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    Located in the heart of western Germany's long-time industrial Ruhr region, the city of Essen spent much of the past 150 years marred by pollution, tainted by filthy mines and belching factories and lined by poisoned waterways. In just one year in the 1960s, a study noted that some 1.5 million tons of toxic dust, ashes and soot rained down on Essen's inhabitants, along with four million tons of sulphur dioxide. But a remarkable transformation has seen Essen go from being Germany's ugly duckling to one of Europe's greenest cities.

    "Green urban development has acted as a driving force in Essen over the last decade," explained Simone Raskob, who helped oversee Essen's transformation through a mix of so-called Blue Green solutions: "Blue" for water-focused initiatives, and "Green" for land-based projects. This two-pronged approach helped catapult Essen to be declared the European Green Capital for 2017.

    Essen's most high-profile project is the transformation of the Zollverein industrial complex – once the world's largest coal and coke production facility – from toxin-spewing industrial blackspot to an inspiring eco-park granted Unesco World Heritage status. Inside its giant former coal washing building, the impressive Ruhr Museum enthrals visitors with displays on the site's history and transformation between towering old machinery. A short walk away, the Red Dot Design Museum showcases examples of innovative global design in a former boiler house building repurposed by renowned architect Norman Foster. Ever since mining at Zollverein and the surrounding region ended in the late 1980s, woodland has spread across the vast site, and its trail-laced expanses are now home to more than 800 animal and plant species.

    Yet, Essen isn't resting on its green laurels and is continuing to add eco-friendly initiatives. A 100km cycling 'super-highway’ is slowly taking shape atop old industrial railways. A string of nature-walking trails have also been created in and around the city to help boost local engagement with – and appreciation of – natural habitats. All the trails are easily accessible by public transport.

    Among the city's many transformations are the creation of lakes and ponds by harvesting rainwater. But perhaps the toughest of Essen's solutions involved restoring the River Emscher, considered a biologically dead "open sewer" since the end of the 19th Century, thanks to the dumping of mining and factory slurry and waste water. After a two-decade clean-up programme, trout once again returned to the rejuvenated river in 2015. A recent count found more than 1,000 fish and animal species living along the Emscher, including previously endangered lapwings, kingfishers and beavers. 

    Though humans aren't yet encouraged to join the trout in the Emscher, an arena for swimming and boating hums with activity at Lake Baldeney, a broad expanse of water created behind a 9m dam on the similarly cleanedup Ruhr river. When swimmers splashed here back in 2017, it was the first time bathing had been officially allowed there for 46 years.

    From German eyesore to proud green city, Essen's green-and-blue approach isn't just benefitting outdoor enthusiasts and the environment but is also providing a shining example of how other cities can look to their industrial past to embrace a cleaner future.

Adapted from: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20231106-essen-germanys-ugly-duckling-city-success. Access on: 13 nov. 2023.

Read the following article to answer question.

    Located in the heart of western Germany's long-time industrial Ruhr region, the city of Essen spent much of the past 150 years marred by pollution, tainted by filthy mines and belching factories and lined by poisoned waterways. In just one year in the 1960s, a study noted that some 1.5 million tons of toxic dust, ashes and soot rained down on Essen's inhabitants, along with four million tons of sulphur dioxide. But a remarkable transformation has seen Essen go from being Germany's ugly duckling to one of Europe's greenest cities.

    "Green urban development has acted as a driving force in Essen over the last decade," explained Simone Raskob, who helped oversee Essen's transformation through a mix of so-called Blue Green solutions: "Blue" for water-focused initiatives, and "Green" for land-based projects. This two-pronged approach helped catapult Essen to be declared the European Green Capital for 2017.

    Essen's most high-profile project is the transformation of the Zollverein industrial complex – once the world's largest coal and coke production facility – from toxin-spewing industrial blackspot to an inspiring eco-park granted Unesco World Heritage status. Inside its giant former coal washing building, the impressive Ruhr Museum enthrals visitors with displays on the site's history and transformation between towering old machinery. A short walk away, the Red Dot Design Museum showcases examples of innovative global design in a former boiler house building repurposed by renowned architect Norman Foster. Ever since mining at Zollverein and the surrounding region ended in the late 1980s, woodland has spread across the vast site, and its trail-laced expanses are now home to more than 800 animal and plant species.

    Yet, Essen isn't resting on its green laurels and is continuing to add eco-friendly initiatives. A 100km cycling 'super-highway’ is slowly taking shape atop old industrial railways. A string of nature-walking trails have also been created in and around the city to help boost local engagement with – and appreciation of – natural habitats. All the trails are easily accessible by public transport.

    Among the city's many transformations are the creation of lakes and ponds by harvesting rainwater. But perhaps the toughest of Essen's solutions involved restoring the River Emscher, considered a biologically dead "open sewer" since the end of the 19th Century, thanks to the dumping of mining and factory slurry and waste water. After a two-decade clean-up programme, trout once again returned to the rejuvenated river in 2015. A recent count found more than 1,000 fish and animal species living along the Emscher, including previously endangered lapwings, kingfishers and beavers. 

    Though humans aren't yet encouraged to join the trout in the Emscher, an arena for swimming and boating hums with activity at Lake Baldeney, a broad expanse of water created behind a 9m dam on the similarly cleanedup Ruhr river. When swimmers splashed here back in 2017, it was the first time bathing had been officially allowed there for 46 years.

    From German eyesore to proud green city, Essen's green-and-blue approach isn't just benefitting outdoor enthusiasts and the environment but is also providing a shining example of how other cities can look to their industrial past to embrace a cleaner future.

Adapted from: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20231106-essen-germanys-ugly-duckling-city-success. Access on: 13 nov. 2023.

New Al System could prevent vessel collisions by reducing dependence on ship Captain

Researchers at Texas A&M University have created an intelligent Al system that can help prevent accidents and collisions at sea. Named 'Ship Collision Avoidance of Machine Learning and Radar Technology for Stationary Entities and Avoidance', or SMART-SEA, the platform works to decrease the dependence on ship captains.

The project team was led by Dr Mirjan Fürth, an assistant professor of ocean engineering, who was awarded a contract by the US Department of the Interior (DOI) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) through the Ocean Energy Safety Institute (OESI). It is not completely an autonomous system, rather it provides 'a human-in-theloop', who gives real-time instructions based on maritime traffic,weather and other factors.

This makes navigation safer and easier for the crew, transiting crucial or dangerous waterways by providing additional information and instructions. Collisions between vessels and accidents like ships hitting stationary structures like rigs or lighthouses are becoming common, and most are caused by human error. This Al system will help eliminate that, stated the project team.

Massive vessels have a lot of forward momentum that their shipping distances are measured in miles rather than metres. They also turn very slowly, meaning that any collision has to factor in this slow movement while also adjusting for sensor time lags, ocean current impacts and several other factors.

The Al system has been developed keeping all the above-mentioned factors in mind and is extremely accurate. The research team also said that the system combines raw radar imaging data with machine learning, enabling it to identify moving objects even in bad weather with limited visibility.

The machine learning algorithm detects stationary objects as well from a large distance. The system uses computational fluid dynamics models and machine learning, which have been previously trained on vessel motions, the team added. The system does all of this while complying with International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS).

(From: <https://www.marineinsight.com/.../new-ai-systemcould.../>)

New Al System could prevent vessel collisions by reducing dependence on ship Captain

Researchers at Texas A&M University have created an intelligent Al system that can help prevent accidents and collisions at sea. Named 'Ship Collision Avoidance of Machine Learning and Radar Technology for Stationary Entities and Avoidance', or SMART-SEA, the platform works to decrease the dependence on ship captains.

The project team was led by Dr Mirjan Fürth, an assistant professor of ocean engineering, who was awarded a contract by the US Department of the Interior (DOI) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) through the Ocean Energy Safety Institute (OESI). It is not completely an autonomous system, rather it provides 'a human-in-theloop', who gives real-time instructions based on maritime traffic,weather and other factors.

This makes navigation safer and easier for the crew, transiting crucial or dangerous waterways by providing additional information and instructions. Collisions between vessels and accidents like ships hitting stationary structures like rigs or lighthouses are becoming common, and most are caused by human error. This Al system will help eliminate that, stated the project team.

Massive vessels have a lot of forward momentum that their shipping distances are measured in miles rather than metres. They also turn very slowly, meaning that any collision has to factor in this slow movement while also adjusting for sensor time lags, ocean current impacts and several other factors.

The Al system has been developed keeping all the above-mentioned factors in mind and is extremely accurate. The research team also said that the system combines raw radar imaging data with machine learning, enabling it to identify moving objects even in bad weather with limited visibility.

The machine learning algorithm detects stationary objects as well from a large distance. The system uses computational fluid dynamics models and machine learning, which have been previously trained on vessel motions, the team added. The system does all of this while complying with International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS).

(From: <https://www.marineinsight.com/.../new-ai-systemcould.../>)

Read the text and answer the question that follow it.

Balancing Al and Critical Thinking for the Military Leaders of Tomorrow

Al is becoming increasingly embedded in daily life, transforming the way we work, communicate, and make decisions. From virtual assistants and personalized recommendations to smart home devices and automated customer service, Al streamlines everyday tasks and enhances convenience. As Al continues to evolve, its role in our livelihoods will only expand, making it an essential tool for productivity and innovation. Rather than resisting this technology, we should embrace it. Al has the potential to enhance and expand our knowledge, enabling more informed decision-making.

For future military leaders, it is critical that education and training prioritize independent thinking and decisive action rather than an overreliance on Al-driven systems. Leaders must develop the confidence to question Al outputs, evaluate their accuracy, and consider multiple perspectives before making informed decisions, rather than blindly accepting computer-generated recommendations. Al struggles in unpredictable, high-stakes environments where training data is insufficient to cover every potential contingency. Future conflicts will demand leaders who can adapt in real time, assess emerging threats, and execute decisions based on experience, judgment, and battlefield awareness - not just what a computer system suggests. To maintain a strategic edge and operational superiority, military leaders must cultivate a disciplined decision-making process that integrates Al as a tool while ensuring that human intuition, adaptability, and ethical reasoning remain at the forefront of command decisions. Though the possibilities of Al are vast and impressive, it is crucial to remember that its role should not be replace, but to complement human intelligence.

The rapid evolution of Al presents both a strategic advantage and a formidable challenge in shaping the next generation of military leaders. Al can enhance decisionmaking, optimize operations, and expand battlefield awareness, yet it must remain a force multiplier - not a replacement for human intellect. The true test of future leadership lies in striking the right balance: leveraging Al's capabilities while preserving the independent thought, adaptability, and critical reasoning essential for command in today's volatile geopolitical environment. In an era where peer adversaries are racing to develop their own Aldriven strategies, our leaders must be prepared to out-think, not just out-tech, the competition. Al should sharpen human cognition, not dull it - because the future of warfare will be won by those who can command both machine intelligence and the power of the human mind.

(Abridged from <https://mwi.westpoint.edu/warfare-at-thespeed-of-thought-balancing-ai-and-critical-thinking-for-themilitary-leaders-of-tomorrow/>)