Big city vs small town Essay Example for Free

Big city vs small town Essay Matter and Energy Learning Objectives Understand the general concepts of matter and energy-why are these entities important to environmental scientists? Be able to define and give examples of the three laws governing matter and energy-how do these laws affect our understanding of matter/energy quantity and quality Be able to differentiate between potential and kinetic energy Be able to discuss the concept of entropy and how this process affects all living things Check out the chemistry review if you feel you need some additional chemistry background for this section I. One important thing about systems and living things: Life obeys physical laws. Drink some water, eat some food, run to class. The two things that connect these activities and other aspects of life on earth are matter and energy. Matter has mass and occupies space: it is the stuff you and everything else is made of. Matter comes in a variety of forms. We call these different unique types of matter elements. An atom is the smallest unit of an element that has all of the properties of that element. There are 92 naturally occurring elements in nature. These different forms of matter differ uniquely in their physical and chemical properties: carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) differ in their size, reactiveness with other atoms, and other physical and chemical properties. An element is a substance that cannot be broken down to other substances by ordinary chemical means. An element can be combined with another to make a compound. For instance, hydrogen combines with oxygen to produce water. Scientists use symbols (hydrogen=H, oxygen=O) as a kind of short-hand for describing compounds. For example H2O is mean water is comprised of 2 toms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen II. Energy is a more elusive concept. Formally, it is defined as the ability (or capacity) to do work Work is the product of force and distance. When you are walking up the Hill, you are doing work by applying muscles (force) to move up the Hill (distance). Energy is what you and all living things use to move matter around and to change matter from one form to another. Energy is used to grow your food, to keep you alive (metabolism), to move you from one place to another, and to warm and cool the buildings in which you work and  live. The uses and transformations of matter and energy are governed by certain scientific laws, which unlike the laws people enact, cannot be broken. III. There are three physical laws governing matter and energy that are important to us. A) Law of conservation of matter B) First law of energy (first law of thermodynamics) C) Second law of energy (second law of thermodynamics) A. Law of Conservation of Matter: (everything must go somewhere) We talk about consuming, or using up material resources, but actually we dont consume any matter. We only borrow some of the earths resources for a while C taking them from the earth, carrying them to another part of the globe, processing them, using them, and then discarding, reusing, or recycling them. In the process of using matter we may change it to another form, but in every case we neither create nor destroy any measurable amount of matter. This results from the law of conservation of matter: In any physical or chemical change, matter is neither created nor destroyed but merely changed from one form to another. When you throw away something, remember there is no away. Everything we think we have thrown away is still here with us in one form or another. How does this affect environmental science ? Although we can certainly make the environment cleaner, the law of conservation of matter says we will always be faced with pollution of some sort. This means that we musttrade-off one form of pollution for another. This trade-off involves making controversial scientific, political, economic, and ethical judgments about what is a dangerous pollution level, to what degree a pollutant must be controlled, and what amount of money we are willing to pay to reduce the amount of a pollutant to a harmless level. B. The First Law of Energy (First Law of thermodynamics): You cant get something for nothing You encounter energy in many forms: mechanical, chemical (food and fuel), electrical, nuclear, heat, and radiant (such as light). Scientists usually classify most forms of energy as either potential or kinetic energy. 1) Kinetic energy is the energy that matter has because of its motion and mass. A moving car, falling rock, and the flow of electrons or charged particles called electrical energy are all examples of kinetic energy. The amount of kinetic energy matter has depends on both its mass and its velocity (speed). Because of its  velocity a bullet fired from a gun can cause more damage that one thrown by hand; and a bowling ball dropped on your foot does more damage that a pool ball. 2) Potential energy: The energy stored by an object as a result of its position or the position of its parts is called potential energy. A rock held in your hand, a bowl of cereal, a stick of dynamite, and a tank of gas are all examples. The rock has stored (or potential) energy that can be released and converted into kinetic energy (in the form of mechanical energy and heat) if it is dropped. Doing work involves changing energy from one form to another. a. When you lift an object, chemical energy (a form of potential energy) stored in the chemicals obtained from your digested food is converted into the mechanical energy (kinetic) used to move your arm and the object upward and into heat given off by your body b. In an automobile engine, the che into electrical energy and heat (low grade form of kinetic energy. c. In an electric power plant, chemical energy from fossil fuels (potential) or nuclear energy from uranium nuclear fuel (potential) is converted into a combination of mechanical energy and heat. The mechanical energy is used to spin the turbine that converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy and more heat. When the electrical energy oscillates through the filament wires in an ordinary light bulb, it is converted into light and still more heat. Note that in all of these transformations, some energy is always lost as heat that flows into the surrounding en vironment. 3) Energy changes: What energy changes occur when you drop a rock? Because of its higher position, the rock in your hand has a higher potential energy than the same rock at rest on the ground. When you drop the rock and it hits and eventually rests on the ground, the rock now has a much lower potential energy. Has the amount of energy changed (i.e., the rock lost energy where did it go?) At first glance it seems so. But according to the first law of conservation of energy, in any ordinary physical or chemical process is neither created nor destroyed but merely change from one form to another. The energy lost by a system or collection of mater under study (in this instance, the rock) must equal the energy gained by the surroundings or environment (in this instance, air molecules pushed out of the way, and soil particles moved by the impact of the rock). This energy law holds for all systems, living and nonliving. Lets look at what really happens. As the rock drops, its potential energy is changed into kinetic energy C both its  own and that of the air through which it passes. The friction created when the rock is drops through the air causes air molecules in the air to move faster, so their average temperature rises. This means that some of the rocks original potential energy has been transferred to the air as heat. When the rock hits the ground more of its mechanical energy is transferred to particles of soil. The energy lost by the rock (system) is exactly equal to the energy gained by its surroundings. Scientists have never seen an instance where energy input does not equal energy output. C. Second Law of Energy (Second law of thermodynamics): You cant break even Energy quality: Because according to the first energy law energy can neither be created nor destroyed, you might think there will always be enough energy. Yet when you fill a cars tank with gasoline and drive around something is lost. If it isnt energy, what is it? The second law of energy, also known as the second law of thermodynamics provides the answer to this question. Energy varies in its quality or ability to do useful work. For useful work to occur energy must move or flow from a level of high-quality (more concentrated) energy to a level of lower-quality (less concentrated) energy. The chemical potential energy concentrated in a lump or coal or a tank of gasoline and the concentrated heat energy at a high temperature are forms of high-quality energy. Because the energy in gasoline or coal is concentrated, they have the ability to perform useful work in moving or changing matter . In contrast, less concentrated heat energy at a low temperature has little remaining ability to perform useful work. Over the years, after investigating millions of conversions of energy from one form to another, scientists have found that some of the energy is always degraded to a more dispersed and less useful form, usually as heat given off at a low temperature to the surroundings. In an internal combustion automobile engine, only about 20% of the high-quality chemical energy available in the gasoline is converted to mechanical energy used to propel the car; the remaining 80% is degraded to low-quality heat that is released into the environment. In addition, about 50% of the mechanical energy produced is also degraded to low-quality heat energy through friction, so that 90% of the energy in gasoline is wasted and not used to move the car. When electrical energy oscillates through the filament wires in an ordinary light bulb, it is converted into a mixture of about 5% useful radiant energy (light) and 95% low-quality heat. It is interesting to note that much of modern civilization is built around the internal combustion engine and the incandescent light that, respectively, waste 90 and 95% of their initial energy input. Some of this waste is due to the energy-quality tax automatically exacted as a result of the second energy law and some is due to technological designs that waste more energy that necessary. Most energy exchange processes occur like this (high quality energy to low quality) but there is one VERY IMPORTANT exception: the conversion of solar energy to chemical energy in food by plants and some bacteria.Photosynthesis converts radiant energy (light) from the sun into high-quality chemical energy (stored in the plant in the form of sugar molecules) and low-quality heat energy. If you eat plant food [like spinach], its high-quality chemical energy is transformed within your body to high-quality mechanical energy, used to move your muscles and to perform other life processes, and low-quality heat energy. The process of breaking down food such as sugars to simpler molecules, such as CO2 and water, releasing potential energy in the process, is called respiration. At each step, the low-quality heat flows into the environment. Without the action of plants and bacteria, life as we know it would not exist because animals have no way of turning the radiant energy from the sun into high energy (high quality) food. So, the first energy law governs the quantity of energy available from an energy conversion process, whereas the second energy law governs the quality of energy available. According to the first law we will never run out of energy, but according to the second law we can run out of high quality or useful energy. Not only can we not get something for nothing (the first law), we cant even break even in terms of energy quality (the second law) The second energy law also tells us that high-grade energy can never be used over again. We can recycle matter but we can never recycle high-quality energy. Fuels and foods can be used only once to perform useful work. Once a piece of coal or a tank full of gasoline is burned, its high-quality potential energy is lost forever. This means that the net useful, or high-quality energy available from fossil fuels, uranium, or any concentrated energy source is even less than predicted by the first energy law. d. mical energy stored in the gasoline is converted into mechanical energy that propels the car and is eventually lost as heat (engine heat), friction of the tires with the ground, and energy imparted to the air as it is pushed out of the way by your car.

Do Political Parties Help or Hurt America Essay Example for Free

Do Political Parties Help or Hurt America Essay Political parties have been in America since the very inception of the country. Political parties were originally designed to give voice to a group of peoples interests. But as the time has passed, the ideas being presented has been growing less about the people and more about the power and the longevity of the party and the people controlling it. The people are not voting for the candidate that they think will represent them the best but for the D or the R that appears on the side of the name. Should this be the main thing we look to when deciding the leaders of our government? The issue that people take with the concept and general structure of the modern day political parties is the reality of its inability to effectively govern with its supporters. The state must not be usurped by side interests or used as a means of dictating unpopular or even popular laws. In todays parliamentary and representative republics, it is the power behind the party, not necessarily the party itself that decides policy. The question is, in todays capitalistic world, will it be the people or the economic and financial advisers that hold the Party keys? Undoubtedly, it must be the people. However, here we encounter the question of how large a role any particular political party must take within the ideally reconstructed and redefined state. Lets not forget: the state is but a temporary structure devised and built by Man. It is little more than the regulatory body that encompasses the concept of the political party. As such, it stands to be reformed or, in certain cases, overhauled by the parties that reside within it. What the people behind the Party must do, is make sure that their needs and necessary wants be taken up by the Party itself. This is but one aspect of the political party; my concern lies in the eventual and it would happen eventually fostering of a broader party cult of personality. Examples of this can be seen from the U. S. to Asia, from Europe to S. America and Africa. When the people begin to support the idealized face of party politics more so than the spirit of the individual, they resign themselves to the dictatorship of the governmental coalition. Instances of these can be seen in Americas dual-party political system, as well as in certain European states. In essence, the Party becomes little more than a modified form of political and social dictatorship. I would argue that while political parties have their place within society, their role and importance should be greatly isolated and/or minimalized. They should be nothing more than mouthpieces for the people who make up their constituency; as a legislative and governing body, their role must be subjected to the democratic will of the people they represent. I would propose a Democracy from the bottom up instead of the more recognized Democracy from the top down. Because living in a government with no freedom, is a fate worse than death!

Introduction to Theories of International Trade

Introduction to Theories of International Trade In this concept there are mainly two theories that are classical theory of trade and new trade theory each differentiates from each other with different advantages, assumption and drawbacks. Exchange of goods and services on an international level between two or more countries is stated as international trade. Trade generally takes place between different companies it is of different goods and services. An import is goods and services bought by other country for local use. Example: UK imports gold, telecom equipment from India and export is the process of selling the goods and services which the host country has produced in the country more than sufficient. Example: Tea is exported to UK from India. However, government and individual person often buy and sell products and services internationally resulting international trade. Integration of the world economy is more than ever before. We participate in world/global economy by purchasing or selling goods and services in day to day lif e. Industrial equipments, oil, agricultural products, services like banking transportation, telecommunication, and tourism services are main part of international trade commonly. International transportation and communication cost has been reduced significantly resulting in greater integration between the economies of the world. The interdependence of countries can affect prices, wages, employment, and production in other country; it also affects economic trends and financial condition of each other. For prosperity countries have to work together more closely and rely on each other. Classical Trade theory: Classical theory focused mainly on occurrence of trade. The firms felt need of a separate theory due to fundamental differentiation of internal trade. These theories feature the variation in comparative benefit of manufacturing commodities of 2 countries to the diversity in the manufacturing competence of workers in that particular country it is focused on single value prices. Factor price differences are never considered in this theory. There are several sub theories in this particular concept which is explained as followed. (Sinha, n.d.) Absolute advantage Theory of trades (Adam smith, 1776): In the 2nd part of the 18th economic progress got complicated due to mercantilism policies. In the book The Wealth of Nations published in 1776 author Adam Smith stated that mercantilism theory favors the producers and reduces the interest of the consumers. Adam smith says in his theory that exports are profitable but countries should also import goods and services to satisfy better requirements of consumers instead of making them here in internal market. As we can see in the figure 1, country 1 has absolute advantage in good A production/resources and country 2 has absolute advantage in good B production/resources so country 1 should export good A to country 2 and import good B from country 2 vise versa. (Anon, n.d.) Figure 1: Absolute Advantage (Absolute Advantage n.d.) Assumptions of absolute advantage theory: Trade between two countries for two commodities: If we take three or more countries it does not help analytically for absolute advantage theory. Efficiency of the product: Countrys goal is not always efficiency comparing at the level of the world it is not easy to produce efficient product every time. Zero transportations cost: Transportation cost is not considered in absolute advantage theory. Factor mobility/immobility: Theory presumes that all the resources are mobile in the country and immobile between two or more countries. Total employment: Theory considers that every country has full employment in the whole country. (Anon, n.d.) Comparative advantage Theory (David Ricardo, 1817): This theory of David Ricardo states that both the countries involved in trade can gain a lot even if one of the countries is producing less than all goods and services that produced by other country. As can be seen in the graph below country B is producing more than country A in both the goods that is produced in both countries. Both the counties should specialize in what there is low opportunity cost is required. (Anon 1, n.d.) Figure 2: Comparative Advantage (Comparative Advantage n.d.) No or low transportation cost: consideration of the transportation cost is not even taken in this theory also. No negative externalities: theory does not say about externalities affecting trade, and it also does not take into consideration that there could be negative externalities for more production. (Anon 2, n.d.) There are no economies of scale: Due to different policies of government for particular country it becomes hard to trade freely and affects the total production and eventually affecting to the scale of economy. (Anon 3, 2008) Mercantilism Theory (16th century): Mercantilism theory is a thinking of 16th century. Major trading nations were thinking that if we increase our exports internationally we will gain power, wealth and also the precious metals like gold and silver in return. The theory says that in total world there was only fixed wealth which will increase our countries wealth resulting in becoming powerful country through either importing or exporting the goods in high quality but in lower cost. Earlier days transactions was use to take place in the form of either in gold or in silver coins which created trend of exporting more and importing less is called as mercantilism. (Anon1, n.d.) Mercantilism is time bounded; it is short term because after some period of time resources will be over due to large no of use of the raw material. Then countries will have to import the same good to their own country. Certain goods should be imported by any country to avoid later effect of scarcity for any goods and services. (Anon 4, 2008) Factor Endowments Theory (Heckscher in 1919, Ohlin in 1933): In this theory both Swedish economists Heckscher and Ohlin have different view/explanation about comparative advantage. They both think that comparative advantage comes from difference in national factor endowments. Factor endowments means the scope of the country is endowed with resources like land, labor, and capital, workforce, and infrastructure. Different countries have different factors endowed, and different factor endowments explain differences in factor costs. To lower the cost the factor should be more profuse. This theory proposes that the nations would export those goods that makes demanding use of those factors that are locally more in numbers, and should import those goods those have scarcity locally. (Aswathappa, 2010) New trade theory: This theory endeavor to comprehend and give details of the global trade affect the diversity of goods accessible to consumer around the world, these theories also describe concentration of market structure. Analysis of Trade: The testimony brings the awareness that the trade between India and U.K has historical trade relations. Indias exports to U.K was beneficial to both countries as U.K use to import raw material and make it into finished goods and again export those products to other countries. According to the survey it is observed that India had good revenue when the exports were high to U.K but as India moved towards diversification the exports of the country started declining since the year 2000. Both countries are the top investors in the economies of each others economies, this enables long term benefits to both countries. (Anon 5, 2012) Exports of India: The current situation of Indias exports shows positive sign on the trade i.e. exports of the country was worth 23698 million USD. In the GDP 22% of exports is been contributed, out of which jewelry constitutes 16% of contribution in exports. Mainly India exports to U.S, European Union, China Arab Emirates. (Tradingeconomics 1, 2012) Exports of U.K: The current market situation of U.K according to the records is 40. 5 Billion GBP in September 2012. This country is considered as fifth largest nation. The main export of U.K is telecommunication equipment, aircrafts, automatic data processing equipment etc. U.K mainly exports goods and services to Ireland, USA, France and Germany. (Tradingeconomics 2, 2012) Positive impacts of International trade on India and U.K: The growth of India rose above 6% after the year 2000. Overall employment also increased from 1% to about 3% which is beneficial to the economy. Liberalization of trade policies enabled to bring efficiency in several terms. Improved standard of living of the country. (Sankaran, Abraham, and Joseph, n.d.) Increase in possible growth of the business. Expand market share globally. Enables steady variation of market.(Economywatch, 2010) Protectionism of trade theory: This concept came into existence in order to protect the interest of the country who is involved in international trade. Here government protects the firms from exploitation of other countries. Typical method of protectionism is direct state intervention, subsidies, tax cuts to local business, quotas and tariffs. These are main types of protectionism method used by the government. Merits of protectionism: Protectionism of international trade helps protecting the local organization and employment. With help of reduction in imports economical aggregate demand will increase. Country can develop some laws to avoid dumping. Foreign companies bring their products and sell them in lowest price than the production cost. Protectionism helps in developing new domestic firm to grow faster blocking the foreign company to develop locally. (Gulrajani, 2009) Demerits of protectionism: Innovation and improvement will become weak as there will not be much of competition due to protectionism. Dismissal and burnout will be the ultimate result of protectionism. Lower or bad quality might dissatisfy the customers because of long term protectionism. Redundancy can become serious issue due to less innovation or improvement. Protectionism affects the countries economy and also the world economy. Many countries are now avoiding protectionism ad they are favoring more of free trade agreements. (Anon 8, n.d.) Analysis of Comparative Advantage: At a lower opportunity cost when a country produces goods and services when compared with other country that particular country is said to have comparative advantage. (Economicshelp, n.d.) Comparative advantage of India: India has huge population therefore this particular country has good labor and so it is specialized in labor intensive product. This capability differentiates themselves from other countries, and makes maximum use of it in order to make maximum profits which would add to host countries economy. (Tradingeconomics 3, 2012) Comparative advantage of U.K: U.K is vast country therefore they are specialized in several goods but mainly the comparative advantage of this country is manufactured goods i.e. is pharmaceutical products, telecommunication product etc. the quality provided by this country for these country makes product outstanding also the technologies use to manufacture these product ensure efficiency in goods that exported. (Economicsonline, n.d.) Criticism to Comparative advantage: Even if the countries do not have clear comparative advantage, they aim to take risk by broadening there horizons for goods and services. The assumption of two country and two goods is incorrect as the real world is too complex by exporting and importing different services and goods. This concept is not constant i.e. it can change over a period of time. In this concept exchange rates and relative prices are not taken into consideration. Structural unemployment is possible if there is complete specialization as there are some cases where workers cannot transfer from one sector to another. Without any diminishing return this concept is perfectly mobile. (Economicsonline, n.d.) Conclusion: International trade and investment is constituted by economic relation. This irregularity is embedded in a situation where prosperous countries are impatient to stipulate free trade for others but are hesitant to compel it on themselves and are capable to evade doing so. The current market of international trade promotes growth and aims to reduce poverty. Different theories have different assumptions but the modern theory is considered to be more effective then the other as it focuses on both i.e. exports as well imports. The protectionism concept is effectively being used by the countries in order to avoid exploitation and also ensures smooth going in trade.

Mashua :: Botany

Mashua Mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum Ruiz & Pavà ³n 1802), also known as isanu, cubio, aà ±u, ysaà ±o, or puel, is a tuber crop indigenous to the Andean highlands and is of economic value as a food and medicinal crop. This root crop ranks fourth in importance in the Andean region after potato, oca, and ulloco (NRC, 1989). Of the Andean tubers, mashua is one of the highest yielding, easiest to grow, and the most frost resistant. Mashua is cultivated in the Andes of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, and Venezuela (Gibbs et al., 1978). It is currently being grown experimentally in New Zealand and the Pacific Northwest to evaluate its potential for worldwide cultivation (Soria et al., 1998). The tubers of T. tuberosum are an important source of food for around 9 million people living at elevations of 2500 to 4000 m throughout the Andes mountains (King and Gershoff, 1987). Mashua is an annual, herbaceous climber that belongs to the family Tropaeolaceae which includes about 100 species. Tropaeolum tuberosum is closely related to the garden Nasturtium, Tropaeolum majus L. (Vaughn and Geissler, 1997). Tropaeolum tuberosum grows to over 1-1.5 m in diameter and 0.5-0.8 m high with slender and cylindrical aerial stems. Both erect and prostrate forms of mashua are known. Mashua has alternate, circular, peltate, 3- to 5-lobed leaves, and glaborous, twining stems that attach themselves to other plants by tactile petioles (NRC, 1989). The flowers are long-stalked, solitary, axial, bisexual. The color of the flowers range from dark yellow, orange, and scarlet. The fruit is a schizocarp with three indehiscent carpels that contain joined seeds lacking endosperm (NRC, 1989, Torres et al., 1992). The seeds are abundant and viable at maturity although since mashua is propagated asexually many asexual forms have arose which occasionally set seed. The tubers of Tropaeolum tuberosum are produced on axillary stolons which enlarge to form terminal, elongate tubers which are slightly roughened from enlarge scale leaves (Sperling and King, 1990). The tubers vary in color from white to yellow with occasional variants that are purple or red. They are often striped or mottled red or purple, especially underneath the eyes. The flesh of the tuber is yellow (NRC, 1989). History Mashua has been cultivated since ancient times and tubers are often found in archeological sites (NRC, 1989). Pre-Incan pictograms representing potato, ulluco, oca, and mashua have been found which show evidence the importance of these tubers even in those times (Hodge, 1946).

Could America not have fought the British :: essays research papers

Could America have gradually and peacefully developed independence within the British Common wealth, as Canada later did, rather than engaging in a violent revolt? Soon after England’s victory in the Seven Years’ War, England struggled with the financial costs of the war. England’s Parliament tried to establish power in the New World by issuing a series of laws. England attempted to have the colonies help pay for the cost of the war that would later help lead to revolt in America. Prior to the Seven Years’ War, the English rarely intervened with colonial business. It was during this time that the colonies began gradually to think and act independently of England. This scared England, and initiated a period in which they became more involved in the colony's growth. The passage of these laws undermined the Colonist's loyalty to England and stirred the Americans to fight for their freedom. What began as a fight over economic policies soon deteriorated into t he difference in Americans and Britons political views, which help lead to the violence of the American Revolution (The American Pageant, pg 122). I believe a violent revolt could have been prevented only if England hadn’t pushed the Colonies past the point of non-violent resolutions. Before 1763, the only British laws that truly affected the colonists were the Navigation Acts, which monitored the colony's trade so that it traded solely with England. As this law was not rigidly enforced, the colonists accepted it with little fuss. The colonies also accepted England's right to monitor trade. The change of course in 1763 was what really riled the colonists. England began to slowly tighten its imperial grip on the colonies by ordering the British navy to begin strictly enforcing the Navigation Laws (The American Pageant, pg 125). Additional problems began when. This was a powerful weapon against smuggling, but most importantly to the Colonists; it allowed the invasion of their privacy. This was crossing the line and violating the rights of an English man. During the Seven Years War, the British sent over ten thousand troops to America to deal with property problems at the frontier. This cost a large amount of money, and Britain did not want to see the sum come out of its own pocket. To pay for some of the expense, Britain began to pass acts to tax the colonists and lighten the severe debt the empire was in.

Human Genome Project Essay -- essays research papers fc

Outline Thesis: Large corporations, such as insurance companies, and governments are looking to save money on future policyholders through the use of genetic testing. General information on the Human Genome Project Time of discussion leading up to implementation Who was involved Where does the funding come from Insurance Companies and discrimination Discrimination against unborn children Genetic testing for “bad'; or unwanted traits Fix vs. Abort Not covering unborn with unwanted traits Denying Benefits to Current Members Forcing Genetic test to continue coverage Not covering spouses, children, etc.. who come up “Bad'; Denying coverage to new members 1. New members who want to join but have unwanted traits People switching jobs that need insurance but can’t get it Governments Benefits to people with unwanted traits Will government protect people with a predisposition to recklessness Will governments provide benefits for people with predisposition to genetic disorders? Welfare Will welfare be provided to people with genetic predisposition not to work Will the government try to alter people on welfare Military Will the military attempt to genetically alter persons to become greater soldiers or officers? Will the newly found technologies be used to engineer biological weapons? Corporations Will corporations require genetic testing to be performed as a term of hire? Will corporations issue genetic testing to employees to determine job position? Eugenics A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Define Eugenics B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Creating a “Custom Child'; 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ability 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ethics Privacy and ethical views on genetic testing General concerns of privacy Discrimination from insurance companies Discrimination from government policies Discrimination from employers Who should now the results of a genetic test? Individuals should know Employers should not know Government should not know Insurance should not know Widespread views on the ethical issues of genetic testing Physicians and their views Views of the general public Discussion on the Negative Implications of the Information Derived from the Human Genome Project Should man govern nature? This is a question that has been posed more often recently than ever. Human will soon know the secret to life and be able to ... ...t on their practices, but do expect major clinical changes in the future (Fetters 1). Although the Human Genome Project will bring upon many aspects that will be beneficial for generations to come, there are too many negative implications that will turn a lot of cheeks. Supporters of this effort will in the future regret their choice. There will be employment and insurance barriers due to genetic testing. Perhaps the worst part about the government implications is the biological military applications that will spawn destructive biological weapons. Man should not and could not govern nature. Nature has always prevailed from the beginning of time. Man has finally sealed his own fate. Works Cited Begley, Sharon. “Designer Babies.'; Newsweek 9 November 1998:1-4 Bereano, Phil. “The Politics of DNA’s Meaning.'; Tikku September 1999:23 Branfman, Fred. “The Gene is Out of the Bottle.'; 9 December 1999. Fetters, Michael D. “Family Physicians’ Perspectives on Genetics and the Human Genome Project.'; JAMA 24 November 1999: 1,902. Lee, Thomas F. The Human Genome Project: Cracking the Genetic Code of Life New York: Plenum, 1991.

Proposing a solution for global warming

INTRODUCTION.The occurrence of increased average temperature in the earth’s surface air and water bodies in the recent decades and its projected continuation constitutes global warming.  These increments in temperatures are due to higher amounts of green gas concentrations, which warm the surface and lower atmosphere thereby increasing the green house effects  On the other hand, natural phenomena such as volcanoes and solar variation have also impacted on global warming(1).Increased global temperatures results into other changes such as sea level rise, changes in precipitation patterns that result in floods, droughts and glacier retreat. These adverse effects of global warming have sparked off serious debate especially after Intergovernmental Panel on Climatic change (IPCC) projected climatic models that global surface temperatures are likely to increase to 6.40C (2.0 TO 110F) between 1990 and 2100.(2)The debate focuses on world scale regarding, what, if any, action should be taken to adapt to expected consequences or reduce future warming.  There is however a general agreement that affirmative action should be taken to avert further crisis.(3) To this effect, most governments have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing the green gas emissions, which cause global warming.The major challenge to this process is that industrialized nations who are the major contributors of green house gases such as America are reluctant to make this worthy commitment(4).  The main aim of Kyoto protocol is to reduce â€Å"Anthropogenic Climatic Change†(Human induced changes).It is believed that implementation of the Kyoto protocol will plummet these climatic changes. However, thermal inertia of the earth’s ocean and slow responses of other indirect effects would still cause further warming but at drastically reduced levels that are not very harmful (at 0.90f) as indicated by climatic changes studies.(5) The scientific consensus indicat es levels of green house gases due to human activity.In 1824, Joseph Fourier discovered the green gas effect, and Svante Arrhenius investigated it quantitatively in 1896.Green house effect is the process by which absorption and emission by infrared radiation by atmospheric gases warms a planet’s atmosphere and its surface(6). The green house gases include natural ones such as water vapor, carbondioxide, methane, ozone and nitrous oxide. Atmospheric concentrations of carbon and methane have increased by 31% and 149% above pre-industrial revolution times since 1970.This occurrence has been attributed to fossil fuel burning and other anthropogenic causes such as deforestation.(7)Further, carbon dioxide levels are expected to increase due to ongoing fossil fuel burning processes around the globe. And land use change. This will depend on uncertain economic, technological and natural developments.(8)IPCC projected increase of methane from melting permafrost peat bogs in Siberia may lead to significant additional sources of green gas emissions.(9)  Thus, the effect of global warming including sea level rise, extreme weather events, stream flows, and change in rainfall patterns, increased deaths, displacements and increased economic losses projected due to extreme weather may even be exacerbated by increased population densities.(10) There is also expected reduction of ozone layer, intensity and frequency of hurricanes and worse, spread of diseases such as malaria and other epidemiological related ailments.A typical example is the current heavy rains experienced in Britain, which scientists have attributed to be, and effect of global warming.(11) The scientists, lead by Peter Stott at Hadley center, have used computer models in finding evidence to predict the course of global warming which all show heavy rainfall as it is documented in the local daily, The Independent. The effects of these rains have been disastrous with many Britons fleeing their homes.(12)B ritain is currently making headlines in the world media; only because of the destructive results its citizens are experiencing from the heavy rains. The new Prime Minister called a crisis meeting with the top leadership of his government in response to this crisis.(13)  The rains have left many Britons desperate and in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Droughts attributed to global warming currents witnessed in several parts of the world such as Sub-Saharan Africa has left their citizens in famine and utter penury,(14) malnourished only to depend on aid. Surely the world cannot continue like this, it is only prudent, affirmative action is taken to avert this situationTHE   Ã‚  SOLUTIONS.Just as it is called Global warming, it needs global solution, which calls for nothing other than global input. Participation of the whole globe is necessary without exclusion of any particular state or individual.  Efficiency in the use of energy (Use of renewable energy) is a major step t o reduce global warming to reduce dependenc4 on oil and other fossil fuels that cause global warming. Currently, over 70% of USA electricity comes from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil in contrast to only 2% from renewable energy sources(15). We should therefore focus on sources such as wind, solar, georthermal and bioenergy to generate our electricity instead of fossil fuel sources that increase global warming emissions.It is indeed true that these measures need radical step. Fortunately, we have the solutions, and the energy to implement them(16). What we lack is the will. The steps we make will in most cases save consumer’s money. Radical measures include total overhaul of our practices, where instead of Deforestration, we should plant trees in bare lands. Deforestation accounts for 20% of global warming. We should therefore protect threatened forests(17).  Most scientists believe postponing these measures would require much more input once severe consequen ces occur than if we had implemented them today.Pollution of the atmosphere needs to stop forthwill, it will become an irreversible damage and we had better stopped the practice. Carboon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for about 100 years.(18) Pollution practice would require more duration to reverse its effects on global warming, we better prevent this. Waste damping particularly in water bodies such as rivers needs to be addressed to avoid decomposition and subsequent release of carbon dioxide that would increase the green house effect in the atmosphere.(19)We must also strive to reduce the production of Chlorofluorocarbons that are powerful green house gases and ozone depleters .(20) For such a radical course, legislation control from the central government in different democracies and even globally is apparent. However, individual citizens must institute in themselves the required environmental standards to make it their own initiative to act on this end. For instance it would be wiser to use a push mower to cut your lawn instead of a power mower(21). Or have a low water-use machine. It is also wise to reduce the water heater thermostat heating degree. Buying energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs for most used lights in the house is also important.A solar water heater system instead of electric or other fuel use is wiser move. In addition, an individual should drive a fuel-efficient car or a new hybrid gasoline electric vehicle. Insulating homes, installing energy efficient showerheads and even tuning up of the furnace are some of the basic steps individuals should implement to reduce global warming(22). Wise and committed person (not necessarily an environmentalist) should also contact his or her utility company for a home energy audit check for poor insulations or energy-inefficient places in the home.Other credible moves to reduce global warming by individuals include wrapping up the heater in an insulating jacket. Workers should also consider le aving their cars at home for some days and then walking to work or alternatively using public means of transport. Recycling of wastes newsprint, cardboard, glass and metals are also better alternatives to using non-renewable that emit green gases after use.(23) People should also consider buying food and other products with less packaging or reusable packaging instead of those in non-recyclable packaging.I believe most measures outlined above are but mere common sence, very achievable if we introduce discipline amongst ourselves.(24) Drastic reduction of global warming will have much more benefits that would outweigh possible risks involved in its implementation. We as humans must entitle ourselves to tackle the anthropogenic causes of global warming to treat the world we live in(25).The world’s leading scientific authority on global warming documents that the warming of the last 50 years has been due to anthropogenic (human caused) green house gases. The panel, after monitor ing current trend of human approach to the envoiroment, further says the rise could be by 50C this century.(26) This would represent twice the entire warming after the last ice age 12000 years ago and it would take place in 100 years. Shocking!More confirmation to human destructive trends on the atmosphere were detailed in the recent statement by the American Geophysical Union that there is no known geological precedent for the transfer of Carbon from the Earth crust to the atmospheric carbon dioxide. Inequalities comparable to the burning of fossil fuels, without simultaneous changes in other parts of the carbon cycle and climate system( 27).We must therefore strive to achieve our aim through all means including institutionalization of global warming reduction programs such as developing systems to clean our electric power plants, currently using coal to produce electricity. This should be converted into plants that burn cleaner natural gas.(27) In addition, harnessing clean, abund ant energy of the sun and wind is a viable measure to solving the global warming problem.  We have what it takes to make the globe a better place to live in.EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThe havoc global warming has caused the earth is perhaps the greatest. From its effects such as floods, droughts we have seen, read and understood the implications of destroying our atmosphere.(28) Millions of lives have been lost through its related effects.  Implementation of the possible solutions outlined in this essay, provides the framework for improving our livelihood in the globe.  For this worthy course, every single individual or nation on the globe must play an active role through involvement in the pragmatic measures aimed at alleviating global warming from the world.This should be done today.REFERENCES 1,2,3 .Revkin, Andrew C, Rise in Gases Unmatched by a history in ancient ice, The New York times, 2005-11-054-9Tans, Peter, Trends in Atmospheric carbon dioxide, Mauna Loa.National oceanicand At mospheric Administration.10-14Hansen, James; et al (2006-09-26) Global temperature ChangePNAS 103 14288-1429315-23Purse, Betham V, Philips (Feb 2005) Climate change and the recent emergence of bluetongue in Europe (2) 171-18124-28Harte, John, et al, Shifts in Plant Dominance Control Carbon Cycle Response To Experimental Warming and widespread drought environmental research letters