Critically examine the role of environmental legislation in the attempt to prevent problem shifting between environmental media.

Critically examine the role of environmental legislation in the attempt to prevent problem shifting between environmental media. The 1970's saw a growing concern for environmental affairs on a global scale reflected in extensive media coverage and public support. The support was gathered with the 1960's radical protests that questioned much of society's characteristics and demonstrations such as the first national Earth Day of April 1970, USA (McCormick 1989). The rise of the global environmental movement, which often is said to have begun in 1962 with the publication of Rachael Carson's infamous "Silent Spring", was accompanied with a series of environmental disasters (McCormick 1989). These included the well publicised oil spills of the Torrey Canyon 1967 and Santa Barbara blow out 1969, the Minamata Disease caused by Mercury pollution into water, which became apparent in the late 1960's, and the high occurrences of photochemical smog in large cities around the world. The high media coverage of these disasters, fuelled by public interest, highlighted the need for common environmental regulatory controls to be placed upon economic growth. The European Union was initially established as an economic agreement between the 15 participating European countries, (the Rome Treaty in 1957) although there was no common environmental consideration outlined within the treaty.

  • Word count: 2326
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Physical Sciences
Access this essay

The aim of my study is to investigate the following hypothesis: "New Towns have a higher environmental quality than Older Towns".

Introduction The aim of my study is to investigate the following hypothesis: "New Towns have a higher environmental quality than Older Towns" I intend to prove or disprove this statement as objectively as possible and to complete my assignment using both primary data (from field work-surveys / questionnaires) and secondary data (from other sources such as the Internet, libraries and books). To do this I have to collect sufficient evidence and acquire an overall understanding of the circumstances in both new and old towns. To do this I carried out 3 types of survey: * Environmental Street Surveys * Housing Quality Surveys * Questionnaires 'what do the town think?' Additionally I will investigate the Environmental quality of the towns Environmental Quality of Old and New Towns To obtain an understanding of the environment in Romford and Basildon I will be looking at factors such as crime rate, population, litter, education, services, vandalism, and resources. Furthermore I will use the results from the questionnaires I will carry out when I visit both towns, so I can compare what the town thinks, and the secondary data from sources such as books. Then I will use this information to make a prediction on if the hypothesis is correct. Environmental quality in Romford (Old Town) Property Prices (October-December 2002) RM4 1 Romford (RM3, RM6, RM7...) England &

  • Word count: 393
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Physical Sciences
Access this essay

Environmental Law Public Participation

LLB Environmental Law Essay Title: "Public opinion is a fickle creature and the right to environmental information will only be exercised by a few". Can access to environmental information be seen as an environmental protection tool? Intro Access to environmental information is imperative to ensure meaningful public participation in environmental matters; it also enables the public to contribute to the environmental decision-making process. There are suggestions that public participation is likely to lead to better decision-making, which will enhance environmental protection. However, it should be pointed out that the idea of 'improved' decisions or 'enhanced' environmental protection is highly controversial.1 Further, although there are certain provisions that provide for access to such information, there are still various limitations to the access and remedies, where information has been denied. This essay will explore some important recent instances of increased participation in environmental law, focusing on those developments which seek close citizen involvement in decision-making. I will also consider the extent to which the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and Freedom of Information Act 2000 promote and broaden public rights of access to environmental information in the UK. Participation There is a number of different ways in which the general public

  • Word count: 3127
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Physical Sciences
Access this essay

Investigation into two North Norfolk Towns.

Investigation into two North Norfolk Towns Identification of the Question The aim of this study is to see whether Cromer has a different environmental quality pattern to North Walsham. Cromer and North Walsham were chose for the reasons shown in figure 1. According to the theory of centrality I would expect that Cromer had a generally lower environmental score than North Walsham and that environmental quality in Cromer deceases from the centre, in North Walsham I would expect to see the environmental quality increase from the centre. The following hypotheses will be tested: * Cromer will have a poorer environmental quality than North Walsham. * Environmental quality decreases from the centre in Cromer Figure 1: The location of Cromer and North Walsham. Development of a Strategy In order to measure the environmental quality of both settlements efficiently we divided the towns into 5 sections and divided into groups of 4 to look at the environmental quality of a section then we compiled our results. At each point where we had to record the environmental quality we checked for risks, the main risk was from traffic. Figure 2 shows how we recorded our results. In each of the items to be recorded the lower the score the worse the environmental quality of the area. Figure 2: Data recording sheet Collection of Data To collect the data we used a systematic system shown

  • Word count: 1584
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Physical Sciences
Access this essay

The Austrian Grand Prix attracted over a quarter if a million visitors in 2001. Discuss the access problems that result from staging a similar event in a region or country of your choice.

BSc Motorsport Management Yr 2 Motorsport Venue Management Simon Noblett May 03 Assignment Title: The Austrian Grand Prix attracted over a quarter if a million visitors in 2001. Discuss the access problems that result from staging a similar event in a region or country of your choice. Clearly indicating how the demand for transport could be managed successfully. The role of any commercial venue is to provide the services and facilities needed to host an event, whether it is a regular fixture or a one off special event. A venue can be anything from the backroom of a pub used to hold meetings to a huge multipurpose stadium complex. Many commercial venues will be well managed and highly flexible being used for a diverse selection of events. Such examples are Birmingham's NEC and Cardiff's Ice Rink. The NEC hosts a menagerie of events from trade shows like the Autosport show and is completely transformed and submerged in several feet of water for the International Boat Show. Likewise The Ice Rink is used daily for ice skating, stages regular ice hockey matches and figure skating events, but has also been subject to a make over and was unrecognisable when Godskitchen put on a dance event with a six thousand capacity at the start of April. Such flexibility is fundamental to ensure that the earning potential of a venue is maximised by having the venue in use as frequently as

  • Word count: 1840
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Physical Sciences
Access this essay

An essay evaluating the following statement ;"Environment taxes are no more than devious attempts to increase tax revenues whilst making governments feel good about themselves"

CONTENT PAGE NO. .0 Environmental Taxation 2 2.0 The Government's Role in Environmental Tax 5 3.0 Is Environmental Tax a Devious Attempt to 6 increase Tax Revenue? 4.0 Conclusion 12 5.0 Reference 13 6.0 Bibliography 15 An essay evaluating the following statement ; "Environment taxes are no more than devious attempts to increase tax revenues whilst making governments feel good about themselves" .0 Environmental Tax The world today is suffering with environmental issues, but it is impossible for individuals to make a different by them selves, thus bringing environmental tax into the picture. Environmental taxation What is it? "People often think of taxation and the environment as two entirely different worlds" (Smith, n.d.). Milne argues that the government can and do use tax policies to achieve environment goals thus bringing the two together. It has been said that Environment Tax can be defined as a tax whose base is a physical unit that has a proven negative impact on the environment. (Robert, n.d.). It is further argued by Ribeiro, that environment taxes are particularly effective instruments for the internalization of the externalities, by incorporating the cost of environmental damages and repairs onto the goods and services. However some of these taxes are interlinked and in some cases taxes are set based on

  • Word count: 3072
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Physical Sciences
Access this essay

We assume in economic theory that the preferences of consumers will determine their welfare.

Student id: 324247 Part 1: We assume in economic theory that the preferences of consumers will determine their welfare. It is sometimes necessary to place a value on those preferences. When an event occurs which has an effect which can't solely be valued through market prices, another valuation method is required. This occurred in 1989, where an oil tanker, the Exxon Valdez, ran aground in Alaska spilling millions of gallons of oil into the sea. Fishing suffered as a result, but there were other consequences of the spill; these needed to be valued to get an accurate picture of any compensation levels. CVM's 'popularity' as a valuation method has grown over recent years; the concept of this growth has been the acceptance that "preserving and improving the environment is never a free option" (Pearce et al 1989) in addition to the realisation that the environment does have an effect on peoples welfare, and to maximise people's welfare, the environment becomes a major factor. For any environmental resource, there are different use values; direct use values are those values which come from direct usage of the resource. Indirect use values refer to benefits people indirectly derive from the resource, for example through ecological functions. The value placed by people who don't use a value now but would like to keep the possibility of future use are called option values.

  • Word count: 2966
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Physical Sciences
Access this essay

How useful is the concept of desertification to understanding the sustainability of dryland production systems in Africa?

How useful is the concept of desertification to understanding the sustainability of dryland production systems in Africa? "Man is both the cause and victim of desertification; a process which is continuing or even accelerating in Africa....action is needed now to alleviate the plight of the large populations affected. If these people are not helped, they will exert more pressure over a weak natural system." - Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Issues (1986: p15, 111) "Desertification is perhaps the best example of a set of ideas about the environment that emerge in a situation of scientific uncertainty and then prove persistent in the face of gradually accumulating evidence that they are not well founded." - Swift (1996: p73) At the interface of environment and society relations, the productive use of African drylands has been both a source and testing ground for the theory and practice of key environmental issues. Dryland areas are characterised by aridity and the variability of precipitation, with growing periods of 75 to 179 days a year (Mortimore, 1998). Often perceived to be on the brink of sustainability, analysis of drylands has variously drawn upon Malthusian ideas of carrying capacity, Hardin's (1968) idea of 'the tragedy of the commons' in terms of property rights and land tenure, and broader themes such as the colonial mindset and native

  • Word count: 3235
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Physical Sciences
Access this essay

What is Beach Erosion?

Erosion is the large-scale name for the processes that turn rock into sediment and carry it from high elevations to lower elevations. Erosion is responsible for the shape of the land around us not just things like the Grand Canyon. Erosion is what fills the rivers with silt and piles up the beaches with sand. Erosion is the very reason that streams exist and why the government spends billions of dollars dredging mud from the world's shipping channels. But the main focus of this paper is the persistent eroding of beaches. (Hanley, 1998) What is Beach Erosion? Most people do not know what beach erosion is nor do they care much about it. But erosion has a huge impact on the beach and therefore will affect humans as well. Erosion is the wearing away, or corrosion, by which materials are taken away from the earth's surface. Beach erosion is a global problem that depends and fluctuates depending on the local conditions in a particular area. Erosion has become one of the most alarming threats to regional, national, and international beaches. As humans have built permanent structures on coastlines, coastal protection has become necessary to protect buildings and industry, while preserving features such as beaches and inlets. (Griffin, 1992) What Causes Beach Erosion? Beach erosion is caused by a number of factors. The ubiquitous desire to live near the sea, tropical

  • Word count: 1000
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Physical Sciences
Access this essay

Dioxin contamination, Times beach, Missouri, USA.

Letort Vanessa Student Number: 2029474 Module Number: HEV 3211 Purchase Diane PORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENT CASE STUDY: DIOXIN CONTAMINATION, TIMES BEACH, MISSOURI, USA. Dioxin is a general term that describes a group of hundreds of chemicals that are highly persistent in the environment. Dioxins and furans are some of the most toxic chemicals known to science (Porteous, 2000). The most toxic compound is 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin or TCDD. The toxicity of other dioxins and chemicals like PCBs that act like dioxin are measured in relation to TCDD. Dioxin was the primary toxic component of Agent Orange. Dioxin is formed as an unintentional by-product of many industrial processes involving chlorine such as waste incineration, chemical and pesticide manufacturing and pulp and paper bleaching. Dioxin is formed by burning chlorine-based chemical compounds with hydrocarbons. The major source of dioxin in the environment comes from waste-burning incinerators of various sorts and also from backyard burn-barrels. Dioxin pollution is also affiliated with the production of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) plastics (Internet 1). Dioxins are a serious public health threat. According to a draft report released for public comment in September 1994 by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPAS, there is no safe level of exposure to dioxin. After publication of a research paper from the

  • Word count: 5461
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Physical Sciences
Access this essay