Pollution

In most countries the birth rate has fallen as incomes and the economic opportunities for women have increased. The expansion of women’s income has discouraged fertility. Women have found it more expensive to have kids because of time and limited resources. First being a full time. Mother can conflict with the amount of time away from the house. It cost money to have someone watch kids during the day. Women rather only have one or two children because excessiveness is expensive on both incomes.

Second, large family use to be necessary in the days of gig infant mortality rates and additional children were needed to ensure that a reasonable number would survive. But with today’s technology that is not likely an issue with families. Last we have more birth control options then before and it’s also affordable in lower income families in some countries. In the debate about clean air standards we have often heard the statement, “A nation as rich as the United States should have no pollution. ” This is a normative statement because it involves judgment about what should be or what ought to happen.

It says we should have no elution because the nation is rich gives it no room for testing or validating. So this in no way can help me make a decision on national air quality standards. A positive statement that might be useful in determining the air quality standards would be: If cars reduce less toxic in the air it can reduce the amount of pollution in our ecosystem. Government laws and regulations to reduce waste or polluting help increase companies responsiveness to the environment. Rational decision making can make a person better off because they can think of the outcome before they do something.

Think of it as a game of chest you need to plan your next move carefully because it will affect the next move you make after that. Always think about you next move because it will prepare you for life predicaments. For example I can study more to improve my grade is my first move but to improve my GAP to eventually get into a good Law school is my next move. If I study hard I will prepare myself to exceed my educational goals in life so I always have to . And I didn’t learn this from school I learned this in the field at work.

I believe that Hollywood will make ore movies like Titanic because people romantic movies are what people normally prefer. The demand is high so even if it’s good movie or not it will still make it in Hollywood because it’s what the public likes. For example the Twilight movies where really bad to my opinion after the second one I stopped watching them because the book gave it more life then the actual movie. But people still want to go see them and they would stand in line overnight. Just to be the first one to see it which was sad because that movie was driven out of proportion.

The US is facing manifold challenges as 2009 unfolds at an accelerated pace. Of pressing concern are job losses that have hounded almost every industrial sector . Global environmental issues continually present a rising concern. Even big and robust firms are bracing to contend during trying economic times by rethinking strategies and compensation plans. Country-wide, an overall stimulus plan has been broached to President-elect Barack Obama, and he has acknowledged that major efforts will have to be exerted in terms of implementing policies, laying down the infrastructure, and restoring financial stability.

In the meantime, environmental experts and major business players will also have to work in conjunction with government especially during these trying times to help rev up the economy. Framework for Economic Policy and Issues I. The U. S. economy’s current position in the business cycle The U. S. economy’s current position in the business cycle is bleak. In contrast to the long stretch of economic boom dating back to the early 1980s, the country is facing one of the most challenging economic situations in years.

Several firms, including leading auto makers, are experiencing sales slump. Dwindling consumer confidence has also been affecting most other businesses. Notwithstanding numerous job cuts and cost-cutting measures employed by firms since the recession was felt, and despite the discouraging economic outlook which may be gleaned from such realities as an unstable housing market, some sectors – notably small business operators – still nurture high hopes that things will get better.

The overall economic scenario looks gloomy, prompting many businesses and the government’s economic think-tanks to devise countermeasures to stay afloat. Given reports that “America could look forward to a mild recession in the first part of 2009, giving way to sluggish recovery by year-end” (Ip, 2009, p, 63) and the forecasted unemployment rate rising to 2. 7 percent or higher, (Ip, 2009, p, 63) data suggests that the US, under the new Presidential Administration, is in for a tremendously tough challenge. II.

Corporate Social Responsibility and the profit motive Companies nowadays adopt the triple bottom line approach which looks not just at the economic aspect of running a business but also the social and environmental requisites demanded by the public at large. About a decade ago, most firms have been wary or hesistant to practice corporate social responsibility (CSR) at the expense of economic profit, resorting merely to plain rhetoric and empty claims that CSR is at the core or DNA of their corporate culture.

These days, fueled by discerning clientele and a growing realization that being energy-efficient, environmentally and socially responsible bodes well for long-term business viability, many firms have taken the cudgels for corporate social responsibility through eco-friendly measures and activities designed to plow back to society its earnings. Recent studies have shown that “companies that score well on various environmental metrics also demonstrate above-average return on investment and stock performance,” (Karabell, 2008, p. 24) thereby debunking the age-old notion that a contradiction exists between being socially/environmentally responsible and reaping business profits.

Some examples of successful companies that have shown that thinking about public good and reaping profits can meld harmoniously are Toyota (with its introduction of its hybrid car Prius), Google, Dupont, and many others. These firms have proven that there need not be a contradiction between CSR and the main task of maintaining business viability through profit. III. Economic policies that may avert pollution

To a large extent, countries have been relying on private sector-led environmental initiatives to curb greenhouse gas emissions, one of the major challenges facing societies today. One of the palpable economic policies that may avert the problem of pollution is the imposition of charge taxes on greenhouse gases emitted by firms’ pollution-generating activities. “A properly designed carbon dioxide charge system could enable the U. S. to achieve in a cost-effective way an internationally set emissions reduction goal” (Stavins, 1993).

On a broader context, the US government’s key agencies may also work in conjunction with highly committed international organizations and environmental advocacy groups and respond to the climate change crisis by sustaining efforts of investing in renewable energy sources and taking the lead in substantial reduction of its own greenhouse has emissions by setting out to “implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions – more specifically, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20-30% below 1990 levels by 2020” (Eschenburg, 2008, par. 6).

Passing sound legislation to limit carbon emissions, alongside business-led initiatives aimed at sustainability, is vital. IV. Economic principles to guide corporations in executive compensation plans For an economy to recover, business entities, particularly leading firms that help fuel overall growth, must operate on the principles of meritocracy and corporate social responsibility. As far as executive compensation is concerned, most chief executive officers (CEOs) judiciously balance a company’s revenue stream with its human resource compensation policies.

Amidst an economic downturn, compensation plans for top management may require some rethinking. While attractive compensation that a reputable firm may offer serves to lure and retain top talent, whose skills may be put to strategic use in setting directions and maintaining the firm’s competitive edge, there are also mid-range companies that need to realistically refrain from hiring new high-salaried top managers. Executive compensation, particularly of consultants that offer specialized skills, also depends on other factors like a firm’s size and operating earnings.

In times of recession or continuing sales slump or decrease in profits, reducing executive pay packages, particularly bonuses, make much a lot of sense. V. Conclusion It may be gleaned that the US is one of those countries which has seen extraordinary changes and met herculean challenges over the past several years. The challenges that currently face the new Administration require committed focus and action centering on sound economic, social and environmental policy strategies and legislation. To a large extent, responding to these challenges requires the steadfast support and cooperation of global agencies/institutions.

References Eschenburg, H. (2008) Compilation of foreign policy proposals for the next President. Retrieved February 14, 2008, from http://www. connectusfund. org/blogs/compilation- foreign-policy-proposals-next-president Ip, G. (2009). Pick your scenario. The Economist – The World in 2009. 63. Karabell, Z. (2008, August). Now green means business. Newsweek, CLII(6), 24. Stavins, R. (1993). Yes: green taxes would reduce pollution and support economic growth. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from http://ksghome. harvard. edu/~RStavins/Papers/Yes_Green_Taxes. PDF.

There are many ways to define sustainability and to answer the question of whether we live in a sustainable society you should first define the question. The simplest definition of what a sustainable society is still very complex. A society that can persist over generations, one that is farseeing enough, flexible enough, and wise enough not to undermine either its physical or its social systems of support (Hubbard, 1996).

Other sources label the question as an environmentally sustainable society that satisfies the basic needs of its people without depleting or degrading its natural resources and thereby preventing current and future generations of humans and other species from meeting their basic needs (Answers. com). Many people have struggled to define sustainability and sustainable communities. Trying to define sustainability is like trying to define democracy, justice and other important principles that guide our society.

On a global setting this task of creating a sustainable society should be the first thing each government around the world addresses, however, in most cases this subject is far too low on the list of priorities. This economic boom we have witnessed the past decade was the results of a generation that pushed for economic growth as a means to improving humanity’s condition, now the world realizes that economic development is pointless if it destroys its environmental base that fuels it.

The start of economic development created factories, automobiles, and waste that pollutes the world’s air, water, and soil, decimates forest and natural resources, and creates toxic wastes and overflowing landfills. Our government has already seen the importance of protecting select areas from this type of economic growth and has made millions of acres of land protected from any development. The world is finding out quickly that if we continue with the same approaches that created these problems then we will have environmental problems for future generations.

Sustainable development is a far-reaching approach to repair and avoid these problems. The idea of sustainability is an ongoing process and something that will take decades to achieve. The want for an increased quality of life and to preserve the environment for present and future generations is apparent around the world. After all, what good are jobs and a strong economy if we do not have a habitable planet to put them on? The problem is not if we want to, but how can we. To covert from our current life style and economic base without destroying it seems near impossible.

Communities around the country are demonstrating that it is indeed possible to increase economic and community well-being in ways that promote a healthy environment. So what is the process that will lead us to a future of sustainability? Resource efficiency is an essential foundation of sustainability. Communities can significantly reduce environmental impacts and improve the economy by using energy, water and materials more efficiently, and by using better manufacturing techniques that cut pollution, waste and production costs. Current U. S. nergy use demonstrates the enormous potential presented by resource efficiency.

We can easily reduce current energy use with existing cost-effective technologies. Energy efficiency is one of the most direct ways to address air pollution, acid rain, smog, climate change, oil spills, scarred landscapes and all the other environmental harms associated with the production and consumption of energy. The U. S. uses the 2nd most electricity annually in the world, China being number one (Heimbuch, 2011). China, however, has four times our population and average power per person is three times lower than the U. S (Heimbuch, 2011).

We live in this society that takes something as simple as electricity for granted. How can a society like the U. S. change the way we use electricity? Today our government has bills in place that grant tax credits and refunds to those that buy high efficiency products like tank-less hot water heaters and TV’s that use less gas and electricity. This is the only way, in my opinion, to reduce how much energy we use. Our society works off a unique set of rules and priorities that all come down to one thing, money. Making things so expensive or giving incentives for using less is the only way to get our ttention.

Imagine for a moment that gas was five dollars more a gallon, putting the cost per gallon over eight dollars. How much less would each person use? What if it cost 10 times as much to turn on a light switch, would you change your habits and only use what you had to? The reality of what we are faced with here is not a change that everyone doesn’t want to make; it is more of an unwillingness to lose the comforts of our current unsustainable society. When households, businesses and local governments implement resource efficiency improvements, they free up money for other purposes.

It is the responding of this saved money that generates significant community economic advantages from resource efficiency. Think of the businesses and operations in your community. Imagine the environmental and economic results if grocery stores, office buildings, industries, schools, restaurants and public operations all curbed resource use by an easy 20%, and then went on to cut other operation costs through waste reduction, recycling and pollution prevention (Millennium Institute, 2011). The point is to make wasting precious resources cost more money to businesses.

If you do not spend the extra money to cut down on the pollution or other negative impact that you create on the environment then our government should step in and take that money. It creates a system where you either get on board with these policies and spend the money to reduce your impact, or we will take that money anyways; even go as far as taking more than the cost of the improvements. Some may argue that just making things cost more would destroy our current economic system and push millions more people into poverty level.

A minimum wage job could not support a young couple if simple bills like driving to work increased this much. This change would have to happen over a decade’s time in order for people to adjust their way of life. If you put society to the test they will shock the world by adapting to change. Technology is available today that can reduce the use of un-renewable resources and tomorrow’s technology can only continue to do so, so long as the focus is on sustainability.

For example, our current food system is energy, water and pesticide intensive, enormously dependent on expensive inputs, and responsible for massive losses of topsoil. One of the environmental costs of our current food system is its scale, and the amount of energy required simply to transport food from the field to the table. Some communities are finding ways to address the environmental harms of our food system by reconnecting with local agriculture, resulting in fresh, tasty, regionally distinctive foods for residents and restaurants, creating local jobs and a better place to live (Millennium Institute, 2011).

A technology that can maintain a local food system to eliminate the need to transport the produce so far is a much better use of technology than trying to produce a product that can stay fresh longer. The focus of our technology has been blinded by our society’s need to consume and socialize. The next generation will see less importance on a sustainable society unless we teach things to our youth. We do currently live in an un-sustainable society and we are all faced with an uncertain future because of it. Years have gone past after we have realized this with very little change in how our society attacks the issue.

I think about things like fast food and water parks when people argue about increased costs of the basic needs for a family. I walked into a Coach Outlet store with my girlfriend the other day and was just amazed at the activity level in the store. From $300 dollar purses to $100 matching wallets I was confused about how this could be possible in a so called “tanking” economy. This example of our society’s twisted outlook on what we think we need and what we actually need. Billions of people around the world are never even exposed to the things that in a U. S. society are considered needs.

A $500 phone, $300 purses, $3000 a month rent bills, an “extra’ car, a 2nd home, vacation after vacation, 36’ 5th wheel’s and a power stoke engine to hall it with. The list can go on and on; cable TV, high speed internet, 4 computers in one household, music, games, and sports. Yes these things are what our society considers freedoms and the American way of living life, but how long can the American way of life hold up. The billions that never see these things worry about just a few things in life; food, water, and shelter, and of that list we make poor decisions every day.

My brunch I had the other morning is a perfect example of a poor decision. I sat down at IHOP the other morning and ordered enough food to feed 10 starving kids, spent an hour playing around on my iPhone drinking my $2. 50 endless coffee. Including tip I walked out about $19 poorer, not something I do very often and still had to eat something later in the day. We feel as if it is our freedom to consume what we want, when we want to, and from whom ever we want to buy in from. The reality of it all is that we can, but for how long is the question we are now starting to ask ourselves.

The law emphasizes solid waste avoidance and volume reduction through source reduction and wastes immolation measures, with the protection of public health and the environment as the primary goal. There are issues to be addressed here:

• lack of management system,
• lack of public support for environmental concerns,
• lack of public awareness through information and education.

Solid waste management whose importance is directly related to public health, resource management and utilization, and maintaining a clean environment, Is necessary For ensuring human development.

Solid waste management benefits the population In many ways. Past efforts to promote waste segregation at source have failed despite the Issuance of city that have been cited for the non-compliance include indifference of local residents to participate in community waste management-related activities, local government collection services’ non- allowance for segregated waste collection, residents’ attitude that government has he sole responsibility over garbage management and lack of information and education campaigns.

The City Government admitted that they failed to focus on solid waste management concerns and had difficulty enforcing the policy due to a lack of budget and resources to educate the public on the proper means of disposing garbage in accordance with Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Management Law. To address this problem, I think education drive and a budget to teach residents about segregation would be needed.

But even if the public will educated, the next problem would be dumping of the segregated waste and it seems that with the worsening economic crisis and unemployment, it is highly likely that the trash cans that would be provided for segregated garbage stolen and sold. Barraging officials should campaign for the adoption of segregation among households within their neighborhood. The “heart and soul” of RA 9003 is monopolizing barraging officers and their constituents to make recovery facilities or areas for recycling household waste.

Hometown is a place we live in. It is the place which means a lot for us and that’s why it is important to think about how to make it a better place. As I am thinking about what I miss in my hometown, I realize it is a bathing pool. Bathing pool is a place the people can go over the summer, the place where they can relax and also the place where they can get healthy. Many young people in Piestany are very bored over the summer holiday, because they don’t have the place to go.

They are bored and feel very hot, and that is the reason they spend so much time in their houses doing nothing productive. Having a bathing pool could definitely entertain them and contribute to a happy society. As in a lot of big cities, in my city there are a lot of adults who are permanently stressed from the work and need a place to take a rest, relax and forget about the daily stresses. The bathing pool over the summer can provide an effective way to cool down.

As well as over the winter, the hot healing water in the pool can provide an effective way to warm and heal the person. Piestany is a spa city which has a lot of healing thermal springs. If they can make a bathing pool combined with the thermal water, it can be a good place for all the citizens of my city. Basically, the bathing pool with the healing water can contribute on making our society healthier. In summarize, having a bathing pool in my hometown would be a great way how to make the citizens in in the city happy, relaxed and healthy.

People have argued about the use of plastic bags for a long time. The arguments for both sides seem to have more and more reasons every time. I believe that plastic bags are great for many reasons. Plastic bags convenient and take up less space in landfills than a paper bag. Plastic bags are an inelastic good. Replacing it would not be easy to do. Plastic bags are super convenient. They have many good things about them. They are light weight so it is easy to transport them and carry them. They are also cheap so we can afford to have all of them. They may be wasteful to some, but they are more helpful then they are wasteful.

We can switch to a more expensive, less durable, product, or we can use plastic, an item that is extremely convenient that boast of heavy benefits. Another key feature of plastic bags is the fact that they take up less space in landfills than a paper bag. People complain about how plastic bags take up so much space and we should stop using them and switch to paper. But the facts show that a plastic bag takes up a lot less space. Official sources have stated so. If it takes up less space in landfills than the other main type of bag, why would we want to switch to something that takes up more space? It just seems totally pointless to do so.

Plastic bags are here to stay. They are convenient and pollute a lot less than other bags so this makes them an inelastic good because we simply cannot find a more suitable replacement. They say to stop using plastic and to switch to other products, but I think it is a truly wonderful material. It is used to make things cheaper, lighter, and more durable. It is a staple in America, being used in everything from my surfboards to the very computer I am using to type this. The price and the uses of plastic is just too great to get rid of, so I believe that deserves to be the dominate material in society.

Explain the statement, “decision-making about environmental issues necessitates the maintenance of between the effectiveness of measures and the public reaction towards them. Include two outside references. Format your summary consistent with PAP guidelines. Read the following scenario: You are an associate level environmental scientist in Phoenix, AZ. Growing human population within the city increases pressure on the infrastructure and on natural resources, and this affects the environment. As cities expand, they cut deeper into surrounding rural areas, causing environmental problems, such as the loss of wetlands, loss of biological habitat, and air and water pollution.

The high density of automobiles, factories, and commercial enterprises in urban areas adds to airborne emissions, including particulate matter, various types of oxides, and hazardous volatile compounds. Phoenix City Council is worried that this pattern of population growth is beginning to rate a number of negative environmental, economic, and social consequences. These include deteriorating infrastructure, increasing traffic congestion, declining air and water quality, and the loss of open space.

The City Council has charged you with writing a report with recommended measures to fix the pollution issue. The City Council provides a budget of $18 million for tackling the environmental issues. Make decisions on the optimal measure for addressing the pollution management issue. Choose 4 of the 7 measures given below based on popular acceptance, budget use, and pollution reduction: . Pollution control legislation for point sources.