QUESTION 2 Heatwave: More evacuations as Mediterranean wildfires spread By Laurence Peter BBC News European countries are experiencing heatwave that is causing the spread of life-threatening wildfires. To date, France has evacuated more than 16,000 people threatened by wildfires in the south-west, as fires also spread in Spain, Croatia, and Greece. Authorities in France's Gironde, a popular tourist region, have evacuated guards from campsites the tourists left earlier. Fires have spread in the Teste-de-Buch and Landiras areas. In southern Spain, more than 3,200 people fled fires in the Mijas hills, though later some were able to return. Portugal's fires are contained for now, but the battle is not over. In Italy, the government has declared a state of emergency in the desiccated Po Valley - the country's longest river is no more than a trickle in some places. Since then, more than 1,000 deaths have been attributed to the heat in Portugal and Spain in recent days. The Mijas fires in Spain are not far from Mlaga, a popular tourist area. Elsewhere in Spain, wildfires have broken out in the provinces of Castilla y Len, Galicia and Extremadura. Ellen McCurdy, living in the Mlaga area, told Reuters: "We just grabbed a few essentials and just ran really, and by that stage everybody along the street was on the move... there were a lot of ambulances and fire engines." Across the Mediterranean - from Morocco in the west to Crete in the east thousands of firefighters and many waterbombing aircraft have been deployed. Since Tuesday, the whole region has been sweltering in severe heat, leaving vegetation bone dry. Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human- induced climate change. The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to carbon emissions. The French weather service has forecast temperatures of up to 41C (106F) in the country's south on Sunday and new heat records are predicted for Monday. In Portugal, the temperature recently reached 47C. In the UK there is a red warning for extreme heat across parts of England, as the country braces for record temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, possibly reaching 41C in some parts. UK may have hottest day on record with 41C forecast. Dr Eunice Lo, a climate scientist at Bristol University, told the BBC that "rising temperatures are a signature of climate change" and that in the UK, 2,000 extra deaths a year were attributable to heatwaves. Public records show that since 1884, the top 10 hottest years in the UK have all been since 2002, she said. Globally, "heatwaves are becoming more common and lasting longer," Dr Lo added. "We need to stop burning fossil fuels, and act now and quickly." Meanwhile, climbers in the Alps are being urged to postpone their trips to Mont Blanc due to the risk of rock falls caused by "exceptional climatic conditions". Heatwaves put the public at greater risk of heatstroke, heat exhaustion and drowning, as people rush to cool off, Dr Lo said. Pets and farm animals are also vulnerable. "Even fit and healthy people are at risk," she said, though the most vulnerable are young children, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. Extreme heat can also damage infrastructure, such as melting road tarmac and buckling railway lines. Extracted from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62196045 The following questions are based on the above article. 1. 2. Identify the environmental issue in the article and explain TWO (2) costs that emerged from the above situation to the Europeans. Provide suitable points from the article to support your answer. (5 Marks) According to Dr Eunice Lo, a climate scientist at Bristol University, "rising temperatures are a signature of climate change" and that in the UK, 2,000 extra deaths a year were attributable to heatwaves. Public records show that since 1884, the top 10 hottest years in the UK have all been since 2002, she said. Globally, "heatwaves are becoming more common and lasting longer," Dr Lo added. "We need to stop burning fossil fuels, and act now and quickly." Based on Dr. Lo comments, ethical principles, and theories, explain TWO (2) reasons why human beings are still carrying out activities that lead to great harm to the environment. (5 Marks) 3. The above article described wildfire as not only alarming but has far-reaching effects on the Europeans livelihood and safety. If this situation continues, natural resources that need time to be replenished will be depleted. This means the current generations are leaving to the future generations a world that is far worse than what they have inherited from their ancestors. Explain using ethics of justice and ethics of care, why the present generation actions are considered morally right. (10 Marks) [Total: 20 Marks] Question 3 Complaints on online transactions rise 112.5% by LYDIA NATHAN THE Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) has recorded an increase of 112.5% in complaints last year, compared to 5,416 complaints in 2019, vastly due to the shift from traditional brick-and-mortar purchases to online platforms. Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said, as online retailers are mushrooming, so have unethical or even illegal advertising and marketing tactics to attract more customers. "There are many ways to increase profit-making, like 'yo-yo pricing", which is increasing prices when there is low supply, but decreasing it when supply is plenty," he said yesterday at 2021 Malaysia Economic and Strategic Outlook Forum entitled "The Post-Covid New Normal Where Do We Go from Here". Nanta Linggi also said in the forum that the complaints also included predatory pricing or lowering prices below manufacturing costs in an aim to drive competitors out of business. "Another strategy often deployed is when retailers mislead consumers through fake discounts, which allegedly took place during the highly anticipated 11.11, Black Friday and 12.12 nationwide sales," he further added. According to Nanta Linggi, even though e-commerce has proven to be convenient and the choice for most, it has also presented consumers with risks, including identity theft and credit card fraud. "Fraudulent offers and transactions are also increasing at alarming rates. In addition, e-commerce platforms are increasingly vulnerable to a growing illicit industry distributing harmful, unsafe, substandard, or faulty products, including counterfeit and pirated products. "In Malaysia, there have been a total of 2,997 cases of counterfeit products reported from 2017 to 2020," he said. Nanta Linggi added that there are many ways for consumers to protect themselves when faced with misleading or wrongful representations by online retailers. Among others, consumers can file a complaint with the e-commerce platforms directly, as most have policies to deal with this. "For example, Shopee prohibits price manipulation and fake discounts as it creates a false impression of the product prices. Listings with misleading discounts will be suspended by Shopee for a first offence, with no penalty as a warning. "Similarly, sellers on Lazada are not allowed to offer misleading discounts during campaign periods and risk having products removed if found to be in breach of policy," he said. Consumers can also submit complaints through other avenues like KPDNHEP's Consumer Complaints Management Centre and the National Consumer Complaints Centre. Despite all this, Nanta Linggi encouraged consumers to be wary and careful when making purchases online, while conducting research on pricing and quality themselves. "Online shopping platforms should also consider improving their policies when it comes to allowing businesses using their platform to arbitrarily price their goods. "These platforms should heighten their controls over businesses, so that when a problem such as fake or misleading discounts arise, these issues may be dealt with speedily to the consumers affected by such tactics," he noted. Source: https://themalaysianreserve.com/2021/02/23/complaints-on-online-transactions-rise-112-5/ The following questions are based on the above article. 1. Describe and briefly explain TWO (2) ethical issues in the above article. (5 Marks) 2. According to the article 'Shopee prohibits price manipulation and fake discounts and also suspends listings with misleading discounts for a first offence, with no penalty as a warning. Similarly, sellers on Lazada are not allowed to offer misleading discounts during campaign periods, else risk having products removed if found to be in breach of policy. Discuss using THREE (3) ethical theories, where do consumers' duty to protect own self end, and where do the sellers' duty to protect consumers begin. (15 Marks) [Total: 20 Marks]