Summary of Round Table Discussion

One of the roundtable discussions was the use of biodiesel and should it be implemented more widely. The supporting side agreed that biodiesel should be used and could be used in cars. They claim that biodiesel is not only more environmental friendly but at the same it will not have much effects on the cars’ engines. However the against side claimed that people may not receptive to such a change yet. They also claim that biodiesel will have effects on the cars engines such as the cars will lose its horsepower and certain parts could be damaged as well. In short, biodiesel can be implemented but should be done on a small scale first.

Another roundtable discussion was the use of bio-engineering in humans and does it goes in line with government policies. The supporting side said that it can be done and should be done to allow parents to choose the gender of their children. However the against side claimed that this could result in a gender imbalance and will not be good globally. The supporting side also said that it should be allowed as parents should be allowed to choose what they want their child to specialise and how he/she will look like. The against side claimed that by doing this, it is like taking the rights away from the child and he could be forced to do something which he does not enjoy. The child may also not like the looks which the parents chose. The supporting side claim that the high cost will only allow certain parents to be able to afford this and will not have much impact globally. The against side also said that due to the high cost, only parents who are rich will be able to afford and this could further divide the rich and the poor. The use of bio-engineering should be used only to a certain extent and not be allowed on a large scale.

The 3rd round table discussion was the implementation of Carbon Capture Storage (CCS). By using this technology, it will greatly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and reduce global warming. The against side argued that this technology is not feasible as those poor countries may not be able to afford it and those developed countries are the ones contributing the highest amount of greenhouse gases. It was also discussed that those countries not near oceans or seas will not be able to implement this technology. The supporting side however said that the greenhouse gases could be transported by vehicles. The supporting argument is also that once the CCS has been implemented under the ocean, there is no way that there can be any leakage as carbon is denser than water. CCS is still in the infant stage and more research and testing needs to be done in order to show that it is really reliable.