation, contribute to environmental sustainability that helps ensure a habitable world for future generations.

The significance of access to clean water and sanitation is unmeasurable and cannot be overstated. These fundamental factors in life underpin health, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability, increasing the overall well-being of a community. It is imperative for governments, organizations, and individuals to join as one to allow access to clean water and sanitation to all. With this, the pursuit of well-being, in essence, begins with the appreciation of clean water and sanitation.

Citation “Drinking-Water.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization,

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www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-

water#:~:text=Water%20and%20health,hepatitis%20A%2C%20typhoid%20and%20polio. Accessed 15

Oct. 2023.

“Cholera.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/topics/inventions/history-of-cholera.

Accessed 15 Oct. 2023.

Ritchie, Hannah, and Max Roser. “Water Use and Stress.” Our World in Data, 20 Nov. 2017,

ourworldindata.org/water-use-

stress#:~:text=500%20million%20m%C2%B3.-,Share%20of%20freshwater%20withdrawals%20used%2 0in%20industry,are%20used%20for%20industrial%20purposes.

Why Clean Water Is Important - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-02/documents/cleanwaterrulefactsheet.pdf. Accessed 15 Oct. 2023.

Essay 02.

Write an essay on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Emphasize the imperative for a balanced and thoughtful integration of AI into global initiatives.

AI and its effect on the SDGs The progressing growth of artificial intelligence and its impact on society requires people to determine its role in achieving the SDGs. Though current events may suggest a chance of AI impeding the accomplishment of the SDGs — such as intensifying pollution and accelerating climate change — it is important to consider its leverage and contribution of the such. Nature Journal states that “AI may act as an enabler on 134 targets (79%) across all SDGs, generally through a technological improvement, which may allow to overcome certain present limitations.” For example, as a whole, AI can be used as a source of data analysis, providing insights that can be used for the betterment of decisions and policy developments related to the SDGs. Secondly, educational platforms powered by AI can be used to create personalized learning, making education more accessible and effective, thus contributing to

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the achievement of SDG 4, Quality Education. Also, the furtherment of AI growth can create new jobs, improve productivity, and overall support economic development. Such contributions are crucial for achieving SDG 1, No Poverty, and SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth. From an agricultural perspective, AI could be exploited to optimize crop yields and reduce food waste — or explore ways to cope with food waste — helping achieve SDG 2, Zero Hunger. AI is a double-edged sword, equipped with the potential to both harm and aid humanity. It is of paramount importance for governments to harness AI’s powers efficiently for it to be used for achieving the SDGs that will lead to the betterment of humanity.

Essay 03.

Explore the employment challenges in a specific country, identifying the nuanced issues within the employment landscape and proposing effective solutions. Emphasize the importance of public-private partnerships and international collaborations to leverage global expertise in addressing the specific employment challenges faced by the country.

Unemployment in French As the economic landscape developed on a global scale, the spotlight once again fell on the issue of unemployment. Perhaps, the country that is most tangled up in the plight of such a problem is France. Despite the government’s efforts to alleviate the issue, the French labor force continues to wrestle with its problem of joblessness, a topic that has decorated the pages of its news for years.

Unemployment levels have long been a topic of scrutiny for the French. Though the country has seen some recent improvements — in 2014, over 11 percent of its population had no vocation — with its most recently recorded unemployment rate being 7.2 percent in 2023, it is by no means seen chances of further recovery.

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With fewer citizens joining the labor force, France has been struck with decreased disposable income of families, increased poverty, and most importantly, the reduction of the country’s economic output. If unemployment rates continue to rise, the country will inevitably pay the price of poor governmental regulation.

Though the problem of unemployment may seem beyond repair, possible solutions could be sought. The government could invest in education where individuals can acquire assets needed for jobs, entrepreneurship could be promoted — if one can’t win a position, why not create one — and unemployment benefit systems could be created to provide a safety net for people struggling with joblessness.

As the French make its strides towards an adequate and equitable workforce, hopefully, the problem of unemployment could become a story of the past.

Essay 04.

Write an essay on the crucial dimensions of Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8), focusing on promoting decent work and economic growth while ensuring an inclusive and sustainable working environment for all.

Decent Work within South Korea Decent work is “the productive work for women and men in conditions of freedom, equity, security, and human dignity”, and recently, the importance of providing such satisfactory job environments has grown greatly. Yet, one country has failed to realize the significance of — shorter workweeks for — employees' happiness and productivity: South Korea.

The South Korean labor market has been a site of ongoing controversies, scandals, and problems since the brink of time. Now, the gravity of the country’s incapability to provide decent job conditions has reached a point where the nation’s rigorous working schedule has

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taken numerous lives of its aspiring workers. Though the South Korean government has made efforts to regulate working hours per week from 68 to 52 between 2018 and 2022, no true changes have been made as of 2023, the country has reversed its steps by implementing a staggering 69-hour work week — 28 hours more than the 41 hours an average person spends performing their job. According to CNN, the increase in working hours was the government’s response to “ the pressure from business groups seeking a boost in productivity”. However, for companies to reach their full potential, it is of paramount importance for employers to understand the value of decent work.

For decent work environments to be created, reasonable working hours should be ratified by the government to prevent overwork and burnout of workers. Society should also seize to glorify overwork as a symbol of dedication to one’s job or success.

All in all, South Korea should strive to achieve decent work by prioritizing the wellbeing of each individual who contributes to the workforce.

Citations https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/policies/sustainable-growth-and-jobs/employmentand-decent-

work_en#:~:text=Related%20links-,What%20is%20decent%20work%3F,it%20pays%20a%20fair%20inc ome

https://www.oecd.org/korea/the-2018-2021-working-time-reform-in-korea-a-preliminary-assessment0e828066-

en.htm#:~:text=To%20reduce%20the%20incidence%20of,reform%20with%20three%20key%20insights.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/18/asia/south-korea-longer-work-week-debate-intl-hnk/index.html

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/18/asia/south-korea-longer-work-week-debate-intl-hnk/index.html

Essay 05.

Write an essay examining whether the world is a better place compared to 50 years ago, with a particular focus on the role of technological changes in shaping this evolution.

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Explore the positive and negative dimensions of technological advancements over the past five decades.

Technological Advancements Humanity has taken great strides forward in the last five decades. If only considering the technological advancements of society, then the answer — to whether or not the world is a better place — would be crystal clear. Yet, this is not the case. Technological advancement is a double-sided sword and its benefits also follow the drawbacks.

Over 50 years, humanity has advanced technologically at a magnificent speed. With its great efforts, society has been able to develop inventions that were able to bring great changes to the world. For example, the creation of the internet. The internet has allowed globalization to spread at greater speed than ever before, offering digital bridges to people all around the world to socialize with ease. It has also transformed the way we learn, teach, and operate, not to mention how the internet has already fused into our everyday lives — so much so to the extent that many will struggle to live a life with no digital help.

However, the development of technology also has its downsides. For example, over the past few years, the burning of fossil fuels has skyrocketed in order to sustain the everdeveloping community. This has led to the furtherment of the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, heightening the severity of air pollution and harming the overall well-being of Mother Nature.

Like so, though technological advancement has most certainly improved the everyday lives of human beings, the consequences of humanity’s unsustainable greed have caused the earth to suffer. With this being so, whether technological change have had a positive or negative impact will unfortunately be left unanswered.

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Essay 06.

Explore how we can build better cities, drawing from personal experiences and evaluating the pros and cons of residing in a metropolis. Examine the advantages of living in a big city, such as diverse cultural offerings, economic opportunities, and access to amenities, and the disadvantages including congestion, pollution, and the fast-paced lifestyle.

Nature and Man-made in Cities Large cities are often associated with advanced technologies and vibrant settings, which explains why a large number of people are drawn there. On a personal level, I enjoy the busy buzz of the metropolis, with its diverse culture and unique entertainment. Being a lover of musicals, I greatly appreciate how cities tend to offer numerous theaters hosting eyecatching plays all year round. I also think highly of the fast and multiple transportation: namely trains, subways, and taxis. In most cases, it is the city that has the popular cafes, malls, and other forms of great entertainment. I get to indulge myself in all the amusements it offers, not having to worry about my enjoyment running out. It is as if the city never goes to sleep.

Yet, cities are no utopia. The high density of the population could make one feel suffocated, not to mention the noise pollution from cars and buildings. With skyscraper upon skyscraper, it is as if one is encapsulated in concrete. Luscious green is hard to find, as most have been replaced with bricks and mortars. Houses, though described to be compacted with luxury, tend to be smaller than others, considering the high expenses of life.

All in all, the key to a better city is finding the equilibrium between nature and manmade. With every building built, a park should also be constructed. With every apartment, a public garden. By doing so, society will be able to thrive.

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Tae Wook Ha Calvin Manitoba International School

Essay 01.

In exploring the theme of "Sustainable Planet,” highlight the global significance of SDG 15 and its relevance to protecting terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity and suggest ways to prevent deforestation and land degradation.

Renewable Energy These days, with global warming speeding up and more people being concerned about the environment, energies such as Solar energy and Wind energy come into the discussion for “new energy source” more often. It’s because they are renewable, meaning that it never runs out, coming from a natural source, often not leaving any carbon footprint at all. But what’s actually good about renewable energy other than the fact that it is ecofriendly? This essay will mainly focus on how “clean energy” — such as solar energy, wind energy, and hydroelectric energy — is good, not only for the environmentally friendly, but is also good in the long term.

First, the most well known fact, renewable energy is eco-friendly, leaving almost no carbon footprint and making sustainable energy over time. In fact, a normal PV solar panel we can sometimes see in the roofs of some houses only release about 41 Co₂ per KWH, which, compared to 820 Co₂ per KWH of coal, is an extreme difference. It's a 20X improvement! This means mainly using renewable energy can stop, if not, at least slow down global warming for a time, and help the environment, the planet, recover from the damage it has taken from us using fossil fuels on a daily basis, and considering that global warming now is worse than ever, that is NEEDED nowadays. The fact that it produces way less greenhouse gas than fossil fuels proves that it is eco friendly.

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Second, renewable energy could improve economic development for less developed countries. Some less developed countries have great potential to develop renewable energy sources, such as solar if the country has a lot of land, hydropower if it’s near a river, wind, and wind, if the country is windy. Having access to a renewable energy source for a less developed country will be critical for them, as “ energy is the critical enabler for capacity-building and structural economic transformation” (nepal representative, 2023) as the Nepal said in the UN political forum, suggesting that a lot of energy is required to help developing countries develop faster. Renewable energy can help provide energy for developing countries.

Third, renewable energy is cheaper than most other energy sources, like fossil fuels.

According to Un.com, “The cost of electricity from solar power fell by 85 percent between 2010 and 2020. Costs of onshore and offshore wind energy fell by 56 percent and 48 percent respectively.” This means that renewable energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels, the renewable’s price dropping while fossil fuels’ prices staying the same or even increasing.

Governments will have to spend less money on importing fossil fuels if they have their own renewable energy source, such as solar power plants that can be set on large plains. They can spend the leftover money in improving the other quality of life of their citizens, such as providing medical care, food, and more. Renewable energy being more cheap wasn’t a thing in the past, but it is now, in 2023.

Renewable is not only eco friendly, but also good for the economy. It releases less carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas than fossil fuels, can help less developed countries develop using renewable energies, and finally, it’s cheaper. While there might be the downsides, the benefits of renewable energy definitely outweigh the downsides. While switching completely to renewable energy might seem impossible, with over 80% of the world’s energy relying on fossil fuels, the positives outweigh the negatives that come from using renewable energy.

Maybe think again next time when you are using energy: was this made from a renewable source?

Citation Fisher, Jonah. “Switching to Renewable Energy Could Save Trillions - Study.” BBC News, BBC, 13 Sept. 2022,

www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62892013.

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“Oil Left in the World:” Worldometer, Worldometer, 10 Oct. 2023, www.worldometers.info/oil/.

Published by Statista Research Department, and Jun 7. “Total State Tax Revenue U.S. 2022.” Statista, 7

June 2023, www.statista.com/statistics/248945/us-state-government-tax-revenue/.

“Renewable

Energy

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Safer

Future.”

United

Nations,

United

www.un.org/en/climatechange/raising-ambition/renewable-energy. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.

Nations,

“Sustainable Renewable Energy Key to Unlocking Developing Countries’ Potential, Achieving Global Goals, Speakers Tell High-Level Political Forum | UN Press.” United Nations, United Nations, 12 July 2023,

press.un.org/en/2023/ecosoc7136.doc.htm.

“The

High

Cost

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Fossil

Fuels.”

Environment

environmentamerica.org/resources/the-high-cost-of-fossil-fuels/.

“The

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America, and

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10

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2022,

Cons.”

MET

Group,

group.met.com/en/media/energy-insight/advantages-of-renewable-energy. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023.

Essay 02.

Explore the employment challenges in a specific country, identifying the nuanced issues within the employment landscape and proposing effective solutions. Emphasize the importance of public-private partnerships and international collaborations to leverage global expertise in addressing the specific employment challenges faced by the country.

Economic Problems of Canada As our society's economic problems become more evident, employment problems in the majority of countries are escalating. Unemployment rates are skyrocketing and failing to diminish, discrimination can still be found around small or big businesses, businesses are hiring fewer and fewer people every year (hiring rates are declining), with Canada's hiring rate declining a whooping rate of 27.8% just this year. While it may be interesting to talk about the employment problems of the world in general, this essay will mainly focus on the employment problems in Canada.

First, Canada is experiencing a shortage of labor in the economy. Shortage of labor basically means that there are more spots for the jobs than the people that are available for

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them. According to Softworks, a workforce statistics website, Canada is facing a significant labor shortage, with almost a million job vacancies recorded in February 2023. To compare, Canada is estimated to have about 16 million people with jobs in 2022. That can increase to 17 million of those vacant jobs being filled! However, Canada is having a really hard time filling those jobs because of the average population rising, declining birth rates, reduced immigration, and people shifting to more “remote work”, jobs that allow you to work from home. Also, people with poorer-paying, unstable jobs saw a chance in the pandemic to redo their education either online or offline and get better, stable, and high paying jobs, abandoning their previous jobs and leaving them vacant.

While the Canadian government is trying to fill these job vacancies, solving this problem is hard. One simple solution to this problem is to make the minimum wage higher in Canada. Many people want higher-paying jobs with more perks, which makes them move to better-paying jobs. But if the Canadian Government could increase the wage for those jobs a little, it could help slow down the rates of people moving to new jobs. Another solution for this problem could be to increase the amount of immigrants taken in in Canada.

Immigrants will help provide the necessary amount of people to fill these job vacancies, providing the country with more workforce to utilize.

While these solutions(Increasing wages and welcoming more immigrants) won’t solve the problem completely, they will help Canada at least speed up the process of filling up those vacancies or at least not making those job vacancies increase.

Essay 03.

Write an essay on the crucial dimensions of Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8), focusing on promoting decent work and economic growth while ensuring an inclusive and sustainable working environment for all.

Decent work

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One crucial reason why decent work isn’t achieved is discrimination. Discrimination is a problem that was and is still addressed multiple times, sometimes causing major problems such as terrorism or major strikes. Discrimination can happen in many factors, such as race, age, gender, disability, and more. However, in this essay, I will deal with one specific event that happened because of racism. (Discrimination based on race) This event took place back in 2020, July 14th, and caused “black lives matter” to be a major discussion across society. It is an event where “tens of thousands of fast food, rideshare, nursing home and airport workers in more than 25 cities [...][walked] off the job July 20 for a full day strike.” (NBC). The people claimed that society’s business models exploited them, that they, the crucial workers of society, didn’t get enough attention as the other white people, even though they were doing similar, or even more, work. This suggests that the “exploitation” they experienced during work was more than a little serious, so serious that it led black men from more than 25 cities to participate in a strike. Thankfully, this event encouraged the US society to think more about racism and take legal action against racism.

The solution to this problem is discussed a lot, on governments and even in social media, but I think just considering “different” people as just different people, and not like “aliens” will be a good solution to achieving equality to achieve decent work among discriminated people. A law that prohibits companies from discriminating and giving unequal pay to different people might be helpful to quicken the process as short term.

Discrimination is a serious problem, and irrational, considering that we are all humans. It causes inequality among people and goes against several SDGs. Why discriminate against people and waste the crucial workforce that can cooperate to achieve a more stable and tall economy? Discrimination didn’t only cause “decent work” to be not achieved, but it also caused social discord.

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Essay 04.

Write an essay examining whether the world is a better place compared to 50 years ago, with a particular focus on the role of technological changes in shaping this evolution.

Explore the positive and negative dimensions of technological advancements over the past five decades.

Is the world a better place compared to 100 years ago?

Many things have changed from our lives from our lives from the past, 100 years ago.

The invention of the internet, new technologies, and global unions such as the UN were made in the past 100 years, making our lives a better and more secure place where we can live in peace. But with the good developments, a lot of bad things came together, such as online phishing to take money away, short-form content addiction, inflation, nuclear weapons, and a lot of other stuff too. This makes us wonder: Is life better now than 100 years ago? This essay will discuss how life IS better now than 100 years ago for two reasons: The first and the biggest reason I think life is better now compared to 100 years ago is the innovation of technology. Technology, an interesting factor that has been developing faster these days, makes life much more convenient and safe nowadays. Phones allow people to communicate conveniently to whoever they want to by text or voice call, without having to visit a chunky telephone booth. The internet allowed people to explore vast knowledge internationally without having to sit down and read a paper informative, or buy a newspaper from the local newspaper guy. The advancement of technology helped many people take part in things that they could not, and interact with people they could not interact with in the past, simpler and faster.

The second reason I think life is better now compared to 100 years ago is that medication services are developing rapidly, thereby making the average person live longer.

The average life expectancy for a baby born in the United States back in 1923, a 100 years ago from now, was about 60 years old. Now? Almost 80, with the average life expectancy being 79.11 years. Medical breakthroughs improved the quality of life of most people, curing

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many diseases we could not cure back in the day, or even eradicating a lethal disease many feared getting.

Life is better now than 100 years ago because of technology and better healthcare.

People might argue that people nowadays don’t interact physically with other people, getting lonelier, and getting addicted to social media. While that is true, I believe that the improvements outweigh the cons and make our lives much better compared to the past. An average person would suffer a lot if he traveled back in time 100 years because everything was much more inconvenient.Think. Could you imagine yourself living without most of the things you currently have access to? The internet, medication, and everything?

Essay 05.

Explore how we can build better cities, drawing from personal experiences and evaluating the pros and cons of residing in a metropolis. Examine the advantages of living in a big city, such as diverse cultural offerings, economic opportunities, and access to amenities, and the disadvantages including congestion, pollution, and the fast-paced lifestyle.

Making Better Cities With cities getting bigger and people’s concern for making “better cities” rising, many people think about how to build better-looking and environmentally friendly cities. New cities that are being built are more creative and more climate-friendly, with new, innovative ideas and systems spread throughout the city to make them better. This essay will list some of those new ideas and systems to make better cities around the world.

First, to make the cities more climate-friendly, companies can implement nature and renewable energy into our cities by utilizing plants and solar panels. Companies can put plants in areas where possible, like on top of roofs or windows, or even hollow out the outer walls of buildings to plant algae that will generate clean air for the community. Companies

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can put solar panels that are the quietest of the renewable energy methods on top of roofs that will generate electricity for the city, sufficiently lowering the amount of electricity needed to be given to the city to power the whole city.

Second, people can make the cities more accessible by making more public transportation services or bike services so that citizens can move around the city more efficiently and eco friendlier without having to buy a new car or having to run for 30 minutes to the nearest train station. This, while helping people move around and increase their wellbeing, will also contribute to saving the environment because fewer people will want to buy their cars because of how easy it is to move around in the city due to this idea. More people will come to the city with more public transportation too, making the city more active and accessible.

Those were two ideas for making better cities. There are a lot more ideas that are suggested by many other professionals around the world, but this essay listed the two most important ones personally. Making a city climate-friendly and making more public transportation will help make better cities and will help lead us to perfect cities in the future.

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Tsai Shin-Yun Kaohsiung Municipal Ying-Ming Junior High School

Essay 01.

In exploring the theme of "Life on Land,” highlight the global significance of SDG 15 and its relevance to protecting terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity and suggest ways to prevent deforestation and land degradation.

Life on Land There are lots of species of animals on the earth. The earth comprises 71% of land and 29% of water, so we know that most of our animals live on land. People protect these lives because we don't want them to get hurt. But now, due to human factors, there are fewer and fewer animals. We do things that impact their habitats, such as deforestation and degradation, and how do we prevent these things from happening? Now, in this article, I will discuss life on land for SDG 14.

First, what is a terrestrial ecosystem? It basically refers to the various ecosystems on Earth. For example, mountains, tropical rainforests, grasslands, etc. If we have terrestrial ecosystems, then we have aquatic ecosystems. The biggest difference between terrestrial ecosystems and aquatic ecosystems is that terrestrial ecosystems have soil, while terrestrial ecosystems do not have soil. (1) The importance of the terrestrial ecosystem is that it can give us a clean society and provide us with water and air to breathe. (2) The terrestrial ecosystem can also protect biodiversity and slow down climate change.

Secondly, what is biodiversity? This is the diversity and diversity of the earth. It can be divided into three parts: genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity.

Biodiversity is not found all over the world, and tropical forests are generally richer in biodiversity due to higher and warmer temperatures around the equator. Although tropical

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rainforest ecosystems cover less than 10% of the earth's surface, they contain about 90% of the world's species. (3) Finally, about deforestation, a forest can provide 750 kilograms of oxygen everyday.

The forest will provide oxygen and purify our air. (4) Forests cover 30% of the earth. The rainforest is home to Aboriginal people. (5) Deforestation means there are no more or less rainforests in the world. How can we prevent it? Forests are disappearing at the rate of 30 football fields every minute. We not only can plant more trees, or live with less paper, we can also control the development of man-made development and industrial agriculture, which means we can’t over develop the forest, so we can ensure the 3Rs, reduce, reuse, and recycle.

On the other hand, degradation is the process in which human actions on land affect the ecological environment, such as: soil organic carbon and nutrients are reduced, soil water storage capacity and regulatory capacity are reduced. Biodiversity is lost. It will cause a lot of natural disasters, although these natural disasters are not directly caused by humans, human actions can directly lead to phenomena such as floods and bushfires. Things like bush fires and forest fires is more and more popular these days, mostly because of climate change In conclusion, we have a lot of options to protect life on land, if all of the people do all of the things above, then we can make the world a better place.

Citations https://zh.m.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/terrestrialecosystem

https://sdgs.knsh.com.tw/campus/SDGS_FILE/CH4%20 分合_TeachingResources.pdf

https://zh.m.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/biodiversity

https://byjus.com/kids-learning/forest-essay/ https://reurl.cc/1GONEV

Essay 02.

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Write an essay on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Emphasize the imperative for a balanced and thoughtful integration of AI into global initiatives.

Artificial Intelligence with Conveniences and Challenges In the era of rapid technological advancement, artificial intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of our daily lives, offering both conveniences and challenges. This essay delves into the nuanced relationship between AI and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), exploring how AI can both catalyze and hinder progress across key dimensions of societal development.

Firstly, let’s talk about the benefits of AI. AI enables new technology applications, such as analyzing data to track poverty, therefore to get the data more easily. On the other hand, AI is not only beneficial to SDG1, poverty, it is also beneficial to SDG4, quality education. With the technology of AI, we not only can track poverty, we can also use AI to have a better education. AI is a computer, and the information they know is way more than us humans.

With that, we can give children a high quality education with more information and less mistakes.

Moreover, one of the biggest benefits of Artificial Intelligence is that it can significantly reduce errors and increase accuracy and precision. The decisions taken by AI in every step is decided by information previously gathered and a certain set of algorithms. When programmed properly, these errors can be reduced to null.

On the other hand, the negative parts of the AI is that, researchers say that some of the AI have some bias about women, and it can have a negative effect on our SDG5, Gender equality. Also, GPT-3 proved that they are racist with muslin, and it will affect goal 11.

In conclusion, we talk about a lot of benefits and negatives about AI. Such as helping us humans to track poverty. Although AI is good, it still has its good and bad. So in some terms, we can use AI, but we have to think about whether it is the case or not. For more than 250 years, the basic driving force of economic growth has been technological innovation.

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The most important among them is the so-called universal technology proposed by our economists, including steam engines, electricity, internal combustion engines, etc. The most important general-purpose technology in this era is artificial intelligence, especially machine learning.

Essay 03.

Explore the employment challenges in a specific country, identifying the nuanced issues within the employment landscape and proposing effective solutions. Emphasize the importance of public-private partnerships and international collaborations to leverage global expertise in addressing the specific employment challenges faced by the country.

Employment in Taiwan People need money, and people need to work to get money. But nowadays, people have lower chances to get a job, even if you get a job, the payment is very low. Some jobs like doctors, nurses, or firefighters, you have to pass the exam to get this job, most people can’t, and most of the people they don’t want to do this kind of job, because you will lose your life easily. And this will cause their employees to get less. So in this essay, I’m going to talk about the employment problems in Taiwan.

Firstly, in Taiwan, the unemployment rate is 3.42 %, the youth unemployment rate is 12.47%, employed persons in Taiwan are 11547 thousand people, unemployed people are 409 thousand people. We can see that the unemployment rate is still 409 thousand, so we need more people to work, but how can we solve the problem? In Taiwan, many teenagers are unemployed. And this is because lots of jobs have no employees but many teenagers don't have jobs.

Secondly, how can we solve this problem? Expand the establishment of the "Youth Career Development Center'' to provide personalized professional consultation to assist

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unemployed young people in planning their career goals, cultivating correct work attitudes and concepts, and proactively learning related professional functions.

In conclusion, for the above, we know that teenagers want to get jobs, but they can’t get jobs because they have too few resources for them to learn new information. We can use many ways to help them.

Essay 04.

Write an essay on the crucial dimensions of Sustainable Development Goal 8 (SDG 8), focusing on promoting decent work and economic growth while ensuring an inclusive and sustainable working environment for all.

Decent Work It’s harder and harder to find work now, many people want to get a work, decent work is the best option. But what is the definition of decent work? The definition of decent work is that, A productive job, under the conditions of freedom, equality, security and human rights, the rights and interests are protected, the labor remuneration is sufficient, and there is social security guarantee. We need to have productive work and good quality employment.

Firstly, the case I am gonna use in this essay is child labor. Children are not supposed to work for adults with low payment, no rights and in an unsafe condition. Actually, children can’t work for adults, it is illegal. Things that we can help end child labor is that we can ensure that every child gets educated, which is the SDG 4, so we can provide educational services to enhance teaching quality and improve learning spaces.

Secondly, not only these, we can provide support for parents to improve their income and food security so that children don’t need to work. Advocating for national child labor laws and their enforcement. Promoting social accountability for communities, governments and businesses.

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In conclusion, child labor is not supposed to exist. Providing educational services to enhance teaching quality and improve learning spaces for children to end child labor.

Everyone has their own rights to get a decent job, but not work for others and get no payment.

Essay 05.

Write an essay examining whether the world is a better place compared to 50 years ago, with a particular focus on the role of technological changes in shaping this evolution.

Explore the positive and negative dimensions of technological advancements over the past five decades.

AI and the Technology Are you interested in the changes the earth has had between these years? The world is more and more developed compared to 50 years ago. Are those changes beneficial or disadvantageous to us? In those 50 years, people are discovering more and more things, more and more resources day by day. Nowadays, we have better technology, but technology brings us benefits and negatives at the same time, what are they?

First of all, the thing that can present technology the most is Artificial Intelligence, which is AI. AI can help us do a lot of things, such as making it possible for machines to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs and perform human-like tasks. Also helping us doing chores, for example like an automatic mopper or something like that. But slowly, AI will take over us, we will start to get lazier than before, and we will start to lose the ability to do things because AI helps us to do so.

Secondly, we also use technology to make a lot of robots, but the negative is that they can’t think as human, so they have no empathy and lack of creativity. Empathy is a thing that we humans are proud of. Empathy makes us different from AI, or else humans are only an animal with high IQ and EQ, and animals that can discover new technology.

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In conclusion, The process of technological change starts with invention. Then, the invention goes through innovations where it improves and is used. The process ends with diffusion, where technology is spread across industries and societies.

Essay 06.

Explore how we can build better cities, drawing from personal experiences and evaluating the pros and cons of residing in a metropolis. Examine the advantages of living in a big city, such as diverse cultural offerings, economic opportunities, and access to amenities, and the disadvantages including congestion, pollution, and the fast-paced lifestyle.

Impact of AI on Cities In the relentless march of progress over the past years, our cities have witnessed a surge in technological advancements, with artificial intelligence (AI) taking center stage.

While these innovations have undeniably brought convenience and efficiency to urban life, they have also raised pertinent questions about sustainability and the unintended consequences of our technological dependence. This essay delves into the multifaceted impact of AI on cities, exploring both the positive contributions and the challenges it poses the creation of a sustainable habitat.

Firstly, we have to reduce pollution. In our homeyard, we have lots of different types of pollution, such as air pollution, sea pollution, and so on. The cause of this is because of us humans. We can make it better by conserving energy - at home, at work, everywhere. Look for the ENERGY STAR label when buying home or office equipment. Carpool, use public transportation, bike, or walk whenever possible.

Secondly, we have to make sure that we are not taken over by AI. We humans are more and more reliant on AI, we are starting to get lazier and lazier. We are losing the effort to make us do things. Also we can have prevention on AI alignment. In the field of artificial intelligence (AI), AI alignment research aims to steer AI systems towards humans' intended

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goals, preferences, or ethical principles. An AI system is considered aligned if it advances the intended objectives.

In reflection, our quest for technological advancements, notably the integration of artificial intelligence has bestowed upon us a double-edged sword. The convenience and efficiency AI brings to our urban landscape are evident, yet we must remain vigilant about the potential pitfalls. Balancing the scales requires a conscious effort to harness the benefits of AI while mitigating its drawbacks. As we strive for cities that are not only technologically advanced but also environmentally sound, it is incumbent upon us to guide the trajectory of AI development with ethical considerations and a commitment to sustainable urban living.

The responsibility lies with each individual to shape a future where progress and balance coexists harmoniously in our urban spaces.

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