FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

JANUARY SEMESTER / YEAR 2020

OUMH1603

LEARNING SKILLS FOR 21ST CENTURY

MATRICULATION NO : 960112145975001
IC NO. : 960112145975
TELEFON NO. : 010 2501128
E-MAIL : shankaran96@oum.edu.my

LEARNING CENTRE : SRI RAMPAI

TABLE OF CONTENTS

No Tajuk Halaman

1.0 Introduction 3

2.0 Environmental Issues – Marine Pollution 4–5

3.0 Videos on GCED and Marine Pollution 6–8

4.0 Three Conceptual Dimensions of GCED and Its Benefits To 9-11

The Society
Resolving the Environmental Issue

5.0 Conclusion 12

6.0 Self Reflection 13

Reference 14

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

The environment is very important to humans because it provides oxygen, food,

water, shelter and much more. Environment encompasses of land, forests, mountains, hills,
rivers, lakes, and oceans. It is the responsibility of us as human beings to care for the
environment.

 Each of God's creations has a certain significance and function. As so, it is with our
very existence which is exactly as the Creator intended. As it is vastly known, nature is the
home of all life forms including humans, animals and plants. Without this world, life would
not be possible. Living creatures need habitats, breeding grounds and places for food.

  The comfort of human and animal life can only exist in a quality environment.
Quality environment is also very important in maintaining the relationships between one
organism and another. Any adverse effects of the environment will affect other life. For
example, air needs to be clean for animal and plant respiration. The contaminated air will
interfere with this process. Air pollution will cause diseases that attack the respiratory system.
Clean water is also important for life. About 70% of the cell content is water. The river is
contaminated with plant waste and the mining area damages aquatic life habitats and
consequently causes death.

This assignment will discuss how Global Citizenship Education will benefit the
community in solving environmental issues. The two main objectives of this assignment are
first, applying the correct 21st century learning skills as described in each module and the
second objective is to understand how the Global Citizenship Education will benefit everyone
in solving my chosen environmental issue that will be addressed in this task of marine
pollution.

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2.0 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES – MARINE POLLUTION

For this assignment, I have chosen to discuss one of the most talked about
environmental issues; marine pollution. What do you think the purpose the sea exists? It
combines heat, carbon dioxide greenhouse gases and pollutants to compensate for the earth's
climate and thus, protects humans from the sudden changes in global warming due to rapid
modernization.

In contrast to land pollution that is clearly visible and easier to manage, pollution in
the sea cannot be restricted. The adverse effects will be and are happening globally but are
not visible to the naked eye. Unfortunately, this blindness causes humans to become
increasingly arrogant with various activities that continue to destroy the sea. Plastic wastes,
industrial wastes and oil have been identified as major human impediments to the extinction
of marine habitats.

Despite its small concentration, the toxic component of the pollutant is capable of
suppressing the ability of marine animals to reproduce and grow. The drastic increase in
plastic-based sea pollution since the 1940s is a pressing issue. Every year tens of thousands of
marine animals are killed or damaged by plastic. In fact, some studies have found that at least
30,000 of these animals are dead or trapped. In the eyes of marine animals especially
seabirds, turtles and whales, plastic sheets look like algae which if food to them. The
consumption of this eventually kills them due to suffocation, poisoning or malnutrition.

At least 77 tonnes of plastic-based wastes are dumped annually by the shipping and
navy industries. Meanwhile, the commercial fishing industry has abandoned 135 million
pounds of plastic fishing gear and dumped another 24 million pounds of plastic waste into the
sea.

This, in layman terms, means that the sea has been used as a waste bin. As a matter of
fact, plastic materials are extremely difficult to biodegrade and may remain in the marine
environment for up to 450 years. The fact that toxins are difficult to decompose due to long
lifespan other than through the food chain causes these toxins accumulate and poison the
marine life, especially the animals.

Therefore, sea pollution is a loss to the world because about 80% of the earth is water
or sea. If this pollution continues without any monitoring, what will happen to our planet in

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the future? In light of this, I have chosen the topic of sea pollution as a discussion in this
assignment.

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3.0 VIDEOS ON GCED AND MARINE POLLUTION

Video 1 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb6IfkMbYZU

Based on the above video link, Global Citizenship Education (GCED) has 3 main
dimensions in terms of cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioural. The first dimension of
cognitive refers to mental activities such as thinking, reasoning, analyzing, conceptualising,
problem solving and so on. Cognitive approaches are approaches that pay special attention to
individual thinking processes such as critical and creative thinking skills, learning and
motivation skills pioneered by psychologists Gestalt, Pieget, Vygotsky, Gagne, Bruner and
Ausubel.

The word socio-emotional is composed of two words, social and emotional. Social
development is a process where children learn to interact with others in a way that is socially
and culturally acceptable. Children's social development consists of the skills of interacting
with others, self-formation, self-esteem and self-control. Social identity and children's self-
understanding develop in two stages, namely self-identity and self-category.1

The word emotion comes from the Greek word "emovere" which means "to come
out". Emotion is, therefore, an affective feeling that an individual experiences in a situation
that is meaningful to him or her. Emotions can also be defined as a reaction or awakening that
emerges as a stimulus to emotional feelings. Psychologists and physiologists argue that
emotions involve feelings, emotions, physiological reactions and emotional expressions.
Emotions can be divided into two: positive emotions such as happy, excited and negative
emotions like anger, frustration and so on.

Lastly is the dimension of behaviour. Behaviour is what an individual does or says.

Behaviour is also all human action that can be observed, measured and evaluated and any act
done either directly or indirectly, consciously or partially. Behaviour is the physical
manifestation of any attitude based on certain values. According to Lewis M. Beaker, any act
done either directly or indirectly, consciously or partially consciously2.

1
Lewis, 1995; Lewis & Books-Gunn, 1979

2
Lewis M. Beaker (2001)

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 However, according to Garry Martin and Joseph Pear, behaviour also includes
activity, action, performance, response, action, and reaction in terms of techniques, activities
involving the muscles, glands and electrical activity of each organ3. Basically behaviour is
whatever the individual says or does. Carl Rogers, emphasizes that an individual acts
according to one's own perceptions and circumstances4. If the individual has a positive self-
concept then he or she is able to interact and act more confidently. According to Meera
Baindur on an off shoot of the study of animals, ethology or the study of animal behaviour
was a descriptive science that slowly gained importance with the development of ecology, as
it was clear that animals were deeply related to the environments they lived in 5. And very so
true for my assignment, this goes for all the marine creatures that will be extinct if the
pollution goes on.

Video 2 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp572udnPVg

Based on the above video link, marine pollution occurs when a harmful, or potentially
harmful, effect is caused by the introduction of chemicals, particles, industrial waste,
agriculture and housing, noise, or the spread of invasive organisms into the sea. Most sources
of marine pollution are land based. Frequent pollutants come from such sources as
agricultural runoff, wind blown debris. Nutrient pollution, a form of water pollution, refers to
contamination by excess nutrients. This is a major cause of surface water eutrophication,
which involves excess nutrients, usually nitrogen or phosphorus, which stimulates algae
growth.

As such, these pollutants will affect aquatic life as the toxic waste from the dumped
industry causes the chemical waste to accumulate in the oceans and rivers and water phases
will also increase. Industrial waste often contains many toxic compounds that harm the health

3
Garry Martin and Joseph Pear (2003)

4
Carl Rogers (1999)

5
Meera Baindur, 2015. Nature in Indian Philospohy and Cultural Traditions. Springer India.

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of aquatic animals and their food. For example, the waters in Terengganu following the
dumping of domestic waste into the sea caused turtles to die from plastic consumption6.

In addition, it can also affect human health. Marine life such as fish and shellfish
found in the sea by humans can lead to infectious diseases. Disposal of waste also causes
breeding of bacteria and causes problems humans. Excessive nitrate content in water can
cause toxicity such as age, itching (allergy), and germs.

A very good example is the Minamata disease. “Minamata disease was caused by
eating large quantities of fish and shellfish polluted by methyl mercury discharged into
Minamata Bay. Minamata disease is not a contagious or genetically transmitted disease. It
was officially discovered in Minamata, Kumamoto prefecture in 1956, and in 1968 the
national government announced that this pollution-related disease was caused by Chisso
Co., Ltd.. The methyl mercury that enters the body mainly attacks the central nervous system.
The symptoms include numbness and unsteadiness in the legs and hands, tiredness, ringing
in the ears, narrowing of the field of vision, loss of hearing, slurred speech, and awkward
movements. Some early severe victims of Minamata disease went insane, became
unconscious, and died within a month of the onset of the disease”7.

Also affected is the income of the fishermen. As more marine life dies, fishermen's
income will also decline due to lack of catch. This will affect the quality of life of fishermen.
Aquacultural based income makes up of 26% of Malaysia’s productivity8.

4.0 GCED BENEFITS TO THE SOCIETY IN THE ASPECTS OF MARINE

POLLUTION

The current development towards making Malaysia a developed nation, as the Vision
2020 is already upon us, has triggered many situations. The rapid development of the
6
https://www.nst.com.my/news/exclusive/2018/10/417648/plastic-thrown-oceans-causing-deaths-aquatic-
mammals

7
https://www.minamatadiseasemuseum.net/10-things-to-know

8
https://www.dof.gov.my/index.php/pages/view/42

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economic and industrial sectors as well as political and social stability has given the people a
comfortable standard of living and raised the image of the country in the eyes of the world.
However, despite these comforts and developments, there are some side effects that can be
detrimental to people's lives. Pollution involving a number of countries such as coastal water
pollution and haze-induced air pollution requires active participation from the countries
involved to come up with a solution.

Malaysia is surrounded by the sea where there are various activities such as oil
exploration and water transportation. As such, Malaysia is also exposed to the risk of large oil
spills. Statistics show that more than 165 oilfields have undertaken exploration and
production activities in the waters of the South China Sea and the Straits of Malacca, which is
one of the busiest shipping routes in the world. In 1995 there were approximately 30251
vessels passing through the Straits of Malacca, of which almost 30% were tankers9.

Today, the sea is increasingly threatened by human activities that pursue materialistic
pursuits, ignoring their environmental implications. Pollution in Southeast Asia is due to
various factors. A variety of these factors cause the quality and quantity of seawater to be
severely contaminated without a single vaccine expected to recover. Over 90% of marine
pollution is caused by human activities and the remaining 10% is from the shipping sector10.

GCED is transformative, giving students the opportunity and the ability to realize
their rights and obligations to build a better world in the future11. In addition, GCED also
focuses on learning through transformative learning processes such as human rights, inter-
cultural and inter-cultural understanding, sustainable development and education for peace.
Therefore, based on the above definition, GCED empowers students to think, share and act
for a more just, secure, inclusive and sustainable world.

GCED's main objectives are to foster respect for all, cultivate mutual love and help
students become responsible and active global helpers. In addition, GCED also aims to
empower students to become more involved and active locally and globally.

As such, this Global Citizenship Education is capable of educating and fostering good
character in order to prevent sea pollution. The 3 main conceptual dimensions of cognition,
9
Peninsular Statistics of Peninsular Malaysia

10
Nature Society, Oil Spills Poisoning Malaysia, Cosmic Hall (March), DBP, Kuala Lumpur, 1995, pp. 53-55

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Technical Consultation Document on Global Citizenship Education 2013

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socio emotion and behaviour are key components in ensuring that GCED's objectives and
goals are to control global pollution in particular.

The below two websites have several ways that we can actually combat the ghastly
issue of marine pollution.

1. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/oceans/take-action/10-things-you-can-
do-to-save-the-ocean/

2. https://www.gced-compass.com/uploads/2/6/0/5/26050784/unesco_gced.pdf

The main thing to remember is that education and awareness plays a big role in the
understanding of pollution amongst all walks of life. GCED provides a framework which
assists in the adaption of its context globally. Through this form of education, I believe that
the necessary education and awareness can be cultivated from young in a global context.

Pollution is destroying marine life. Plastics alone are killing millions of seabirds and
hundred of thousands of marine lives a year. Micro plastics threaten to unhinge the whole eco
system. These problems don’t stop at the sea. Contaminations such as mercury accumulate in
our food chain affecting the health of millions of humans. With 80% marine litter coming
from land sources, everyone is responsible.

The solution is at hand and it offers a great opportunity for redemption on our part. In
order to solve the plastic packaging problem, we will need to rethink effectively the entire
plastic production system. There needs to be a design that makes sure that the plastics made
are never a waste. And to do that, every single on person needs to change the way plastic is
used in their everyday lives.

But marine pollution comes in many forms. Industrial, agricultural and urban waste;
also know as nutrient pollution, also sweep into the sea. This fuels explosions of algae that
rob the marine eco system the oxygen they need to survive. With sustained pollution, these
areas then become dead zones.

Nutrient pollution is caused when too much nitrogen and phosphorus enter the
environment because of human activities coupled with climate change and also the rising
temperature. This causes the algae in the water to grow faster than the eco system can
actually handle. Some of these algal blooms are harmful as they create toxins; toxins which
humans digest.

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 Nutrient pollution can be prevented by cutting down fertilizers and pesticide use; and
also choosing phosphate free detergents, soaps and household products.

This may seem trivial but to start small and create awareness can help safe marine
life.

5.0 CONCLUSION

Various environmental problems have been detected and have become more serious
lately. High population growth has led to more resources needed to increase production to

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support the lives and consumption of the population. The world's population will grow by 50
per cent by 2050 and by the 21st century it will reach 10 billion people.

With this increase, the use of natural resources will increase and the wastage rate is
expected to exceed 40 percent of the total available natural resources. Industrial development
and the process of urbanization have led to uneven distribution of development which creates
environmental problems. The use of natural resources, tree felling, residential construction,
planting of plants for the purpose of living has dramatically changed the environment. Human
well-being requires good economic growth.

6.0 OWN REFLECTION

I received this assignment for the 21st Century Learning Skills subject for the
semester of January 2020. In this assignment, students are asked to use the skills learned in

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this course to explain how Global Citizenship Education (GCED) benefits society in solving
environmental issues around. The environmental issue I chose was Marine Pollution.

While doing this assignment, I learnt few things.

First, I learned about the importance of protecting the environment, especially the sea.
The ocean is part of life. It is very important for human survival and as a source of clean
drinking water. However, human activity contributes to over 80% of wastewater discharged
to rivers or oceans. These conditions kill the marine ecosystems and affect the ocean's ability
to provide food, protect sources of income and maintain water cleanliness. The oceans
comprise 96.5% of the earth's water, but only about 1% are fresh water and are available for
human use.

Each year, an estimated 67 million tonnes of plastic, all containing toxins, are thrown
into the sea due to irresponsible human activities, thus posing a threat to marine life in
addition to the marine ecosystem and human health worldwide. Plastic waste material causes
over one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals to die each year. According to the
2017 Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Cleanup report, the most commonly found
litter in the ocean includes cigarette butts, plastic bottles, plastic lid, plastic bags, plastic straw
drinks and styrofoam containers that can harm seals, dolphins, whales, sharks and humans.

Furthermore, I also learned that learning skills are important to ensure that we as
students are able to keep up with the latest learning trends and to successfully master the
learning. Therefore, I am very pleased to be given the opportunity to study this module.

However, my weakness in completing this assignment was to find an important

source for explaining what Global Citizenship Education is. I realize that I need to better
understand what Global Citizenship Education or GCED is by increasing reading resources
from the internet, books and so on. This is to enrich and enhance my knowledge of GCED
which is very useful for 21st century learning skills.

(Word Count : 2,800)

REFERENCES

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Meera Baindur, 2015. Nature in Indian Philospohy and Cultural Traditions. Springer India.

Thomas L. Friedman.(2006). A brief history of twenty-first century, farrar, straus and giroux,
New York. Home page. http://us.macmillan.com/ theworldisflat30/Thomas Friedman.

Wagner, T. (2008). The global achievement gap: Why even our best schools don’t teach the
new survival skills our children need and what we can do about it. New York, NY: Basic
Books.

Global Citizenship Education (GCED) infographic. UNESCO. 2015

Nature Society, Oil Spills Poisoning Malaysia, Cosmic Hall (March), DBP, Kuala Lumpur,
1995, pp. 53-55

https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/multimedia/infographics#prettyPhoto[field_image_image]/7/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb6IfkMbYZU

https://www.nst.com.my/news/exclusive/2018/10/417648/plastic-thrown-oceans-causing-
deaths-aquatic-mammals

https://www.minamatadiseasemuseum.net/10-things-to-know

https://www.dof.gov.my/index.php/pages/view/42

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyan_Slat

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/oceans/take-action/10-things-you-can-do-
to-save-the-ocean/

https://www.gced-compass.com/uploads/2/6/0/5/26050784/unesco_gced.pdf

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