HOW MIGHT ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY OR SCIENCE AFFECT SOCIETY AND THE INDIVIDUAL IN THE NEAR FUTURE ?

Human beings have always been concerned about the future. They looked at the sky to predict the weather and plan their day but today due to our greatest development the Internet , we can now take hold of the future before the future takes hold of us. The data available on the Internet enables us to download the latest weather reports which are very accurate and we can now plan our day without having some unexpected events compared to the past. Moreover the science involved in data capturing is being more accurate as equipment are made more sophisticated. Technology changes the way we do business , learn and socialize. In the near future many of us will have the advantage of working from home. This enables the worker to be closer to his or her relatives. It also changes the way we learn ; for example a university student can have online lectures from a foreign university while being in his or her home country. This reduces the expanses of the course. In addition to that technology enables us to communicate and socialize with large groups of people.It helps the people with common ideas to

develop them. It increases our social skills as we have the possibility of discussing and sharing of information world-wide and one of the platform for sharing of information and ideas is through websites such as blogs and Youtube. Youtube can be called the largest broadcasting T.V station due to its large audience. New technologies are now being made for the common people and are therefore cheaper than ever-before. This allows more people to afford them. New devices such as netbooks are ultra-portable where some of them can fit into a pocket. This is an advantage for the user as he or she can have access to the Internet almost everywhere and therefore can respond to emails and do blogging. The technology available to us today enables us to get recognition and status throughout the world. It changes our identity from what we own to what we share - In short affects our identity. Through the sharing it enables us to do things that are better not only for oneself but for all other users of the technology. One of the best examples could be Linux and Libreoffice where it cost cheaper to create and has less errors in the software. It could be that in the near future our world will not be governed by the government but by its citizens. They could be setting up a platform and suggest the activities to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development. Along with these , there are developments in the field of fluid mechanics that might help us to cruise at higher altitudes and go faster from one point of the earth to another. Also the developments in the medical science will also enable us to have a greater life expectancy as now through medical treatment more and more people are able to stop their tobacco-smoking and other related bad consumption. These are changes that we expect ; a world where the audience get onto the stage for a better kind of future.

PhysOrg Mobile: Solar storm heading our way

Why is climate change an important issue today ?
Climate change is the increase or decrease in the temperature and rainfall. In this 21st century we are experiencing a global climate change which is referred as global

warming. In the previous decades there have been an increase in the average sea temperature and according to satellite data the ice caps are melting. This gives rise to a burning question : why is climate change an important issue today ?

One of the main reasons why climate change is an issue is because it affects us in our everyday life. The global temperature has increased and this means that more energy would be required to maintain a comfortable air temperature in our office and home. It has an impact on our expenses and due to this it has become an issue. This also affects the tourism sector and our lifestyle in general. For example more people are now traveling via public transport system instead of using their private cars because they are aware that the use of the car generates carbon dioxide gas , which is a gas that heat form the sun , in other words a greenhouse gas.

Moreover , the climate change is making the ice caps to melt. This means that the sea level will rise , the increase in global temperature can increase the rate of extreme weather conditions such as storms , water spout , drougtht and flooding. These extreme weather conditions affects our food market , making the price to skyrocket. For example in 2005 , the proce of onions increased and the ordinary person could not aford to buy onions. Moreover in someparts of India , mainly in the south theprice of rice also sky-rocked.

In addition to that , climate change also takes the life of people. The extreme weather conditions such as storms , flooding and drought are life threatening conditions.These conditions are conditions that no one would like to have. The aftermath of these extreme weather is that it brings more deaths as new

viruses and illness are found. Along with this , we hardly find a world leader not talking about climate change and this is the reason why the life of the citizens of the world matters. Also , climate change affects our communication systems : both wireless and wired. The Internet which is now the most vital communication system in the world may be malfunctioning in the event of an extreme weather. For example , In 2005 , the bank transactions in Dehli could not be processed due to a malfunction in the networking system which caused by flooding. Many people at that time could not access their bank account and this caused a social stress. Climate change affects the transport of goods and people around the world. Extreme weather conditions such as snow and flooding force the airline travel to stop. This causes a lot of passengers to wait at the airport , where some of the airports might not be designed for a large amount of passengers. In order to decrease the impact of climate change there must be a social change and a change in our lifestyle such as using Renewable energy such as solar-power and wind energy and other green energy which will not pollute the atmosphere. In addition to that , the telecommunication networks should be built to resist extreme weather and investment should be made to cater for illness and deaths in the event of an extreme weather condition. We need to cope with climate change and adapt to it because its not the most intelligent nor the strongest species that survives but the one which adapts the most.

How is Mauritius likely to be affected by climate change ? What , if anything can be done for this ?

Climate change is the rise and decrease in global temperature. Today we are experiencing a change in the average weather conditions and this give rise to a burning question - How is Mauritius likely to be affected by climate change and what if anything could be done for this ? Like many countries the island of Mauritius is also concerned with the

threat of global warming as it is vulnerable to the aftermath of climate change. Firstly , the tourism industry which is one of the most reliable , overgrowing sector in Mauritius could be the most likely to be affected by climate change. The tourism industry alone brings more than fiftyfive percent of foreign currency income to the country. The issue is that most of the hotels in the island of Mauritius is located along the cost where the tourist can enjoy aquatic entertainment but the rise in sea level and the unpredicted weather phenomenon could hinder the development of this sector where the incomes have been growing exponentially. In order to counter act the impact of climate inland tourism entertainment must be made.There are already some parks such as the Cazela bird park and the crocodile park but there is a need to have more of these parks to increase green tourism which is a type of tourism which does not pollute much compared to sea tourism. Secondly , our road network could be affected extreme weather conditions such as flooding and snow.The drivers have problems to make round abouts specially when it rains.For the time being the waste water management is building drains to decrease the probability of the foods that will affect the road network. Thirdly , the telephone network , both wireless and wired connections may be affected by climate change. These networks are mostly damaged when there are thunderstorm and heavy rain fall during the summer season.The damage caused to the network may halt the business activity and banking transactions. the networking systems should be reinforced. Fourthly , the citizens are also affected by climate change , they will be challenged by the change in weather patterns such the unpredictable weather change.The citizens of the Island of Mauritius will be forced to adapt to these changes. For example , houses which are not designed to with stand the strong winds in cyclonic conditions should be upgraded to withstand these extreme weather conditions in the future.

Fifthly, although our corral reefs are being damaged and eroded by weathering and noting can be done , it is possible to save at least 50 percent of the species of fish in our lagoon by using artificial fish breeding.This will have some benefits in the long run and aquarium could be made for people to visit. The money gain could be invested in the Mauritius oceanography institute to fund for research work. Along with climate change its not only the people of Mauritius that will have to adapt to climate change but the humanity because it is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one most adaptable to change.