THE DOVER CHRONICLE VOL 3

THE DOVER CHRONICLE - DECEMBER 2023 VOL. 3
CLICK THE HEADING TO READ THE ARTICLE
COP 28 - CONFERENCE
OF THE YEAR!
ATMOSPHERIC WATER
GENERATORS - HARNESSING
HUMIDITY
ANTARCTICA -
THREATENED BY CLIMATE
CHANGE?
AI - BLESSING OR CURSE?
UNCHARTERED WATERS -
THE WORLD OF AI
EDITOR:
INES LUI SICILIANI DE OLIVEIRA
WRITERS:
MAYA DONAU
NINA DONAU
SE-AH LEE
DEV PAKSHOOTRA
RUTH ZHAO

Ruth Zhao
THE DOVER CHRONICLE - DECEMBER 2023 VOL. 3
COP 28 - CONFERENCE OF THE YEAR!
Excitingly, COP (Conference of the
parties) 28 is coming up – already! It had
only been in Berlin, 1995, that the first
COP took place, and here we are, 28 years
later for COP 28. A spectacular feat,
indeed. Over the years, it has gained
international recognition and now many
people attend annually, amongst them
famous people like Greta Thunberg, for
example.
Today, in our exciting interview on COP
28, we will be hearing from
environmentalist Liming Qiao.
Liming Qiao is an environmentalist who
has been working in the environmental
sector since 2003, gaining 20 years of
experience, and has been present since
COP 9. She has worked with WWF and is
currently the head of Asia for the Global
Wind Energy Council (GWEC).
We are very interested in hearing her
thoughts and feelings on the much awaited
COP 28. Without further ado, here we go!
R: Hello, Ms. Qiao. How are you today?
L: Good thank you!
R: That’s good to hear! Now, as you
know, we’re here today to talk about COP
28. So, my first question is, can you please
explain the term COP to our readers?
L: It stands for Conference of the parties to
the United Nations Framework Convention
of Climate Change (UNFCCC) and it's an
annual conference. Apart from this annual
conference, throughout the year there are
also multiple intersessions, for example,
there is usually a conference in the middle
of the year around June to continue the
matters that have been discussed in the
annual conference.
So, what they do at COP is to meet as
government delegations to negotiate the
different protocols, and/or other forms of
legally binding treaties/agreements to
implement or achieve the goal of the
UNFCCC, which is to protect the climate,
through mitigation (to go to the cause of
climate change and find ways to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, for example by
replacing coal fire power plants with
renewable energy sources) and adaptation
(to acknowledge that climate change is
happening and that we need to find a way
to help humans adapt to the resulting
changes in the ecosystem).

Ruth Zhao
THE DOVER CHRONICLE - DECEMBER 2023 VOL. 3
R: That’s great... thank you for the lovely
explanations! So, my second question is:
how have you seen the COPs develop over
the years? Do you think there have been
lots of improvements; if so how and to
what extent?
L: All the UN negotiation processes are
open to observers, so there are lots of
NGOs and academia who register as
observers and have been doing so for
many, many years. From the year 2007 &
2008 climate change has gained lots of
spotlight and international attention. And
increasingly, in the past 10 years to become
recognised as a global issue. Thus, the
COP negotiation has attracted more people,
which I think is a huge success.
Apart from the government delegation
doing the formal negotiations and groups
of NGOs who follow the negotiation
process very closely, there are other groups
(NGOs) outside the negotiations, outside
the formal negotiations and talks, who uses
the space and attention to set up
workshops, seminars and high-level
meetings with government members. There
are many exhibition spaces as well, which I
think in the end makes the whole COP a
colourful display.
R: So then what are you hoping for in the
future of climate change?
Well, good question. I think my hope 10
years ago was that the consensus of climate
change at a global level would be higher
and that the energy transition could really
be driven by that. And what I’m glad to see
now is that it is becoming a reality. And
lots of Heads of States are making bold
commitments at COP/around COP and
more countries in Asia are becoming
committed to Net Zero. I also would love
to see more action at a national level to
push for a higher share of renewable
energy.
R: Thank you so much, Ms. Qiao, for this
in-depth interview in which you have lent
your expertise so brilliantly to us. I hope
to see you around again!
Overall, we are all hoping for a successful
COP this year, where new discussions will
take place and that this will be another year
in a step towards a cleaner, more renewable
future for us all.
One significant change through the years is
that more than 10 years ago, we had the
Kyoto protocol. The Kyoto protocol are
protocols that were set onto countries, both
developed and developing countries who
participated, which were rules that the
countries complied to. There were heavier
rules for the developed countries, as they
were often the ones that emitted the most
greenhouse gases, whereas there were
looser rules for developing countries
(compared to developed countries).
However, we then had the Paris Agreement
in 2015 where countries made their own
goals and strives to achieve them.
Since Kyoto protocol, it has improved
‘flexible’ mechanisms such as the carbon
market, which became one of the
fundamental market designs that has been
there for many years and will continue to
have a role in the future. Thus, the creation
of the carbon market led to business
opportunities, which brings in a number of
new players into climate related businesses.

Nina Donau
THE DOVER CHRONICLE - DECEMBER 2023 VOL. 3
ATMOSPHERIC WATER GENERATORS -
HARNESSING HUMIDITY
2 billion people worldwide lack the access
to safe drinking water. In a world where
access to clean and safe drinking water is
becoming an increasingly pressing issue,
innovative solutions such as Atmospheric
Water Generators have recently emerged,
acting as a potential remedy. Atmospheric
Water Generators (AWGs) extract moisture
from the air in order to produce clean and
potable drinking water.
Imagine. You are standing in a lush green
field on a warm summer day. You feel a
gentle breeze brush against your skin,
carrying with it invisible drops of moisture.
As you inhale, you can taste the freshness
of the air. Amid nature stands a machine.
This machine acts as a guard, welcoming
air into its filtering system. It meticulously
removes impurities such as dust and dirt to
ensure that only pure air can pass through.
As the air enters the heat exchanger, it
passes over a cold surface and condenses
into liquid water. Filtration systems then
purify and mineralise this water. This water
is then stored in a built-in reservoir and
continuously circulated through a UV
lamp, enabling it to be kept fresh and clean.
High-quality water is then available for
drinking.
As atmospheric water generators do not
rely on bodies of water, they can be placed
in remote locations, which can be
beneficial in rural areas without
infrastructure to supply water. This can
alleviate water scarcity which can
contribute to Sustainable Development
Goal 6 ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’.
Additionally, they can also be
advantageous in the case of emergency
situations such as natural disasters in which
there are water shortages. Atmospheric
water generators offer a sustainable
alternative to traditional water sources as
they reduce the reliance on freshwater
reserves, which reduces the need for
extensive transport networks. In addition to
lowering costs, this also reduces carbon
dioxide emissions. Furthermore, some
atmospheric water generators operate
utilising renewable energy sources such as
solar power which further ameliorates
issues of greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite showing great promise,
Atmospheric Water Generators have their
limitations. Atmospheric water generators
require a significant amount of energy to
extract water from the atmosphere.
Moreover, they rely on specific
environmental conditions, such as humidity
levels to effectively operate which may not
always be present. There is a high initial
cost to purchase and install an atmospheric
water generator, making it more difficult to
implement in countries with limited
amounts of finance. In addition, AWGs
require constant maintenance and regular
filter replacement, which further increases
costs.
While presenting both opportunities and
challenges, Atmospheric Water Generators
offer a potential solution to combatting
water scarcity and by embracing this
revolutionary technology, we can create a
more sustainable future for the planet and
ourselves.
Arguing that we must be for or against
cultivated meat is just setting up a false
dichotomy: in reality, we must strike while
the iron is hot and utilise this food
technology to revolutionise global food
production whilst managing the challenges.

SeAh Lee
THE DOVER CHRONICLE - DECEMBER 2023 VOL. 3
ANTARCTICA - THREATENED BY
CLIMATE CHANGE?
Antarctica, located at the most southern part of
the Earth, is sized at over 13,660,000, and is
home to many different species of animals.
Penguins, Antarctic hair grass, Antarctic
pearlworts and more of other species that can
only be found in Antarctica.
The minimum temperature going down to -90
degrees Celsius during winter season and
average temperature -57 degrees Celsius each
year, Antarctica is the coldest area on the
Earth. On the warmer periods, temperature
goes up to only -2 and 8 degrees Celsius. Cold
wind blows through Antarctica. Katabatic is
strong wind of Antarctica that is formed by a
dense and cold air from polar plateau.
Around summer solstice, sun doesn’t rise or
set in Antarctica. It can be all night and day
long condition of sun rising or setting.
Sometimes, the sun is visible for 24 hours a
day.
Evidence in change due to climate in
Antarctica:
There is a lot of evidence of climate change in
Antarctica. The main source of evidence that
people think about is the melting of ice, but
there is other evidence such as decreasing
population of penguins, ice cores of carbon
dioxide and scientific and geographical
changes in Antarctica.
The population of penguins is decreasing.
This is proven due to melting of ice. As ice
starts to melt, penguins don’t have anywhere
to breed or lay eggs. If they do, they are
most likely to fall into the ocean or ice
would slowly melt, threatening the penguins.
Young-born penguins that are kept in some
areas of ice also drown because there is no
ice left to stay on and because of their lack
of developed feathers to swim.
Many people are not aware of penguin’s
population decreasing very dramatically. But
it is very important to the ecosystem that it
breaks down the food chains and food webs.
Many of the animals and plants in Antarctica
are extinctic. “65% of Antarctica's Plants
and Wildlife Will Decline by 2100”. This is
because they don’t have the environment and
habitats to live in. This is caused by rising
temperatures due to climate change.
According to the investigations of the
scientists, it is proven that people are using
more carbon dioxide compared to other
years. There had been more carbon dioxide
found in the ice cores compared to 1900s.
Scientists are highlighting the fact that if
people keep on using same amount of carbon
dioxide, Earth temperature might rise about
2 degrees.

SeAh Lee
THE DOVER CHRONICLE - DECEMBER 2023 VOL. 3
Why should we protect Antarctica:
Antarctica supplies safe shelter and a home
for all the animals and plants to live in. If it
were gone, it would mean that all these
organisms would die or lose their
habitat/home. This would cause extinction
to that species. How would it affect us
humans? All the animals are connected to
each other in some ways. We all depend on
each other, if the whole ecosystem crashes
down, it would be a threat to the entire
world. Including humans.
And finally, it is linked to all of Earth. If
Antarctica is gone, Earth wouldn’t be able
to reflect off most of the light and climate
change would continue, getting worse and
worse. Also, flooding and island
disappearance would be frequent.
Therefore, it is our duty, our job to protect
and save Antarctica from climate change.
Antarctica also provides many scientific
experiments and new discoveries to many
things. If it is destroyed or melted, it would
mean that humans wouldn’t be able to
continue their scientific experiments on
future planets and discoveries. They would
lose their chance to improve their life and
technology.

Maya Donau
THE DOVER CHRONICLE - DECEMBER 2023 VOL. 3
AI - BLESSING OR CURSE?
What is AI? Artificial intelligence is
defined as the simulation of human
intelligence in machines that are
programmed to think and act like humans.
The prevalence of Artificial intelligence in
our everyday, constantly developing world
is growing exponentially and is being used
in schools and there are great drawbacks
and advantages to this technology.
In a school setting, Artificial intelligence
has a myriad of uses for educators and
students alike. This technology is most
harnessed by students, in the context of
solving a math problem, summarizing
notes, helping with homework, correcting
spelling and grammar, or simply doing the
work assigned to a student. When does this
go too far?
AI is not an entirely negative thing; in fact,
it is extremely positive when used correctly
and can indefinitely aid the academic
ascension of a student. As academics we
must learn to use Artificial Intelligence to
our advantage as we will undoubtedly have
some involvement with it in the future.
However, the problems start to arise when
academic integrity comes into question.
Along with the aforementioned benefits
that AI grants there are also disadvantages
that are reciprocal to this technology.
Firstly, one can request for an Artificial
intelligence software to just complete all a
students work, which may relax them and a
create a stress-free environment, however
this is just not the case because in the
future, education may become futile and
undervalued as everyone has the perception
that AI does the trick.
Students will face the impacts of this.
Additionally, the Information that AI
grants is not always reliable or factual
which only creates misinformation. If
students use this in their work, the use of
AI can result in plagiarism. Overall, many
call the usage of this dystopian and are
against the increasing dependency on
Artificial intelligence
To repel the problems faced by AI and the
popularization of Artificial intelligence
software's such as ChatGPT, schools have
implemented the increasing use of
plagiarism and AI detectors. In schools and
universities alike, the use of AI chatbots is
being banned.However this does not
inherently stop a student from using this
technology.
The problem of the legitimacy and
effectiveness of these anti-AI softwares
such as Turnitin could be questioned
because many students have been falsely
accused of AI usage whilst their work was
completely done by themselves. Detection
tools have recognized the Declaration of
Independence and the works of William
Shakespeare to be generated by Artificial
intelligence when this is completely not the
case, showing that students can also be
wrongly alleged to be using such tools.
To conclude, the significance of Artificial
intelligence in a school environment cannot
be overestimated because it is an
increasingly common thing within schools
everywhere. A.I is a powerful tool that has
the capacity to help us, but if it is misused
it can cause one's academic downfall.

Dev Pakshootra
THE DOVER CHRONICLE - DECEMBER 2023 VOL. 3
UNCHARTERED WATERS - THE WORLD OF AI
With the recent controversies surrounding
CEO Sam Altman and the OpenAI Board
of directors, talks of AI’s many issues and
ethical debates have been pushed into the
forefront of global discourse Inevitably,
one must acknowledge that AI is already,
and will continue to be a dominant
emerging force in shaping the
technological future of the world.
Ultimately, the responsibility falls upon us
whether AI stands as a force for good or
for bad. In this article, I will endeavour to
explore some of the complex issues and
debates that have arisen from this recent
saga.
In case you haven’t already heard about the
whole story, let’s get you up to speed. On
Friday the 17th of November, Sam Altman
was unexpectedly ousted as the OpenAI
CEO, through a consensus vote by the
board of directors. This took the entire
internet by storm, as Sam had been the face
of the company’s rapid growth and success
throughout the past year. According to a
statement released by OpenAI, they
“concluded that he was not consistently
candid with his communications.” This
caused quite a stir in the tech community,
as the company seemed to be alluding to
some form of dishonesty or malfeasance
from Altman. Many conspiracy theories
were thrown up to explain the situation,
including rumours of a power struggle, a
secret project that had been concealed by
Altman, and more along the same
speculative lines.
Sam then engaged in talks with Microsoft
CEO Satya Nadella, about starting
Microsoft’s own AI branch that could
potentially rival OpenAI themselves.
Altman was reinstated as OpenAI CEO less
than a week after his initial ousting, owing
to over 95% of their employees signing a
document that threatened to leave the
company if Altman was not reinstated. On
the contrary, the OpenAI Board featured a
substantial overhaul, with many fresh faces
replacing the old ones that voted to remove
Altman.
This chaotic story between the tech giants
of America has given way to heated
discussions on the topic of AI. One of the
major storylines that popped up was the
dangers of over commercializing AI
products, as Altman aimed to do. Many
members of the public fear that the rapid
development of AI with profitable purpose
is the wrong approach, preferring to
continue research that evaluates the ethical
and economic impacts that these modern
technologies could have. Elon Musk
himself has warned of the many dangers
that it poses to modern civilisation, calling
for a “regulatory structure” to be put in
place.
Before delving into the subject however,
we must clear up some common
misconceptions about Artificial
Intelligence. Artificial intelligence refers to
machines attempting to mimic a human
cognitive process to solve a problem.
Widely integrated in our lives today, AI
models like ChatGPT, DALL-E, or Bard
exemplify this. The term machine learning
is sometimes used interchangeably with
AI; however, Machine Learning is a
smaller subset of artificial intelligence
wherein machines study data and attempt
to recognise patterns, thereby improving
over time at a classification or prediction
task by being trained on more data. Deep
Learning is a further subset of machine
learning, referring to predictive models that
are based around the philosophies of the
human brain (neural networks).
Another popular debate that has stemmed
from this drama is the implications of AGI
(Artificial General Intelligence). AGI
refers to computer models that gain, for
lack of a better word, a degree of sentience.
Models that can think like humans do, with
their own values, subjective judgement and
opinions, experiences, and even emotions.
Although we are still a way off from these
types of machines, with our current rapid
development pace these may be a reality
sooner rather than later. One of the leading
concerns for these machines is aligning
them with human values and objectives.

Dev Pakshootra
THE DOVER CHRONICLE - DECEMBER 2023 VOL. 3
At the end of the day, AIs are built to assist
humanity and so we must ensure that these
systems are developed carefully so that AI
models do not begin to oppose the
advancement of human civilisaiton. On a
deeper level, If AI models begin to behave
just as humans do, and can mimic any of
our behaviours, what do we really define as
being human? How much will our human
abilities and judgements be valued
anymore?
With AI being such a cutting-edge
technology, one major worry is also that its
use becomes limited, as a privilege that
only the wealthy elite in society can avail.
This poses significant issues of too much
power being concentrated in one portion of
society, and if fallen into the wrong hands,
we may begin to see the disastrous and
catastrophic consequences of our own
creations. How would we define an AI’s
moral compass? Would it be unethical to
give AI opinions (due to the introduction of
bias)? These are all pertinent questions that
have yet to be answered in the pilot stages
of AI development, and many strongly
believe that we must first think about these
answers to avoid creating something that
we may eventually grow to resent.
Before we start predicating and centering
the entire world on nascent AI systems, we
must first take a step back, and think about
the ethical, moral, and humanitarian
implications of these technologies, and
introduce forms of regulation and
legislation that surround its development.
With the majority of AI currently being
controlled by a few large corporations
(such as OpenAI), our current approach
must be questioned as we dive into deeper,
uncharted waters.