Examples chosen for prelims ONLY

Intro:
-Science is the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and
behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.
-Technology is made possible by science. Technology is the application of scientific knowledge for
practical purposes, especially in industry, with machinery and devices developed from scientific
knowledge, the branch of knowledge dealing with engineering or applied sciences.
-Scientific and Technology is a double-edged sword, and as we continue to push the boundaries of
science, this sword grows ever sharper and more lethal. Just as easily as it carves out a new utopia for
mankind and solves all its problems, it might also deal humanity a fatal wound.

YES S&T has solved global problems

1. HELPED SOLVE HEALTH ISSUES PLAGUING THE WORLD
Diseases : The development of vaccines and their distribution and use in the past century has led to the
complete eradication of some diseases.

Edward Jenner’s discovery of the vaccine against smallpox (a disease that claimed millions of lives for
over many centuries) resulted in smallpox being eradicated as a disease in 1980. Diseases such as
polio have also been crushed, only existing in a few isolated enclaves around the world.

Water:The lack of clean water is a problem which has confronted humanity for centuries. From deadly
cholera outbreaks in 19th century London, to the water crisis that the city of Flint, Michigan (USA) faced
in 2014, to wells contaminated by faecal matter in African villages, water is an issue that is faced by not
only less-developed countries, but wealthier countries as well.

Developments in filtration technology have allowed people to gain access to clean water, with chlorine
tablets and activated carbon filters available at a low cost. With a greater emphasis on providing cheaper
alternatives to existing solutions on the market, scientific and technological advances are enabling clean
water to become more accessible to everyone.

More than 1,300 children die every day of diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and improper sanitation.
WaterAid, an organisation dedicated to providing access to safe water and sanitation, writes that access
to safe water would not only slow such diseases, but would also return an average of $4 of increased
productivity per dollar invested. Practical Action, for example, partnered with Kenyans from the dry, arid
Turkana region to develop a solution to the area’s drought problems. The organisation developed a solar-
powered water pump, which uses locally sourced equipment to pump 30,000 litres of clean, safe water to
the village every day.

Stem cell:Stem cell research offers unprecedented opportunities for new treatments, particularly for
debilitating diseases with few or little cures. For example, experimental stem cell therapy has helped the
likes of Kristopher Boesen regain his arms and hands after being paralyzed (Discover Magazine, 2019).
Stem cell research has heralded many medical ‘miracles’ that were previously viewed as feats which
cannot be accomplished. The most stunning results of stem cell research were reaped when a paralysed
Korean woman was able to move with the aid of a walker, three months after scientists injected stem cells
into her spinal cord (Asian Journal of Neurosurgery, 2017).

1 HELP ADDRESS ENV ISSUES

Water + Cars:An average of 70 percent of the world’s water goes towards irrigation of crops, partly
because some areas still use wasteful flood irrigation. Israeli ag-tech companies such as CropX, Saturas,
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Manna and SupPlant help customers across the world to implement efficient drip irrigation programs
which use less water and produce more and better crops. This involves a micro-irrigation system that
allows water to drip slowly to the roots of plants either from above the soil surface or buried below the
surface. The goal is to allow water to directly enter the root zone to minimize water wastage and
evaporation.
Many green innovations have emerged such as Tesla's electric car, as well as various electric vehicles or
hybrids, which guarantees zero carbon footprint. In Singapore, BlueSG’s electric vehicles serve as an
eco- friendly way of car sharing. As Singapore’s Land Transport Authority’s pilot programme on a national
level, there will be 2000 BlueSG charging points at 500 charging locations in Singapore by the end of
2020 (Asiaone, 2020).

Larger scale monitoring

A rapidly warming planet is one of the greatest threats today, but a wide array of technological measures
for climate change adaptation and mitigation can help the transition from carbon-intensive growth,
towards more sustainable and resilient development. Numerous technologies have been shown to help
mitigate and address these effects, such as innovations in sustainable fishing; enhanced surveillance of
ocean acidification, and environmentally-sensitive forms of pollution prevention and clean-up.The
SMARTFISH H2020 project is an international research project that aims to develop, test and promote a
suite of high-tech systems using technologies which exploit machine vision, camera technology, data
processing, machine learning, artificial intelligence, LED technology and acoustics, for the EU fishing
sector. It allows firms to optimise resource efficiency, improve automatic data collection, provide evidence
of compliance with fishery regulations, and reduce the ecological impact of the industry. (SINTEF, 2020).

3. HELPS TO ACHIEVE FOOD SECURITY AND COMBAT GLOBAL HUNGER

Stats: More than 800 million people, or 11 percent of the world’s population, are suffering from chronic
hunger. After a decade-long fall in global hunger levels, the United Nations announced last year that the
number of people going to bed hungry is steadily rising (WHO, 2018). Despite enough food being
produced every year to feed all people on the planet and more, a small but substantial amount of this is
wasted, even in developing countries.

Genetically modified (GM) food has been hailed as the solution to world hunger. GM food involves
inserting DNA into the genome of plant cells, which are then grown in tissue culture where they develop
into plants. It is cheaper to produce, more resistant to extreme weather conditions than non-GM crops
and exists as a more nutritious alternative to organically grown produce. It can be produced in huge
quantities without any worries of crop failure.

金饭:Scientists have engineered a strain of ‘golden’ rice that is able to produce vitamin A. Not only is it cheap, but
the hardy crop is also more resistant to extreme weather conditions than other rice plants.

Biotech Cowpea:In 2019, the Nigerian government was reported to have approved the commercial
production of biotech cowpea, an important staple crop in sub-Saharan Africa, serving human
consumption needs as well as being a good source of quality fodder for livestock. Cowpea farmers had
previously faced a challenge with a traditionally low yield factor due to its susceptibility to many insect
pests at different stages of its production cycle

SG EXAMPLES:
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According to the Business Times (2019), over 90 percent of Singapore’s food supply is imported from
over 170 countries. This leaves the city-state incredibly vulnerable to interruptions to food supply, export
bans, market volatility and climate change. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) hopes to ensure that
Singapore produces 30 percent of its own food by 2030. In the past two decades, Singapore has invested
in numerous high-tech urban farming technologies including hydroponics, aeroponics and indoor
vertical farming. In 2019, the government also announced plans to develop an 18 hectares Agri-Food
Innovation Park at Sungei Kadut. Numerous local farms have also made new breakthroughs in container
farming. For instance, Sustenir Agriculture has recently found a way to grow strawberries commercially
indoors, by using LED lights with various wavelengths as well as tailored nutrient solutions. Its
strawberries are now sold to local supermarkets in Singapore.

ISRAEL:

In addition to geo-political pressures, Israel also faces challenges when it comes to agriculture. Fertile
land only accounts for 20 percent of Israel's land area; over half of the country is desert, and much of the
population - including Israel's economic powerhouse and largest metropolitan area Tel Aviv - is squeezed
into a narrow coastal strip. This geography forces Israeli agriculturalists to be innovative, and the sector
includes a myriad of enterprises and services. Israel is currently the global leader in food technology, with
over 500 agriculture and food innovation companies in Israel. Israel not only produces most of its own
food, but also exports $1.3 billion worth of agricultural produce and technology every year

4. COUNTER SECURITY THREATS

UAVs + SURVEILLANCE:
To limit the potential fatalities in counterinsurgency asymmetrical warfare against terrorists and rebel
groups, many countries including the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
have employed military technologies such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), electronic surveillance
and laser guided missiles meant to minimise collateral damage and increase lethality against intended
targets. Such technologies were first employed during the Gulf War in 1991, and later in counter-
insurgency efforts against ISIS and Al- Qaeda (The Guardian 2016). According to CNBC (2013), the
National Security Agency (NSA) electronic surveillance programs has helped foil more than 50 terrorist
plots (including on the New York Stock Exchange) after 9/11.

SG CCTV:
As of 2017, the Singapore Police Force relied on police cameras (PolCams) installed nationwide to solve
more than 2,300 cases, including theft and molestation.

CCTV vs DRUGS :
CCTV had the largest effect on drug crime in countries like the UK and the US, with a reduction of
approximately 20%.

TECH TO PRE EMP ATTACKS:

Modern technology also plays a vital role in predicting crime patterns and analyzing trends that flag out
potential threats. Big data analytics and machine learning have been especially useful in pre-empting
crime, especially since such tools are highly efficient in sieving through vast amounts of data and criminal
records to identify specific lawbreakers, allowing law enforcers to be one step ahead of potential felons.
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Groups like Moonshot CVE and IBM have utilized big data techniques to analyze sentiment and help to
forestall criminal activity.
Computer simulations and text analysis software are also used to detect patterns in language used by
extremist groups.

BOO Science and Technology, with its developments cannot solve long standing
global problems

1. CANNOT ALLEVIATE GLOBAL HUNGER SADGE

World hunger is not caused by a lack of food but instead by poor food distribution. In fact, as multiple
studies have shown, we have enough food to feed ten billion people, 1.5 times more than the current
population. However, world hunger exists because of the unequal distribution of food all around the
world.

Citizens in developing countries have a smaller purchasing power to obtain food compared to those in
developed countries so a large percentage of global food supply then goes to the developed countries,
where food wastage becomes a problem. In other words, those who need food the most do not receive it
due to socio- economic constraints, which arises from political capability. Therefore, these crises,
which arise from the nature of mankind, cannot be solved by technology.

2. CAN ADDRESS GLOBAL TERRORISM AND SECURITY THREATS, ESPECIALLY DIRECT

ATTACKS FROM BELLIGERENT FORCES, BUT IT OFTEN DOES NOT ERADICATE ALL THESE
THREATS BECAUSE THEY ARE COMPLEX

This is because many of these threats originate from competing interests and ideological differences,
which is often difficult to address, especially terrorism that arises from religious or ethnic cleavages which
are more deep-rooted in nature, and science and technology may only target the symptoms of the
problem rather than truly addressing it.

NOT GOOD ENOUGH:

This is evident in numerous case studies such as the ongoing war against global Jihadism by warfare, in
which attacks on Al Qaeda in Afghanistan did not result in the complete elimination of Al Qaeda, but only
caused it to atomise and disperse, morphing into several different organisations around the Middle East,
Africa and Asia, with large numbers of jihadist sympathisers in Europe (BBC 2014). The US invasion of
Afghanistan in 2001 may have removed the Taliban regime from power, but it has not eliminated the
Taliban. Airstrikes and ground operations targeted at the Taliban went on for nearly 20years, with the
United States having used 6208 missiles and bombs in the first ten months of 2019.

LONE WOLF WOFF WOFF:

Lone-wolf terrorism and lone-wolf attacks are also very difficult to prevent, especially given the increasing
divergent profiles of these disgruntled terrorists. Conventional theories and evidence on the profiles of
terrorists often posits that terrorists are often poorly-educated, heavily-marginalised minorities that have
little stake in the establishment of the current political and economic order. However, increasingly, many
of the lone-wolf terror attacks are conducted by terrorists whose profile are deeply divergent from
such conventional profiles. Many of these terrorists are highly educated, and well employed and often
affluent, and it would be difficult to detect and pre-empt such attacks (The Guardian 2015).
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These include the two of the suicide bombers responsible for the Sri Lanka Easter bombings in 2019, as
well as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called ‘underwear bomber’ who tried to blow up an
American passenger jet over Detroit, USA on Christmas Day 2009. He is the son of a wealthy Nigerian
banker and he attended University College London, which is regarded as one of the top universities in the
world (CNN, 2019).

3. DRIVEN BY DESIRE FOR PROFIT, S&T DEVELOPMENT MAY HELP SOME BUT NOT HUMANITY
AS A WHOLE, SPECIFICALLY TARGETING ONLY CERTAIN CONSUMERS OR GROUPS OF PEOPLE
RATHER THAN SOLVING GLOBAL ISSUES FOR HUMANITY.

没钱:
The lack of access less-developed countries have to these advances is a problem. Research and
development is a costly process, with Singapore investing $16 billion into this area alone. To many less
developed countries across the world, these astronomical sums are all but out of reach. This problem is
exacerbated by the profit- driven nature of science and technology today, with companies raising prices
and squeezing consumers to the very last cent, to justify the costs and motivations for research and
development.

SELECTIVE RESEARCH:
Large pharmaceutical firms such as GlaxoSmithKline emphasise progress and discovery to find new
drugs that can make money. This view was also shared by John McKeen, the late former chairman of
Pfizer, who once argued that ‘it was not worth investing in drugs that would not generate substantial
revenue.’ (New York Times, 2020). Some diseases and illnesses often get more research attention than
the others, due to perceived profitability. There has been rigorous research and development for
drugs combating HIV/AIDs as well as cancer as these treatments remain highly profitable, while
research for tuberculosis is seriously underfunded, with only two new antibiotics for treatment of drug-
resistant tuberculosis having reached the market in over 70 years (World Health Organization, 2017).

GM GONE WRONG:
Forcing GM crops on African farmers is detrimental as it decreases crop diversity. Traditional African
farming systems have developed an incredible diversity of seed varieties, which are able to deal with the
multiple challenges of farming. Having many different types of seed – bred for their flavours and better
nutrition, and which have evolved with local pests and diseases and are adapted to different soils and
weather patterns – is a far better strategy of resilience than developing a single crop that would fail in the
face of climate change. By pushing just a few varieties of seed that need fertilisers and pesticides,
agribusiness has eroded indigenous crop diversity. It is not a solution to hunger and malnutrition, but a
cause. Hence, African governments pushing for the use of GM food is not as useful in solving global
hunger as it is perceived to be.

VAXX:
The inequality of the COVID19 vaccines also provides a good case study regarding these targeted
benefits of Science and Technology. Well-developed and wealthier countries have extensive access and
coverage with the vaccines, while less developed nations must wait for months and years to receive their
vaccines. Similarly, while there is a COVAX scheme to help these less developed nations, the majority of
the developed nations such as France, Israel, Singapore and others, have chosen instead to use their
stockpiles for booster shots instead of helping countries where the majority of their population are
not even vaccinated yet.
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NOT HELPING PLUS STILL MADE MATTERS WORSE WALAO

1. PRIVACY NO MORE

Facial recognition technology in China have been used in the Chinese security crackdown that has led to
the detention of more than 1.8 million people, predominantly Uighur Muslims from Xinjiang (Financial
Times, 2019).

In China, technology facilitates their social credit system, which aims to standardize the assessment of
citizens and businesses' economic and social reputation. The social credit system works on rewarding or
punishing people according to their behavior — socially positive behaviors like adhering to the law will
lead to rewards such as boosts on dating websites, discounts on daily expenses and better interest rates
at banks; negative behaviors such as refusing military service or walking your dog without a leash could
lead to restrictions of travel, throttled internet speeds, bans on enrolment to top schools and unsuccessful
job applications. (Business Insider, 2018).

2. NATIONAL SECURITY NO MORE

WAR:
As Russian president Vladimir Putin observes, ‘artificial intelligence is the future, not only for Russia,
but for all humankind. It comes with colossal opportunities, but also threats that are difficult to predict.
Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world” (The Verge, 2017).
Putin envisioned a future for war where drones, ostensibly controlled by artificial intelligence, would fight
proxy wars between countries. “When one party’s drones are destroyed by one another, it will have no
other choice but to surrender,” he said. Russian companies have been actively researching autonomous
weapons, such as drones, robots and missiles, which would be able to pick targets and fire on their own.
Documents from the US military show similar strategies, where swarms of drones would assist troops
with real-time intelligence gathering and air support.

SEX CRIMES:
Modern technology acts as an additional avenue for crime to occur, which is sometimes worsened by its
accessibility and the ability for individuals to be anonymous and undetected.
In South Korea, digital sex crimes are on the rise as the country is experiencing a disturbing
trend, where sexual images of women and girls are posted on the internet without their consent.

The Dark Web, which is a collection of heavily encrypted websites that escape easy surveillance, is also
notorious for such illegal activities. Child sexual offenders are able to meet on such platforms with near-
complete anonymity to exchange indecent images and advice on abuse techniques.

3. BRING TERRORISM TO THE CYBERSPACE/ CYBERTERRORISM

The constant and rapid development of technology implies that the nature of crime is ever evolving,
making it extremely challenging for law enforcement agencies to keep up with such advancements, much
less mitigate them.

Attacks could come from terror groups, organisations or individuals. Rogue states like North Korea have
engaged in destructive cyber-attacks, like the one on Sony in 2014, over Sony’s planned release of ‘The
Interview’, a mad cap satire about a fictional CIA plot to kill North Korean Leader, Kim Jong-Un (New York
Times, 2014 (KJU was a kid who likes to play with fireworks lmao)
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In 2013, Singapore was also on the receiving end of Anonymous as well, with attacks by a member
known as ‘The Messiah’ who hacked the People’s Action Party’s Community Foundation Page, the
Prime Minister’s Office website, the website of Seletar Airport, the website of the Istana, and the Straits
Times (SCMP, BBC, 2013).
In 2018, 1.5 million SingHealth patients’ information were stolen in a cyber-attack in July. The attack
also “specifically and repeatedly” targeted Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s personal particulars and
outpatient medication data (Straits Times, 2018).

4. FOOD SECURITY AND POVERTY KENA WORSENED

Genetically modified crops were once hailed as the panacea to world hunger, but the profit-driven nature
of the industry ultimately led to disaster. Monsanto, one of the biggest players in the GM crop market, is
notorious for raising their seed prices and genetically modifying them to be infertile. As such, farmers are
forced to purchase a new batch of seeds every season, leading to lower profits. Often, farmers must take
loans that they are incapable of repaying due to the low profits of the GM food; in India, the problem has
escalated to the point where farmers are committing suicide due to the heavy losses incurred.

Vandana Shiva, biodiversity campaigner, believes that corporate giants are trying to take over the world’s
seed supply through genetic engineering. Furthermore, she believes that it has led to the emergence of
super weeds and super pests (The Guardian, 2013)

TOOL being a tool or avenue for us to utilise, has its impact and effectiveness is heavily
dependent on other factors which can hinder its effectiveness in dealing with longstanding global
problems.

THEORIES:
While some of earlier segments argue in favour of technological determinism (the theory that social
progress follows an inevitable course driven by technological innovation, thus technology is believed to be
the key mover in history and society, and therefore humanity by determining our cultural values, social
structure and history), the inherent nature of technological determinism is that it is a reductionist theory,
which therefore it has underlying assumptions – the key being that it is not affected by other factors,
which is definitely untrue. Instead of assuming a simplistic cause-and-effect relationship, it is generally
accepted that technology does not determine but operates and is operated upon a complex social field.

technological constructivism, this standpoint is what we can use to evaluate the impact of Science and
Technology – that human action determines and shapes Science and Technology. Indeed, there are
inherent motivations for utilisation of Science and Technology, and the effect of Science and Technology
to resolve global problems, human factors such as economics, governance, and politics (which often
influences the effectiveness of technological developments in addressing global problems), need to first
be addressed.

1. GOV AGENDA OR INACTION

For instance, sources of renewable energy have shown the promise of entirely replacing our current
sources of petroleum oil, natural gas and coal. Yet, bureaucracies and power struggles have impeded the
implementation of such solutions: oil remains a valuable trade commodity and the OPEC participant
countries continue to ensure that it is so. Furthermore, the US has also recently discovered new shale
oil fields that sent oil prices further tumbling down. With oil prices remaining low, it is hard for the relevant
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industries to turn to greener renewable energy as they may lose their competitiveness by incurring higher
cost. If we remain blind to other such limiting factors and do not target them, we will only end up
developing more solutions, that sometimes lead to more problems, without ever solving the issue in
question
Thus, it appears that while scientific and technological developments are crucial in solving the world’s
problems, the global community has to take a stand in resolving the issues that the world faces.

2. COPORATE AGENDAS:
Monsanto

Martin Shkreli, the smirking "pharma bro" who gained worldwide infamy by raising the price of a
lifesaving drug 5,000 percent, is awaiting sentencing next month on three counts of securities fraud. But
as told on the season premiere of CNBC's "American Greed," Shkreli's crimes have nothing to do with the
price hike. In fact, outrageous as the increase may seem, raising the price of a drug that benefits babies,
pregnant women and AIDS patients from $13.50 per pill to $750 overnight was by all accounts perfectly
legal.

3. HELPING THOSE W NEGATIVE INTEND:

With the advancement of technology, the internet is easily accessible by many. This makes the
spreading of extremist ideas much easier as extremist content posted on websites and blogs can
easily be accessed by people, increasing the chance of recruitment into such agendas. These terrorist
groups can be extremely destructive, carrying out terrorist attacks that result in loss of lives and injuries.
With technology, it is more difficult to cut off the support for these terrorist groups because finding
recruitment pages on the Internet’s vast terrain is highly challenging. For example, Islamic State of Iraq
and Syria (ISIS) was an Islamic terrorist group that had a strong social media presence, and it
recruited many while carrying out many acts of terror in many countries, claiming innocent lives and
leaving many others injured.

CONCLUSION: (COLTS STAR POWER)

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Science and Technology alone cannot be the silver bullet quick fix to all the world’s problems, which
are a result of various issues with different causes and complexities.

Despite the power of science and technology, for real strides to be taken to solve global problems, other
factors such as economics, governance and politics will have to be addressed. Thus, it appears that while
scientific and technological developments are crucial in solving the world’s problems, the global
community must take a stand in resolving the issues that the world faces. What has always drawn us to
the field of science and technology is the great potential that it must bring about revolutionary changes in
the world, and the great power that it gives to individuals, communities, countries, and the world, to make
the world a better place.

Science is a great liberator, liberating the world from plagues and disease, liberating the world from
poverty and inequity, and releasing us from the bondage of technological constraints. Ultimately, science
is fair, and blind to the social and geographical divisions in the world; science has the power to benefit
every nation equally.

Science and Technology is perhaps the first step we can take to put an end to poverty, famine, disease,
and climate disasters, but it has to go hand in hand, as espoused by the theory of social construction
of technology with human actions such as good governance, political will, correct agendas and our
determination to succeed for the greater good of humanity.