Green Banking In India Environmental Sciences Essay

Green Banking In India Environmental Sciences Essay Moving to a prosperous low carbon economy can drive innovation, increase productivity and generate new well paid jobs. However, to achieve this, significant new investment will need to be found and, though government can provide the necessary incentives, it will be the private sector that will provide the bulk of this investment. Climate change is a significant issue for India. But while the effects of climate change are increasingly a risk to the health, economy and the environment of the country, economists are also recognizing that there are financial rewards from controlling climate change and developing a low carbon economy. Banks can provide important leadership for the required economic transformation that will provide new opportunities for financing and investment policies as well as portfolio management for the creation of a strong and successful low carbon economy. In this report I have tried to examine how banks can be catalysts for change. Discussing how banks are providing commitment and leadership in creating a low carbon economy and also the challenges to investment. A carbon credit is a generalised term used for any tradable certificate or permission representing the right to emit one tonne of carbon di-oxide [CO2]   The goal of carbon trading is to allow market mechanisms to drive industrial and commercial processes in the direction of low emissions or less carbon intensive approaches than those used when there is no cost to emitting  carbon dioxide  and other GHGs [Greenhouse Gases] into the atmosphere. In simple terms carbon credits gives a monetary value to the action of polluting the atmosphere and hence reduce greenhouse emissions, thus playing a pretty important role in saving the planet. Of late there has been a lot of discussion regarding the environment management in industrialised countries. However, because of the financial globalisation and ever increasing environmental regulations, there has been a large development in the banking sector which has been operating in developing and emerging countries and is pressed to better manage risks from environmental liabilities. As other economic players and industries, banks also consume natural resources. However, in developing countries this type of environmental impact can potentially be high in view of the insufficient availability of clean sources of energy. [Banco Itaà º, one of the largest banks in Brazil, recycles 2,200 tons of shredded paper annually] INTRODUCTION CLIMATE CHANGE-BACKGROUND 1.1 CLIMATE CHANGE-THE SCIENCE We all know that the climate change is a serious issue and which needs to be taken great care of in the near future or else we will have to face serious consequences in the future. A study conducted by The Climate Group with Price WaterHouse Coopers indicates an increase of more than 0.7 ËÅ ¡C over the last century and will continue to rise. The current projections of global average temperature change are in the order of 0.2 ËÅ ¡C per decade (from 1990 2050) or between 1.1 ËÅ ¡C and 6.4ËÅ ¡C within a century. CLIMATE CHANGE-THE INTERNATIONAL POLICY RESPONSE There have been international conferences and concerns on how to save the environment and efforts have been taken to gain consensus on how to save the environment since the early 1990s. In 1997 UNFCCC [United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] introduced the Kyoto Protocol [1] India being a non-Annex 1 party to the UNFCCC is under no legal obligation to curtail its greenhouse gases [GHGs] emissions, but India has announced a voluntary plan to reduce the carbon emission intensity by 20-25% by 2020. The Indian Government is very keen and has shown great interest in finding the solution to this problem and is actively involved in discussions that will lead to a Post Kyoto regime that tackles the problems. UNFCCC also held a recent conference in at Copenhagen called the CoP [Conference of Parties], which did not deliver any legal binding commitments, but the Accord it produced had led to all the major developing nations to publish their plans on how they will cut or reduce the gas emissions over the coming decades. Also a massive financial help was pledged, which can be counted as a success of the summit [US$ 30 Billion by the end of 2012 and a total of US$ 100 Billion by 2020] for the mitigation and help of developing countries to implement the plans for cutting down the emissions, along with the deployment of latest technology and techniques. India is sure to receive a major part of these funds but our authorities need to ensure that the necessary framework is in place to take best advantage of them. 1.3 CLIMATE CHANGE-INDIAs RESPONSE India s National Action Plan on climate change essentially proposes eight national missions , namely , Solar ; Enhanced Energy Efficiency ; Sustainable Habitat; Water; Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem ; Green India ; Sustainable Agriculture; and Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change India holds a major position and is signatory to both UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. The Clean Development Mechanism [CDM] provided by Kyoto Protocol has provided India with a significant opportunity for reducing carbon emissions at a relatively low price through renewable energy projects and energy efficient projects. The above also provides India with a wonderful opportunity of creating and trading carbon credits via (through) the help of regulated carbon emission trading schemes, in exchange of money. The CDM also allows and helps developed countries like USA to invest in emission reduction globally where it is the cheapest. The success of CDM can be gauged by the fact that since its inception in 2001 till 2012 it would have 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon-d-ioxide equivalent emission reductions. India along with CDM has also been working to develop a National Action Plan on Climate Change which enumerates a number of steps to simultaneously advance Indias development and climate change adaptation and mitigation objectives. Finance especially the BANKING SECTOR is a key element of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, outlined in the plans National Missions. Example 1: NATIONAL MISSION ON ENHANCED ENERGY EFFICIENCY The proposed National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) has been designed to focus on the creation of mechanisms that supports financing of demand side energy management programs by capturing the financial benefits of future energy savings. The Partial Risk Guarantee Fund has been developed with a purpose of providing commercial banks with partial coverage of risk exposure against loans made for energy efficiency projects. India has set voluntary targets to reduce carbon emissions intensity by 20-25% by 2020. The targets are being supported by legislation that requires mandatory fuel efficiency norms for all automobile vehicles, introduces green building codes, techniques and provides an amendment to the Energy Conservation Act to make it necessary for an initial group of 714 energy intensive businesses to take part in a scheme to cap energy usage and subsequently trade energy efficiency certificates. BANKING SECTOR RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE We are all aware of the fact that banks play a very important role in mobilizing financial resources across the economy-in particular for providing investment money i.e. capital for large scale infrastructure and low carbon technology deployment. As of now the climatic changes have only effected/influenced the financial decisions only on the margin i.e. to a very less extent. That too the impact is much less in India as compared to other developed or developing countries. The following are a few international examples of the same: In all over 180 financial institutions support the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) which is the oldest association between UN and banking, insurance and investment worlds There was an increase in the pace of the global clean energy investment from US$ 60 billion in 2006 to US$ 150 billion in the year 2007 Banks that have been controlling more than 80% of global project finance volume have adopted the Equator Principles[2]. 2.1 BANKING RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN INDIA IBA [Indian Bank Association] and TCG [The Climate Group] conducted a study know about how banks in India are responding to the climatic changes. The survey which was carried out focussed basically on following five themes: COMMITMENT LEADERSHIP Questioning the commitment of the bank and how is it demonstrated. MANAGEMENT To what level does the management take interest and participate in and around the climate change issues and how is the bank tackling its own impact. ENABLERS What are the key enablers for pushing the climate change agenda as perceived by the bank? PERCIEVED BARRIER What are the major barriers and key inhibitors which hinder the climate change agenda as perceived by the bank. INNOVATION AND ACTION What are the core business activities, products and services which the banks are offering to fight the climatic changing conditions. 2.2 THE SOLUTION: GREEN BANKING IN INDIA For the last one and a half decade India is on a higher growth trajectory and the industrial sector has been playing a very important role in Indias growth. However, Indian growth has always been limited due to the challenges faced in controlling the environmental impact of their business activities i.e. reducing pollution and emissions of their clients. Though environmental legislations and laws are being framed by the government to address the issue and it also encourages the industry to follow the environmental technologies and practices, but they are not enough considering the poor track record of enforcement, public awareness and inability to derive competitive advantage by producing eco friendly products. Just for the fact-book India is the sixth largest and the second fastest growing country in terms of producing green house gases. To add to your surprise three of Indias metropolitan capitals are amongst the worlds ten most polluted cities. The industries which contribute to making these cities most polluted majorly are: (a) Metallurgical Industries (b) Paper Pulp (c) Pesticides/Insecticides (d) Refineries (e) Tanneries/Fertilizers (f) Sugar etc. Thus the banking operations and investment by the financial institutions should take care of these polluting industries which can be done by improving the overall environment, the quality and conservation of life, level of efficiency in using the materials and energy, quality of services and products and hence in this context, the role of banking sector, which is the major source of financing for these industries, which is used for the implementation of the eco-friendly measures. The environmental regulations in India can be broadly classified in two broad categories: Command Control Regulations. Liability Laws. However, there is no law in India which can hold banks responsible for the checking and scrutinizing investment projects and granting/denying the financial aid to a company on the basis of environmental damage to be caused by the client. The most important thing here is that because of the growing concern for the environment legal framework for the environmental pollution standards are being formulated in India and once the formulation is done the companies violating these rules will either have to shut down or will have to make the necessary changes in terms of investment and methodology which will require the help of banking sector, thus proving the importance of GREEN BANKING. In the above process the above companies are sure to loose their viability and competitiveness in the international market and this will eventually affect the Indian Economy and the Banking Sector. Thus for the future prospects and the current scenario it is very important for the banks to protect themselves from the changing of their performing assets [3] to non performing assets [4]. If the banks realize these facts then the adoption of GREEN BANKING becomes fast and easily acceptable to them. One thing which is very obvious is that the industries that are ill equipped in preventing pollution today are the possible polluters of the future Example 2 Non Compliance to the Mandated Environmental Standards About a hundred and fifty SSI (Small Scale Industries) units around Agra and Delhi had been forced by the government authorities to make changes in the methodology or were made to shut down the entire units because of non compliance to the mandated environmental standards and were hence declared nonperforming assets for the banks that financed them. These rigorous steps were taken with the ultimate goal of protecting the Taj Mahal situated in Agra from the Greenhouse Gases and thus eventually losing its charm. Apart from the list above there are a number of companies that have been closed down due to non compliance of the standards in such a scenario the banks are the only ones incurring a financial loss due to the increase in bad asset and liability. The following Table1 reflects category wise summary status of pollution control in 17 categories of industries in India where we find that the industries are increasingly complying with pollution control norms. Refer to Table 1 in the appendix. 2.3 DISAPPOINTMENTS FACED: GREEN BANKING IN INDIA The financial banks and institutions are running far behind the schedules as compared to the global trends. None of the Indian banks or financial institutions have adopted the equator principle [2] even for the sake of records. None of our banks are signatories to the UNEPFI [5]. The British business newspaper and Financial Times in a joint effort nominated for Sustainable Banking Awards in 2006 for leadership and innovation in integrating social, environmental and corporate governance objectives into their operations did not find a single Indian nationalized bank or major private bank in the list except Yes bank (which is a small player in Indian Banking sector) which was nominated in Emerging Markets Sustainable Bank of the Year category. The other nominations have been shown in Table-2. It was very evident that there was no systematic attempt to integrate the environmental concerns into the business operations here by our nationalised banks. Though there has been a little improvement as in the previous years as for the year 2007 ET sustainable banking award two banks namely YES Bank and ABN AMRO Bank had filed nominations. Though its a little improvement but it also shows the ignorance in the part of our banks about the green banking initiatives at international levels. As we all know today the products of the countries violating the human rights or child labour laws are denied in countries like US and UK (European Markets), so it would not be surprising if the export of the domestic polluting industries get a severe jolt if they continue to neglect the degrading environment. If such a thing happens then the major blow would be to the Indian Banking sector because most of the SSIs have sponsored by the Indian Banks and if they do not comply with the environment standards then they would be worst hit by such an act. Therefore, banks in India need to be more careful about the environment aspects of both clients and products because: The future of exports and product markets will be going through stringent environmental rules and eco-friendly products will have a better future. Increased demands for pollution control equipments will want more and more financial aid from the banks. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may also follow environmental friendly rules and regulations hence enforcing them on other banks just like the IFC [6] and Asian Development Bank [7]. Recent announcement by the government to use economic instruments for environmental control may also include banks also. Big investment projects supported by international organizations like The World Bank and ADB [7] require EIA [8]. 2.4 THE BRIGHTER SIDE: COMMITMENT AND SENIOR LEADERSHIP CHANGE IN INDIA Number of Banks Participating in: Carbon Disclosure Project 5 UNEP FI 2 UN Global Impact 2 Equator Principles 2 Climate Principles 1 Four Indian Banks named the challenges due to climate changes as very important and in the Top Ten Priorities Critical To Success Seven out of the eight banks surveyed believe that commercial lending banks in India can play a leadership role in the business community in addressing the challenges of climate change. The top management has been driving the climate change agenda in majority of the surveyed banks. Banks that demonstrate a high level of senior support for addressing climate change also demonstrate a high level of activity around initiatives that address the issue. All private sector and international banks involved in the climate change activities through formal partnership or relationships with external partners at a regional, national or international level. Public sector banks have not been taking part voluntarily but have been postponing the work until the legislations have been forced upon. Participating banks have highlighted that they have been forming partnerships with government agencies as well as industry associations to effectively discuss and act on issues. The RBI has issued notifications on corporate social responsibility for banks with reference to the role of banks in sustainable development and non financial reporting Six out of eight banks highlighted that the change in climate will highly affect the way they conduct their business and hence they would want to take advantage of the situation and enforce their business by being well prepared for the coming situations. 2.5 ROLE OF MANAGEMENT: GREEN BANKING IN INDIA Policies and Programs: Most of the banks have a formal written statement which describes the purpose and objectives of the organizations commitment to climate change. Such statements are usually included in the annual report of the company. Most of the banks have also been putting in place the policy of saving/reducing the footprints of the electricity consumption by implementing energy efficient systems in the offices and also by replacing the older systems. Most of the banks have a specific policy in place to consider the environmental issues associated with energy use, purchasing, transport, recycling and waste minimization. 2.6 MANAGING CARBON EMISSION Majority of the banks have been calculating their energy consumption and carbon footprint. Banks are getting external audits done for their energy consumption and follow it as a norm as opposed to the exception. The findings of such audits are being used to reduce their bills of energy consumption. All the banks have been indicating that the issue of climate change and sustainability was important to the organization. Example 3 Union Bank of Indias Energy Efficient Measures The union bank of India has decided to take an annual electrical energy audit. The bank has also installed solar power water heaters at the various facilities they maintain. Its the support service department of the bank that has been identified to implement such an energy reduction program. 2.7 EXTERNAL REPORTING All the participating banks communicate their actions on climate change as a part of their Environment or Corporate Social Responsibility Reports and statements. Almost 5 out of the 8 banks surveyed maintained their own greenhouse gas inventory such as calculating their carbon foot printing and undertaking annual energy audits. Seven out of the eight banks have a energy reduction or emission reduction plans on the agenda. Example 4 IDBI Bank IDBI bank is a member of National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The bank is also an authorised signatory to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). CDP aims to create a relationship between shareholders and corporations regarding the shareholder value and commercial operations because of the climatic changes. 2.8 INTERNAL COMMUNICATION AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT All the participating banks claimed that the issues relating the climatic changes were communicating internally to the concerned employees. Five out of the eight bank also informed that they have also initiated employee engagement programs so as to tackle the situations arising out of climatic change. Majority of the banks have also put up information regarding the climatic change on their intranet sites. Many banks have also been training their employees on specific technical fronts such as, sustainability screens on lending portfolios, enhanced investment criteria for low carbon projects. Banks have also been implementing car pools for their employees, hence encouraging not only clerical staff but also higher management to share transport so as to save the environment. Example 5 HSBC Global Research: Climate Change The HSBC Climate Change Centre of Excellence which had been established in 2007 has been ever since investigating the likely risks and opportunities of climate change for the financial markets and HSBCs business unit. About 30 reports were produced by the Centre in 2009, which also included a comprehensive analysis of fiscal stimulus for climate related investments. These reports have helped over 3000 customers to identify the opportunity and plan for potential climate change risks. 2.9 ENABLERS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVITIES Internal Factors: The top internal factors which have an effect on the climate change activities can be broadly classified as: Economic Benefits and Profitability Board influence Marketing benefits Refer to Table 3 External Factors: The top external factors can be specified as: Environment benefits Competitive advantage/new business opportunities. 2.10 PERCIEVED BARRIERS TO CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVITIES In the survey conducted by TCG and IBA it was concluded that the following are considered to be the major barriers for the cause: The Indian system lacks regulatory benefits and policy. The personnel lack technical knowhow. The cost implications. One interesting fact that came in light after the survey was that many banks in the survey wanted more legal regulations that provide an enabling framework. Some banks also raised the point that lack of general awareness about the climatic changes and its implications hindered their efforts to implement the green banking concept. Cost implications were also highlighted as a major hindrance, by three of the eight banks, to addressing climatic changes. However they believe that due to the added advantages and features such a s improved reputation or increased customer loyalty can overcome the financial concerns. Refer to Table 4 2.11 INNOVATION AND ACTION The Climate Principles framework have been represented in the research innovation and action by the banks as findings from key business lines. Research: The survey revealed that only two out of the eight banks currently have research on climate changes being carried on. The research being carried on by the Indian banks are less sophisticated as required by the cause. As most of the research is based on global level and is based on international standards the personnel here in India lack the technical knowhow of implementing the survey. Retail Banking: Half of the participating banks reported that they have implemented/incorporated carbon and climate issues to their retail banking arena. The banks also claimed to convince their clients to use paperless as a part of their green campaigns at retail outlets. Corporate Banking: Many of the banks that participated responded that many initiatives in corporate banking are underway which facilitates a transformation to a low carbon economy. Banks are also cognizant of how client defaults may increase from unanticipated `or underestimated mitigation. Project Finance: As there is a lack of knowhow to evaluate the risks associated with the changing climate and also the opportunities arising out of such a condition thus it acts as an hindrance for the consideration of finance of projects relating to climatic changes. Lack of technical knowhow often tends to raise the total cost of the project and hence restrains banks from entering into such a project finance. Asset Management: This field of the finance sector is still in its preliminary/infancy stage in India. So far only one bank has been thoughtful enough to launch a fund that takes account of ESG [9] issues. LEADING INDIAN BANKS AND GREEN BANKING 3.1 STATE BANK OF INDIA SBI Example 3.1.1 SBI Green Home Loans The State Bank Of India has started a new policy which they call as SBI Green Home Loans. It has been started with the objective of supporting the cause against the climate change and its implications. One of the initiatives which the bank has taken is the bank provides incentives to customers who choose green projects i.e. those projects which will be helpful in reducing the gas and carbon emission and help saving energy. Green Housing or Green Home is one of the types of loan identified for this purpose. The new Green Home Loan Scheme supports environmentally friendly residential projects and offers various concessions like reduced margins lower interest rates and zero processing fee. Example 3.1.2 Generation of Green Power SBI State Bank of India became the first bank in India to venture into the generation of Green Power on its own for by the installation of windmills for captive use. This action has been carried out as a Green Banking initiative, SBI has installed 10 windmills with the total aggregate capacity of around 15 MW in various parts of the country like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The future plans by the banks are even more lucrative as they plan to install additional 20 MW capacity windmills in Gujarat and soon touch a total production of 100 MW power generation through windmills in the coming five years. The officials of the bank believe that the bank consumes around 100 MW of energy in an year and hence by this initiative they are trying to be energy neutral and reducing their carbon footprints. The project has been carried on by Suzlon Energy and as one of the employees tells the cost of installation of one windmill of 1.5 MW is around Rs. 10 Cr. And the bank believes that the initial investment will be recovered in a short period of four years In an interview Mr. Tulsi R.Tanti CMD Suzlon Energy said that the mission of Suzlon Energy is to make all the Indian Banks go green and he also informed of being in talks with 25 banks. 3.2 ICICI BANK ICICI Banks Environmentally Sustainable Finance Initiative Example 3.2.1 Corporate Environmental Stewardship Initiatives ICICI Bank pioneered the corporate environmental stewardship programme with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to sensitize various corporate bodies, financial institutions/banks and government agencies involved in the project planning on issues regarding biodiversity, wildlife habitats, various environmental laws and conventions. As a part of the programme BNHS has initiated Green Governance Award to recognize the efforts of the company working for this cause. Example 3.2.2 ICICIs Clean Technology Initiative ICICI bank has been assisting many government and non government organizations to undertake clean energy and environmentally sustainable projects/initiatives. ICICI bank has been assisting projects that would specifically promote energy efficiency, renewable, demand side management by utilities etc. ICICI bank has also assisted ESCOs [10] in facilitating various urban local bodies and manufacturing companies in reducing their energy bills. 3.3 IDBI BANK Example 3.3.1 IDBI Carbon Desk IDBI bank has a separate team working on the CDM advisory service. The bank provides end to end services from the documentation to registration of the CDM projects for the commercialization of carbon credits. The bank also provides an upfront financing against the carbon credits/carbon credit receivables. The bank also facilitates the registration of the projects with UNFCCC and trading of carbon credits generated by the CDM Projects. There is also a refinance scheme initiated by the bank for energy saving projects for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector.

Abraham Lincoln: Civil War Essay

SUMMARY: It is true that president Lincoln felt deep grief over the loss of thousands of Union soldiers in a battle against the Confederacy in order to turn the tides of war and keep the Confederate soldiers from encroaching on Union soil. The deaths of the soldiers was not in vain; the Battle of Gettysburg had been a pivotal point in the Civil War and rekindled some hope in Union. However, the grieving families and surviving soldiers felt none of this bolstered morale and so the president not only aimed at addressing the tragic loss of the soldiers, but also remind the families and others in the Union that they had lost their lives for a greater good. He tells the citizens that they are not fighting solely to preserve the Union, but also to unite the nation and allow for greater freedom throughout the country. As a result of Lincoln’s passionate final words and his declaration of the preservation of democracy in the country, the grieving families and disheartened common men were rejuv enated and rallied behind this new cause. The tone of this speech was prideful and convicted. Abraham Lincoln describes the soldiers as â€Å"brave† and that they have honored the land their bodies had been strewn upon far more than the men who dug their graves and create a national cemetery had. His pride in his men is most evident when he states that they must dedicate their time to finishing the war the soldiers had â€Å"so nobly advanced.† He also shows a sense of conviction, and tries to persuade the audience that it is imperative they win the war so that â€Å"these dead shall not have died in vain† and that they ensure â€Å"that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom†. He is trying to convince his audience that the only way to ensure democracy does not perish is to win the Civil War and reunite the nation. Lincoln is referring to the â€Å"birth† of their nation and describes the way the nation came to be the democratic place it is as almost akin to childbirth. H e says that liberty is the nation’s mother and the fathers are those who had written the Constitution. The effect of this idea of the nation being almost child-like and alive reminds them that America was still infantile compared to European countries, like England and France, and that it was still growing and learning. The Civil War was just another minor, albeit important, event to learn from and use to make their country stronger when the Union and the Confederacy finally merged as one again. Before Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg address, the man before him had given a two-and-a-half long speech. Lincoln’s succinct speech allowed him to illustrate his feelings about the war and the deaths of the soldiers concisely; he was able to hold the audience’s attention and come off as sympathetic, as opposed to pretentious, as the man before him had with his rambling â€Å"ode†. Lincoln’s 82 word last sentence, comparatively longer next to the other simpler sentences, summarized his feelings on the war and the necessary action the Union must take. He called for action and held the audience accountable for ensuring the â€Å"new birth of freedom†. The length of the sentence allowed for a build-up of emotion that climaxed at his last, most famous declaration that they create â€Å"a government of the people, by the people, for the people.† Two examples of repeated diction were his usage of the words  Ã¢â‚¬Å"consecrated† in the second paragraph and â€Å"devotion† in the third. His repetition of the word consecrated, synonymous with the word honored, reminds the audience that the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the Union were to be held in the highest regard and that they were heroes to emulate in both manner and thought. Lincoln is telling the audience indirectly that to fight and die for one’s country is a noble thing, not something to grieve over and the intended effect is to â€Å"set a fire in their hearts† and convince them that continuing in the war, despite the losses, is necessary. The repetition of the word â€Å"devotion† also illustrate Lincoln’s point of the soldiers being heroes for their sacrifice to the country, and that those in the audience should aspire to work to make sure the devotion the soldiers had for their country was not in vain. It should be the desire of the entire Union to act as the deceased soldiers had and give their all for America. Two examples of parallelism are when Lincoln says â€Å"†¦of the people, by the people, for the people†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"†¦from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . His repetition of a government completely revolving around the citizens arouses a sense of importance in the role the American people have in their country and makes them aspire to achieve the objectives Lincoln has given in order to gain this kind of control over their government. The contrast Lincoln draws in the second ex ample of parallelism portrays the audience as only benefiting from the sacrifice the soldiers had made and the soldiers as noble heroes who only gave all they had to protect the Union. This gives the audience a sense of guilt and a desire to protect their country and serve it just as the brave, deceased soldiers had. One example of Lincoln’s use of juxtaposition and antithesis is in his line â€Å"for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.† The contrasts between the real and the abstract, immortality and mortality and life and death are all made in this one phrase. The death of a human being is a harsh reality that people can see and recognize, but the death of a nation is more abstract and is personification, not truth. A nation is immortal because it is not truly alive in an organic sense, and therefore it can not truly die as a human being can. Lastly, a contrast is drawn between the word lives, which has a positive connotation, and the phrase â€Å"gave their lives†, which has a negative connotation. The effect of the juxtaposition and antithesis  reinforces Lincoln’s idea of the nation as being something aliv e and real, as a human being, and that it is important to protect the nation so it can continue its life, unlike those who chose to die in order to save it, and democracy, from destruction. The purpose of the word â€Å"But† in the second paragraph rhetorically is that Lincoln is informing his audience that he is going to be speaking about a greater subject: not just the loss of a few men, but what the loss of those men, and their sacrifice, meant to the Union as a whole. One example of ethos in his speech is when he speaks of the framers of the Constitution and how they were also dedicated to gaining freedom and liberty for America. One example of pathos is when he says â€Å"the world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.† This is an example of pathos because it is drawing on the emotions of the audience, which was comprised mostly of the family of the dead soldiers, and makes it clear that their sacrifice was a great one for the nation – one that will never be forgotten. One example of logos when Lincoln states that â€Å"it is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated hereto the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.† This is logos because it appeals the the logical sense of the audience because it convinces them that if people were so dedicated to this war, that it is only reasonable to finish it, since to fail to do so would mean that the soldiers died in vain and democracy would be destroyed.

Natural Resources and Energy in the Rainforests

The beauty, majesty, and timelessness of a primary rainforest is indescribable. It is impossible to capture on film, to describe in words, or to explain to those who have never had the awe-inspiring experience of standing in the heart of a primary rainforest. Rainforests have evolved over millions of years to turn into the incredibly complex environments they are today. Rainforests represent a store of living and breathing renewable natural resources that for eons, by virtue of their richness in both animal and plant species, have contributed a wealth of resources for the survival and well-being of humankind. These resources have included basic food supplies, clothing, shelter, fuel, spices, industrial raw materials, and medicine for all those who have lived in the majesty of the forest. However, the inner dynamics of a tropical rainforest is an intricate and fragile system. Everything is so interdependent that upsetting one part can lead to unknown damage or even destruction of the whole. Sadly, it has taken only a century of human intervention to destroy what nature designed to last forever. The scale of human pressures on ecosystems everywhere has increased enormously in the last few decades. Since 1980 the global economy has tripled in size and the world population has increased by 30 percent. Consumption of everything on the planet has risen- at a cost to our ecosystems. In 2001, The World Resources Institute estimated that the demand for rice, wheat, and corn is expected to grow by 40% by 2020, increasing irrigation water demands by 50% or more. They further reported that the demand for wood could double by the year 2050; unfortunately, it is still the tropical forests of the world that supply the bulk of the world's demand for wood. In 1950, about 15 percent of the Earth's land surface was covered by rainforest. Today, more than half has already gone up in smoke. In fewer than fifty years, more than half of the world's tropical rainforests have fallen victim to fire and the chain saw, and the rate of destruction is still accelerating. Unbelievably, more than 200,000 acres of rainforest are burned every day. That is more than 150 acres lost every minute of every day, and 78 million acres lost every year! More than 20 percent of the Amazon rainforest is already gone, and much more is severely threatened as the destruction continues. It is estimated that the Amazon alone is vanishing at a rate of 20,000 square miles a year. If nothing is done to curb this trend, the entire Amazon could well be gone within fifty years. Massive deforestation brings with it many ugly consequences-air and water pollution, soil erosion, malaria epidemics, the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the eviction and decimation of indigenous Indian tribes, and the loss of biodiversity through extinction of plants and animals. Fewer rainforests mean less rain, less oxygen for us to breathe, and an increased threat from global warming. But who is really to blame? Consider what we industrialized Americans have done to our own homeland. We converted 90 percent of North America's virgin forests into firewood, shingles, furniture, railroad ties, and paper. Other industrialized countries have done no better. Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil, and other tropical countries with rainforests are often branded as â€Å"environmental villains† of the world, mainly because of their reported levels of destruction of their rainforests. Why should the loss of tropical forests be of any concern to us in light of our own poor management of natural resources? The loss of tropical rainforests has a profound and devastating impact on the world because rainforests are so biologically diverse, more so than other ecosystems (e. g. , temperate forests) on Earth. Consider these facts: †¢A single pond in Brazil can sustain a greater variety of fish than is found in all of Europe's rivers. †¢A 25-acre plot of rainforest in Borneo may contain more than 700 species of trees a number equal to the total tree diversity of North America. A single rainforest reserve in Peru is home to more species of birds than are found in the entire United States. †¢One single tree in Peru was found to harbor forty-three different species of ants – a total that approximates the entire number of ant species in the British Isles. †¢The number of species of fish in the Amazon exceeds the number found in the entire Atlantic Ocean. The biodiversity of the tropical rainforest is so immense that less than 1 percent of its millions of species have been studied by scientists for their active constituents and their possible uses. When an acre of tropical rainforest is lost, the impact on the number of plant and animal species lost and their possible uses is staggering. Scientists estimate that we are losing more than 137 species of plants and animals every single day because of rainforest deforestation. Surprisingly, scientists have a better understanding of how many stars there are in the galaxy than they have of how many species there are on Earth. Estimates vary from 2 million to 100 million species, with a best estimate of somewhere near 10 million; only 1. million of these species have actually been named. Today, rainforests occupy only 2 percent of the entire Earth's surface and 6 percent of the world's land surface, yet these remaining lush rainforests support over half of our planet's wild plants and trees and one-half of the world's wildlife. Hundreds and thousands of these rainforest species are being extinguished before they have even been identified, much less catalogued and studied. The magnitude of this loss to the world was most poignantly described by Harvard's Pulitzer Prize-winning biologist Edward O.  Wilson over a decade ago: â€Å"The worst thing that can happen during the 1980s is not energy depletion, economic collapses, limited nuclear war, or conquest by a totalitarian government. As terrible as these catastrophes would be for us, they can be repaired within a few generations. The one process ongoing in the 1980s that will take millions of years to correct is the loss of genetic and species diversity by the destruction of natural habitats. This is the folly that our descendants are least likely to forgive us for. † Yet still the destruction continues. If deforestation continues at current rates, scientists estimate nearly 80 to 90 percent of tropical rainforest ecosystems will be destroyed by the year 2020. This destruction is the main force driving a species extinction rate unmatched in 65 million years. As human beings continue on the quest to find more efficient and economical ways of creating a better life, the world at large is feeling the effects. Searching for new land to build and to grow crops on has created a predictable disturbance to the biogeochemical cycle in rainforests. The biogeochemical chemical cycles in a rainforest rotates through both the biological and the geological world, this can be described as the biogeochemical process. Of course a rainforest takes hundreds of thousands of years to become lush and tropical, while it takes big business a matter of hours to demolish the land and begin building, farming or drilling oil wells on. The plants and animals in rain forest either remain undiscovered, become extinct or are lost to the destruction of the heavy machinery used to clear the land. This has an immense effect on the biogeochemical cycles in the rainforest. Reservoirs are affected and the trees of tropical rain forests are unable to bring water up from the forest floor that would naturally be evaporated into the atmosphere. This is a cycle that is necessary for the whole planet. Oxygen is released into the atmosphere by autotrophs during photosynthesis and taken up by both autotrophs and heterotrophs during respiration. In fact, all of the oxygen in the atmosphere is biogenic; that is, it was released from water through photosynthesis by autotrophs. It took about 2 billion years for autotrophs (mostly cyanobacteria) to raise the oxygen content of the atmosphere to the 21% that it is today; this opened the door for complex organisms such as multicellular animals, which need a lot of oxygen. (McShaffrey, 2006) This is typically the responsibly of trees in a rainforest to carry chemicals from the land into the atmosphere. Human beings are having a major impact on this action being completed. During the clearing of these rainforests, humans burn the area to be excavated and the carbon cycle in the area is then disrupted. Fossil fuels release into the atmosphere excess carbon dioxide. More carbon dioxide is then released into the air and the oceans eventually causing a common condition called global warming. Global warming simply means that the carbon dioxide produced in the atmosphere is permitting more energy to reach the Earth’s surface from the sun than is escaping from the Earth’s surface into space. Reference http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm

The Paradox of American Government

The Paradox of American Government The unresponsiveness of the government institutions to the public demands highly affects on the citizen participation and voter participation. The Americans have different ways of expressing their popular over the government institutions and when these institutions fail to respond to such demands there are many reactions from the citizens. The most distressing thing is that these institutions even dismiss the reactions of the citizens according to Ethridge and Handelman (1997).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Paradox of American Government specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Citizen participation involves three aspects participating in public hearings, comment procedures and reviews thus failure of the government to respond to public demands affects these three aspects. For instance, the citizens fail to attain legitimate involvement in planning and other decisions. This in turn affects the welfare of the community which cannot be achieved without mutual agreement between the public and the government. In such situations, the public also feels unsatisfied and like they are not being paid attention to, as stated by Peltzman (1998). This results in public chaos such as demonstrations and strikes which are believed to be the main way to make the government address their needs. Similarly citizen participation in government duties such as public hearing reduces since the citizens do not feel comfortable with the government’s activities. Citizen participation is very important in the review process of any government procedures, therefore failure of the federal system to address their demands results to them paying little attention to the reviews and this might slow down development projects. Moreover, such unresponsiveness antagonizes the members of the public as they ditch them against each other. This is because they forced to speak of their problems in unfriendly terms to terms to get thei r problems known. This in return makes the decision makers unable to sort out what the citizens want hence unable to make a choice of using public input as stated by Rothstein and Steinmo (2002). Such acts also discourage the busy and thoughtful citizens from wasting their moments doing what appears to be unnecessary to the federalist systems. The unresponsiveness also raises the ambivalence of citizens and other public officers on the hearing from the community at all. Voter participation is an important duty for every citizen as it allows them to participate in political decisions. However, the federal government’s failure to respond adequately to their demands reduces their interest in the government hence the following voter participation is likely to be low. When the federal government does not pay attention to the public needs and the elected delegates do not act according to their promise, the voters feel betrayed and the result of this definitely is a less voter turno ut or change of interest. As a result it is very important for the federal government to ensure that the interest of the people is valued as suggested by Milakovich and Gordon (2012).Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The public interest is very crucial in the planning of development projects thus when the public feels that their interest is looked down upon, they have the right to demand the rights including demanding for re-election especially if their concern has not been addressed. The American public is and has remained very influential in political matters and especially those affecting the citizens directly and this usually determines how voter participation turns out to be, according to Hill (2006). As a result, if the government fails to listen to their demands, the public is bound to have the same influence on voter participation and this will be most likely in a ne gative way. References Ethridge, M. E. Handelman, H. (1997). Politics in a Changing World. Auckland: Cengage. Hill, D. L. (2006). American voter turnout: an institutional perspective. Michigan: Westview Press. Milakovich, M. E. Gordon, G. J. (2012). Public Administration in America. Auckland: Cengage Learning. Peltzman, S. (1998). Political Participation and Government Regulation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Rothstein, B. Steinmo, S. (2002). Restructuring the Welfare State: Political Institutions and Policy Change. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Paradox of American Government specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

Eiffel Tower essays

Eiffel Tower essays Gustave Eiffel the great man who built the Eiffel Tower in 1889. The tower itself had no practical use it was just use to demonstrate capabilities of recent engineering. There are some interesting and unique facts about the Eiffel Tower like how it ways 7000 tons. Also whats cool about it is that a man sitting on a chair has the same amount of pressure as the Eiffel Tower, because the great architectural and design it has to offer. The Eiffel Tower had its mark as the highest building for a long period of time. In1929 when the Chrysler Building was built in New York City the Tower lost its mark the highest skyscraper. The tower also has air elevators which bring you to the four different floors that it has to offer. Each floor has different and wonderful scenes to look at. The first floor originally, there was a spiral staircase between the second floor and the top level. Gustave Eiffel used these stairs to get to his top floor office. The second third and fourth floors as well as the first floor has a lot to offer a varied range of food and beverages that can be enjoyed for a quick meal. If you are interested in eating at the Eiffel Tower you are welcome to eat at two of the magnificent restaurants called Altitude 95 and Le Jules Verne. Altitude 95 you are probably thinking how it got its name. Well it is located on the first floor and how they got the name is that its 95 meters above sea level. It c an seat up to 200 people with a bar and refreshments on the lower floor. Le Jules Verne is located on the second floor and has its own private elevator access that you can take. With all the fun and sceneries the tower as to present it also has opening and closing hours in which you can have a chance to tour the tower. From 9.30am to 11pm from January 1st to June 10th and from September 1st to December 31st the tower will be open but the stairs are closed at 6.30pm. Fro ...

Is the world inside Video game should running some law and limitation Essay

Is the world inside Video game should running some law and limitation as the real world - Essay Example In the video games virtual societies, the players must comply with specific rules and laws that seek to make the games more engaging. Failure to comply with some of such rules earns the players various punishments that range from point deductions and eventual ejection from the completion. The fact that the video games are increasingly becoming common among the modern societies and the fact that they seek to portray the nature of the contemporary society makes the design and the application of the laws and regulations a contentious issue. The developers of the games employ regulations that make the games more engaging without considering the implications of such rules and laws in the real society. In most games such as need for speed, the player drives a racing car capable of withstanding some of the worst car crushes. Additionally, in the game traffic rules are relative with the infractions such as ramming onto a police car and resisting arrest earning one more points that are compli mentary. Addiction to such games has effects on the peace and stability in the real world since some of such laws apply in the real world. Furthermore, in real world a car crush may turn fatal depending on the intensity of the crash. Moralists will continue to advocate for the harmonization of the video game rules to the laws in the real society while capitalists and entrepreneurs who develop the games continue to oppose such moves. Developers of the games rely on the large market turnout to sell their products thus make more profits. Abiding by such laws in the real world such as speed limits, the official driving age and drunk driving are some of the laws that should they incorporate in their games may affect their profitability. Developers of the games seek to make their products as interesting and as engaging as possible. â€Å"They heighten the conflict between the players and the authorities in order to make police evasion an interesting and intriguing experience to their cus tomers† (Jeff 257). In fact, breaking the laws in the virtual society becomes the game. Harmonizing the rules of the games to those in the real society would make the games boring thus affect their profitability objective (John 41). Among the most controversial issues in video games have been the heightened crime and violence in the product especially given the fact that most of the consumers of such games are children. Moralists have therefore often propagated for the minimization of violence in the games since they influenced the actions of the young members of the society. Propagators of such reasoning even called for the placement of age restrictions in the games in order to regulate the level of violence of the games accessed by younger members of the society. The liberal portrayal of guns in the games is contrary to the social structure in the real world. The games thus motivate younger members of the society to live an illusionary lifestyle in which they appreciate viol ence and shun peaceful ways of solving conflicts. Such are valid arguments that should influence the formulation and development of video games. Producers of the video game products are business people just as any other. They therefore carry out extensive market researches in order to determine the prevailing favorable trends in the market. Through such market researches, the producers have determined that

How did the Normans consolidate control of post-conquest England Essay

How did the Normans consolidate control of post-conquest England - Essay Example Following King Edward’s death, a council of influential men commonly known as Witan settled on Harold Godwin to take charge of England. This decision did not augur well with several people including William, who was the then King of the Normans and Harold’s brother Tostig. William particularly took issue with the fact that Edward had promised him the crown of England when he retired, and swore to that in 1063. King Harold’s, first obstacle was to face his brother Tostig, who had combined forces with the then King of Norway to overthrow Harold’s rule. Tostig’s desire to rise to power nevertheless, came to an abrupt end in September of that year when the English army won against them (Warren 1987, pg. 18). Buoyed by the victory he had just had over his brother, Harold marshalled his troops to carry on with their match, with their next destination being King William’s sphere of influence, located within the northern region of France. In October of 1066, the two warring parties met near Hastings, and the great battle over the English crown began. At first, Harold Godwin’s men were destined to beat the Normans. However, their weariness became evident when the situation changed suddenly and Harold was killed in the process . The battle did not stop until such a time when all of Harold’s loyal bodyguards were all eliminated (Warren 1987, pg. 19). William the then Norman king ascended to the English crown, and with it came the Norman invasion of England. As mentioned in the section above, the Norman conquest of England began in 1066, following the invasion of the Kingdom of England by William the Duke of Normandy. Moreover, William’s victory during the battle of Hastings heightened his claim for the English crown. Though it came with a mixed bag of reactions, the Norman conquest of the English Kingdom proved vital for the history of England (Roche 1995, pg. 46). This is majorly because the invasion linked England more