Will the Oil Crisis happen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Will the Oil Crisis happen - Essay Example As Daniel Yergen concisely states, "We're not running out of oil. Not yet." He qualifies this statement by stating, "Right now the oil market is tight, even tighter than it was on the eve of the 1973 oil crisis." He even states that, "in this high-risk market, 'surprises' ranging from political instability to hurricanes could send oil prices spiking higher," but he - like many other scholars - does not foresee an actual supply shortage in the near future. He notes that the public at large has heard the rumor that rising gas prices are an indication "that the world is going to begin running out of oil in five or 10 years," and many people believe this falsehood to be true. However, the reality of the situation is just not that simple. The ever-changing prices of fuel might be an indicator of a fluctuation in the market, but many experts agree that price instability is not a reflection of a dwindling oil supply. Yergen states that new field research conducted by Peter Jackson and Robert Esser actually indicates quite the opposite is true. He states that Jackson and Esser have actually forecast "a large, unprecedented buildup of oil supply in the next few years." Their figures estimate that "between 2004 and 2010, capacity to produce oil could grow by 16 million barrels a day -- from 85 million barrels per day to 101 million barrels a day -- a 20 percent increase." Although fuel consumption is a never-ending fact of our society, modern technology is making it possible for the world's oil suppliers to use much more efficient techniques for finding new reserves and exploiting the ones we already have. As Deming states, "With every passing year it becomes possible to exploit oil resources that could not have been recovered with old technologies." Much of the optimism in Leonardo Maugeri's The Age of Oil is founded in such technological hope. He writes, "It is probably true that our planet does not hide many more gigantic, yet-to-be-discovered deposits of conventional oil. But the discovery trends we are witnessing today can make this irrelevant" (220). He believes that "unconventional sources such as gas liquids, ultra-deep offshore deposits, ultra-heavy oils, shale oils, and tar sands" hold some hope for future development. Scientists are currently researching ways to put these resources to use. Since high gas prices allow companies to have more capital for scientific advancement and research, his hope of nontraditional fuel sources may likely become a reality. He also states that the Persian Gulf and Russian Federation "have huge potential for new reserves additions" if they can overcome "outmoded technologies and poor management" (221). Ultimately, when fuel companies need this oil, the market will likely force them to find a way to make the right technologies available to these regions. For example, the largest oilfield in Kuwait is still using equipment from the 1940's and 1950's to extract its oil (224). Surely, modern technology will be able to help this field and many others as the quest for oil intensifies. Yergin predicts that "the share of 'unconventional oil' - Canadian oil sands, ultra-deep-water developments, 'natural gas liquids' - will rise from 10 percent of total capacity in 1990 to 30 percent by

Academic Language Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Academic Language Analysis - Essay Example The indirect quotes that were used in the sentences in these paragraphs equaled the number of sentence that existed since they were twelve and it can be said that each sentence had an indirect quote with no occurrence of any indirect quotes. These paragraphs were therefore average in the size when the number of sentences and the amount of words are considered since there were slightly over three hundred words in both paragraphs and an average of one hundred and fifty words in each of the paragraphs. This makes it easier to understand the reading since the sentences are not unnecessarily long and they put the points that they have across to the person that is reading much easier. The introduction of the article brings into perspective in a clear way what the main article contains and talks about. It outlines what the goal of the study which is to explore how college students use the internet in the studies that they are undertaking and the opinions that these students have of the academic position online on a basis of a sample that represents the whole nation (Jones & Johnson-Yale et al., 2008). This gives an insight in the contents of the rest of the material that is contained in the article and makes it an easier read. The literature review is arranged in such a manner that the subheadings that it contains are supposed to indicate when writer has moved from one idea to the next one as the article develops. These subheadings are numbered in sequence such that they follow each other in a simple way to keep the ideas flowing so that they do not appear to be jumbled all over the place and make the article to become harder to read. This literature review is not only a summary of the sources that the article relied on, but it is organized in a particular manner that makes it fuse the summary which is an outline of the vital sources of the information and a synthesis which re-organizes and re-shuffles the information that

A Comparison between the Pantheon and the Coliseum Essay

A Comparison between the Pantheon and the Coliseum - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the Roman Empire has been credited with a lot of history regarding its people, events, and most importantly architecture. Rome’s historical credit, in terms of architecture, is partly attributed to two great buildings, which are the Pantheon and the Coliseum. Architecture in Rome was not only limited to buildings but also included roads, great walls, forts, and baths. These two buildings see to it that Rome hosts an influx of hundreds of tourists on a daily basis. The building, Pantheon, was constructed in AD 118 at a site, which two buildings built had earlier burnt down. On the other hand, Coliseum was constructed in the year AD 80, on a site that hosted an artificial lake. The building of the enormous Pantheon structure was under the orders of Emperor Hadrin. Flavian Amphitheater is a different name used to refer to the Coliseum, whose construction was under the orders of Emperor Vespasian. Looking at the time the emperors ga ve orders for constructions of the two buildings, it is evident that the Coliseum was built earlier than the Pantheon, and both buildings count over 1,900 years of their existence. Pantheon, dome-shaped, was built with the objective of being a Temple. Coliseum was built in a shape that resembles an arena, and in most instances, it served the purpose of accommodating people during public entertainments and free games. The Coliseum suffered an incident in which part of it was destroyed by an earthquake, but to this day, the two buildings are still in existence serving as historical sites. Architecturally speaking, the two buildings the Pantheon and the Coliseum, can be compared and contrasted. Culture, traditions, and religious beliefs of the Roman Empire affected the architectural construction of the Pantheon and the Coliseum. Ancient Rome’s culture, tradition and religious belief were marked with the building of structures, which were novel at that time. Ancient Rome was an architectural society as it is reflected with the numerous constructions of monuments, temples, roads, forts, markets, theatres, villas and great walls. The structures were used for entertainment and religious purposes. Culture in ancient Rome entailed entertainments and games, which featured gladiators or slaves, fighting and the only way to win was to kill the opponent while spectators watched. In ancient Rome, tradition was practiced through worshiping gods in the buildings constructed as temples. Additionally, religious belief in ancient Rome was practiced through Christians worshiping their God in temples. The Coliseum Cultural, traditional and religious influence on the Coliseum The political class of Rome took advantage of Rome’s culture to construct the Coliseum in order to distract its citizens from politics. This was due to the fact that ancient Rome’s cultural practices were marked with a lot of entertainment and games. The Coliseum, which is an enormous structure, was built with the intention of providing an entertainment zone for Rome’s citizen at that time. Its construction was also political, in that it distracted the citizen of Rome from focusing on the political struggle at that time. The arena could accommodate more than 50,000 people in its four stories during entertainment sessions. This ampitheater was commissioned by the Emperor Vespasian credited to have been the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled ancient Rome the entire time the Coliseum was under construction. Rome’s architectural culture was exemplified when Emperor Vespasian annihilated an artificial lake, which was constructed during Emperor Neroâ₠¬â„¢s reign and replaced it with the Coliseum (Coarelli & Gabucci, 2001 p207). The culture in ancient Rome, all along was also practiced through having many days and nights dedicated to celebrations and festivities. The celebrations were marked with slaughtering animals, drinking and organizing games to be watched by crowds of

Economic systems envisioned by Adam Smith in An Inquiry into the Essay

Economic systems envisioned by Adam Smith in An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of The Wealth of Nations and Karl Marx in The Communist Manifesto - Essay Example The food in the farms is produced for the global village and manufacturers produce for the entire globe. The consumers of the products remain to be the entire world. Adam Smith however, unlike Carl Marx, believes the wealth of the nations’ originates from the ability of laborers to work, this being skill and also the proportion of the employed to the unemployed. He says, this is what differentiates the wealthy nation and the poor nation. In that, a wealthy nation has less people working but everyone due to the sill of the laborers has abundant and is satisfied. However, in poor nations, the labor is more but unskilled such that, the little that is produced is not enough for the nation (Smith, 1776). Unlike Carl Marx, this perspective draws to attention the skills of labor and the units thereof that are accommodated by the capital. Another perspective in the causes of the wealth of nations is division of labor. Both Carl Marx and Adam Smith agree that it has led to growth of wealth. However, according to Carl Marx, it has continued to grow the rift between owners of factors of production and its laborers. Division of labor according to Adam Smith has contributed greatly in enhancing wealth. This is because, first, it has led to specialization. There are different branches of trade more so in the manufacturing industry. The different branches have given rise to expertise per work space (Smith, 1776). This has led to labor’s ability to do more than when they aren’t specialized. Another aspect is that of time. Time is greatly saved in production when division of labor is involved. According to Smith, it becomes easier for a worker to perform his work with specialty without wasting time changing and adopting to new skill. Another important cause of wealth through labor division has been the technological inventions (Smith, 1776). It is rather true that when one has one focus on work, they are able to come up with easier

G.C.S.E. English Coursework Macbeth Essay Example for Free

G.C.S.E. English Coursework Macbeth Essay Assignment title: (5) Fair is foul and foul is fair. Show how this image recurs and develops through the play. Throughout the tragedy, the theme entitled fair is foul and foul is fair, is key to the plays success and dramatisation, as it both recurs and develops as the play continues. The fore mentioned words are used by and against the key characters in the play, as Shakespeare uses his language to portray the theme and characters. The witches are key in performing the appearance versus reality theme. This major theme is first brought on in the first scene of the play, with the spooky, disturbing, oxymoronic verse culminating in Hover through the fog and filthy air, which explains Shakespeares intentions for the plot and deeper metaphors and echoes through to act five. The blatant opener is much like the oxymoron of I.3, lesser than Macbeth, and greater, which appears impossible, but sets the later scenes in which Banquo meets his end; because Banquo is lesser when he dies, but will be greater because of his fantastic devotion to good, and he shalt get kings, showing Shakespeares desire to impress James I, the possible seed of Banquo, in his theatre. It is clear that, by Hecats rhyming speech in III.5, strength of their illusion, that the fiends whole purpose and method is to deceive people like the literate Macbeth by situations appearing to mean certain things, but in reality meaning something totally different. This clever characteristic is also displayed by the apparitions: the third real or hallucinative metaphor, Be lion-mettled, tells Macbeth of the seemingly impossible move of Birnan Wood the high Dunsinane Hill that they speak of is the only way in which to kill Macbeth, and the English pick up the wood as a simple, proverbial but deadly i mportant battle tactic. The genius playwright shows subtly and brilliantly the innocent appearing child holding a tree, giving the rapt main character a clue to the ironic developments. The equivocal meanings along with the ever-present personification, Who chaves, who frets, would excite the audience and provide excellent entertainment. Also in the apparition scene, it seems that the masters are thought by Macbeth to tell him convivial news, but in fact they bring the disagreeable kind after the rhyming first head, beware Macduff! Dismiss me, enough., has deemed the tragic hero in this typically beautiful narrative, but what Macbeth does not know is that that what the bloody child said about his fate none of woman born shall harm Macbeth, which sends Shakespeare into his ride into the clouds incorporating the usual elaborate metaphors, a bond of fate, sleep in spite of thunder when the fantastical plot of Macduffs Caesarean section sees Macduff as the one with the powers, when he eventually kills the tot ally believing Macbeth. Shakespeare develops the character of Macbeth as a study of the supernatural when what seems like a worthless guess by three old hags, This supernatural soliciting, turns out, not only to be true, but doubtfully veracious in Macbeths mind from the very off, when even he does not know whether it is fair or foul, cannot be good, cannot be ill, in his oxymoronic evaluation of the words of the witches beforehand, creating dramatic Irony. Banquo is the contrast of this with his steadfast righteousness, to betrays in deepest consequence., but the evil predictions turn out to be true in Shakespeares idealistic plot, (to follow James Is views in his book, demonology) as the demons drive him to the highs of monarchy and all the way back down again. The soliloquies of Macbeth provide us with excellent insight into this well developed theme. He openly admits he himself is performing his own fair/foul deeds, Hes here in double trust, as what seems to be a feast for Kind Duncan, turns out to be his own murder as Macbeth describes the apocalyptic imagery, tears shall drown the wind, which he sees in the future, after his equivocal change from polysyllabic to monosyllabic words, Commends the ingredience, naked new-born babe, where Shakespeare cannot decide whether to be literally superb or to concentrate on his plot and echoes. This is developed again by the poet in the next act when it moves on from the simple, deceiving act of treachery, to disguise of evil, covering up true nature, Nature seems dead, where the malevolence is personified and Tarquins ravishing strides bury the seemingly irrepressible mother nature into the ground, as the audience are whiteness to the scene as a dilemma when Macbeth turns into the depraved, perfidious side of him. Macbeth is so rapt at the apparitions scene that he continues to use his poetic licence to great effect as, even when he is shocked, he continues to rearrange the two opposites while using alliteration to its fullest, blood-boltered Banquo. He continues in the exact same state of mind in the following pages, as Shakespeare develops Macbeth as an assertive, yet easily persuaded character, when the minor Lennox receives the same attention as the rest none The castle of Macduff I will surprise, as he ponders on how to kill the feared Macduff: Ironic because he hol ds the opinion that Macduff is foul, although he is fair and he believes the witches speak fairly, but their intentions are very foul. Much like in IV.1, Macbeth performs a soliloquy in his distressed state of mind while Seyton is present, in V.1. The theme is much more developed here where the philosophical Shakespeare tells his now entranced audience that Lifes but a walking shadow, displaying Macbeths depression, followed by his metaphorical, negative description, Struts and frets, of a thing that is thought of as virtuous by the majority of people. This comes after the so- called bad news of his wifes death, but he seems to think that a foul thing like that seems quite fair, She should have died hereafter, even though he appears as the other, sympathetic half of himself, find her disease, before again changing disposition, Would scour these English hence, where he self-centred like concentrates on his own, fragile destiny, as Shakespeare plays around and jumbles the character of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is an excellent example of the fair/foul theme. She is a lady and is thought to be a kind, loving and lady-like, but her dramatic, alliterative entrance in I.5, And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers, is the real Lady Macbeth, while the play write shows superbly how she is seeming to be fair in front of guests, Look to the lady, but in fact she is the real villain of the play, tormenting the audience and every-ones innocent ignorance of women. The theme is somewhat reversed towards the end of the script because Shakespeare with his depraved repetition, To bed, to bed, to bed has not made Lady Macbeth such an enemy to his enthralled audience, that they cant really feel sorry a little for her illness, This disease is beyond my practice, as she becomes more fair in the juggled end of the play. The wife of Macbeth also appears un-hurting, senseless and cruel, before we see the start of her more fair side in II.2, Had he not resembled I had donet, as the writer teases the audience with his confusing, twisting plot and monosyllabic dialogues. She repeats a more feeble side of herself in a more complex way as the play develops, dwell in doubtful joy, and she becomes a weaker character. Her contributions to the fair foul/foul theme change as she slowly becomes less of a villain, but her grip on her husband gets much weaker, Be innocent of the knowledge dearest chuck, as he becomes more of the evil one, whilst continuing to use oxymoronic personification, Light thickens, because before, he was looking to be just deception intended by the witches, In their newest gloss, where the lady attacks Macbeths masculinity, then you were a man, but in the second and third murders, a brave man being brought down by the witches. Lady Macbeth is also a great believer in the theme as a disguise for the couples actions, Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent undert, as the great, evil mind of the lady, developed very early on in the play, plots to kill the king. She and him both exhibit their earlier intentions after the murder, outrun the pauser reason, and What, in our house, when suitably the predictions by the witches to be literal and an excuse to gain power, but the bad acting would show off Shakespeares talent of producing dramatic irony, frustration and repetition to show women as being insignificant, O Banquo, Banquo! Our royal masters murdered, which he does throughout the play. In the murder of Duncan, Lady Macbeth has an important role, as her argumentative side is apparent. This is so because she is taking the predictions by the witches to be literal and an excuse to gain power, but the well educated Macbeth sees the foul deception by the witches, In their newest gloss, where the lady attacks Macbeths masculinity, then you were a man, but in the second and third murders the she has no involvement. He dismisses her with his over stunning oxymoron, restless ecstasy, and alliterative metaphors, lifes fitful fever, so Shakespeare can show off to James I. The hallucinations of particularly Macbeth display the appearance versus reality theme because the objects appear, but are not reality. The dagger, well portrayed by some productions as a shadow, is the first time that Macbeth begins to hallucinate. His rapt, overpowered state of mind is skilfully shown by Shakespeare to provide us with apocalyptic imagery personified, fatal vision, and the thought that a fal se creation could turn a seemingly fair fate into such a foul ending. When the blood and gore become a reality, the cry of women, Untimely ripped, and Macbeth meets his sword-shaped death, which he speaks of in that soliloquy, moves like a ghost, as personification and simile spell out the real fate. At the turning point of the play, III.4, it is questionable whether Macbeth is hallucinating or not. This is still a good example of the fair /foul theme because Banquos death was supposed to be a good thing for Macbeth, but it turned out to be bad, whether in the mind of Macbeth (maybe through the witches speculative powers) or as the genuine ghost that is scripted by Shakespeare, with some in-appropriate, pretty language. The ghost of Banquo represents the change of feelings, of and towards the Macbeth couple, because Macbeth is sent into an even more psychotic, but still repetitive rapture, It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood, while the innocent flower withers and dies and havoc and evil reign in his kingdom, turned wild in nature, but l ady Macbeth becomes seriously mentally ill. At the start of act five, it is lady Macbeths turn to be hallucinatory. In scene one of that act, she admits she is really the evil one, as she was the one who projected the idea of a wolf in sheeps clothing, although disguised by Macbeths polysyllabic personification, Be bright and jovial among your guests tonight, and she ends up as the wolf. Shakespeare attempts to redeem her and not leave her on such a sour note as Macbeth, but possessive, selfish, un-dignified metaphors, Hell is murky, All the perfumes of Arabia, only drive the indifferent, spoilt character more into the role as the villain, before Macbeth kills mercilessly. Dramatic Irony shows the theme superbly because the audience can know of the truth while the characters do not. We first see Macbeth as being fouler than we originally thought when he initially makes his metaphorical lies. The now persuaded and focused Macbeth uses Shakespeares dramatic irony as the audience are aware of his thoughts as he deceives the righteous Banquo, I think not of them, when he first shows the audience that he is a traitor, while the killed traitor was replaced by him. When the play has turned against Macbeth, so has the dramatic irony. We heard in V.4 that the prophecy of the witches has deceived Macbeth and the Bard so comically yet sincerely with his own metaphors shows Macbeth hearing the news, The wood began to move, where the tragic hero is told of a seemingly fair protection against death, turned foul against him into certain fate. The tone is not such a happy and pleased one in IV.3. We can imagine the audience distraught and upset when the unfortunate Macduff is first lied to by Ross, but then the news breaks. Shakespeare increases the tragedy by Ross equivocal words They were well at peace to increase the dramatic irony before he sickens the audience with his blunt upheaval of alliterative comparison, your wife and babes savagely slaughtered, drawing people away from the idea that death is rest, first touched upon by the mercurial Macbeth. The disturbed Shakespeare is very obsessed the death of young characters. The people visiting the play will be very distressed by the playwrights veracity to beguiled murderers as first a small boy is brutally hacked down by the assassins, He has killed me mother, (and even he can use metaphor, shag-haired villain) followed by a teenager losing his life in vain, Thou liest, abhorred tyrant!, as the bewitched main character goes on his last run. This shows dramatic irony because we already know that only one of women born shall harm Macbeth so Shakespeare shows off his literary skills as the characters in Macbeth show their true states of mind through their language. Virtually the whole play contains the fair/foul theme; from the very first scene, until the moment in which Macbeth dies. As his evil world disintegrates, Malcolm concludes saying that righteousness is returned and the end of Macbeth signals the absence appearance versus reality, That fled the snares of watchful tyranny, and that Scotland will continue under his reign and significantly, James Is. He believes that Macbeth was not the totally guilty one, Of this dead butcher and his fiend-like queen, but the dead Lady is. Shakespeare must end the play relevant especially to James I, as a happy ending because the king would not like to see his fears the witches win or his possible ancestors lose.

Should Constitutions be Written?

Should Constitutions be Written? Constitutions should be written. Discuss. Choose one country with a case law system and one with a civil law system and discuss the advantages of each. ANSWER 1. Introduction A constitution can be defined as a system or framework which enshrines the principles and rules by which a body is governed. In the context of states the term makes reference specifically to the national constitution of the state, which serves to define the fundamental political principles, the legal environment and modus operandi of the state and which establishes the duties and powers of the government of the state.[1] National constitutions can be classified as either codified or uncodified. Codified constitutions are those which are contained in a single document, containing the single source of the constitutional law of a state, and perhaps the most well known example is the Constitution of the United States.[2] Uncodified constitutions are those which are not contained in a single document, but consist instead of several different sources, which can be written or unwritten.. It should be noted that there are hybrid systems which seem to fall between the two classes such as the Australian Constitution[3], in which constitutional law largely derives from a single written document, but other written documents are also considered part of the constitution[4]. Probably the best example of a pure uncodified constitution is the constitution of the United Kingdom which does not rely on any single written fundamental document, but rather consists of a patchwork of written and unwritten sources. The term written constitution makes reference to a constitution which is entirely written and by definition this would include every codified constitution. Indeed, in academic writing the term written constitution is synonymous with codified constitution, and in similar fashion the term unwritten constitution is interchangeable with uncodified constitution (although as stated this is not always entirely accurate: see Australian constitution). In the modern world, codification is the norm. Most states have evolved written constitutions which stand as the supreme and overarching statements of national law. Unwritten constitutions are certainly in the minority, but it is submitted at the outset that this should not be taken as proof that a written constitution is a prerequisite to success or stability. 2. A Common Law System: England The United Kingdom is notable in that it operates under an unwritten constitution, although this term has been criticised by commentators such as Bogdanor as a â€Å"misleading platitude†[5]. In this paper we will confine ourselves to an examination of the legal system of England and Wales, within the United Kingdom, because the Scottish legal system derives from Roman Law a very different legal heritage and tradition.[6] The modern English system of law can be traced back to the Norman conquest of 1066. The Norman kings, while promising to respect local rights and customs, dispatched judges to travel around the country on circuits and these judges gradually began following each other’s decisions to preserve the consistency of the application of law in different parts of the country. This practice became formalised and is today known as the doctrine of judicial precedent. This doctrine was extremely successful in underpinning the English common law system (ie a law common to all parts of the kingdom). One advantage of this uncodified model is that it is free to grow and develop organically to suit the changing environment it must regulate something which is more difficult when one is bound by a rigid set of general principles such as that which would underpin a fully written system. As the Parliament at Westminster fully established itself and grew in power and authority over the Monarch it took its place alongside the common law. Together, the common law and Parliamentary legislation came to offer a coherent and comprehensive system of law, which has matured and refined itself over centuries of stable government. It can be argued that an unwritten system puts its faith in untrammelled democratic process and in those charged with its maintenance. There are, it is submitted, obvious risks attached to this strategy, but in simple terms England has never found the need to adopt an overlaying written constitution, because of the strength and scope of its existing system. However, this is not to say that the English ‘constitution’ is entirely unwritten. Aspects of constitutional-style law are evident in venerable statutes such as the 1215 Magna Carta,[7] the 1689 Bill of Rights[8], the 1701 Act of Settlement[9] and the 1911 and 1949 Parliament Acts.[10] More recently the United Kingdom has adopted quasi-constitutional law in piecemeal fashion by means of the European Communities Act 1972, which provides the legal framework necessary for the country’s membership of the European Union, and the Human Rights Act 1998, which imports the rights and freedoms enshrined in the European Convention of Human Rights into UK law, conferring those rights on citizens of the United Kingdom. This means that the English system achieves an effect equivalent to that which is delivered by a written constitution without the formality of the latter model and therefore some of the advantages of written systems are to some extent rendered nugatory. That sai d, the principle that stands at the very heart of the English legal system and overrides all other provisions and considerations cannot be found set out in any of these documents. The highest rule of UK law, which has the potential to override any principle of a constitutional or quasi-constitutional nature, is the Doctrine of Parliamentary Sovereignty. This unwritten rule declares that the Parliament of the United Kingdom enjoys full and unchallengeable sovereignty in all its actions. In practice, this means that the Parliament of the day (namely the House of Lords the House of Commons, and the Monarch acting together)[11] has supreme authority over all aspects of English governance and all other institutions of the state, including the courts and other executive bodies. This ensures that the situation in England differs with that which prevails in many states operating under codified or written constitutions, where supreme courts are often empowered to strike down legislation deemed to be unconstitutional in nature.[12] The Constitution of the United States’ is one example of such a system and the so-called â€Å"checks and balances† it employs to safeguard the integrity of the constitution and the governance of the state are much cherished.. In the English system, given that Parliamentary supremacy is unquestioned, although complex procedures for judicial review are in place, by which courts can review and challenge laws considered defective in some way, the final word is left to Parliament itself. In the Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution (1885)[13] Dicey : â€Å"Parliament has the right to make or unmake any law whatever; and further, that no person or body is recognised by the law of England as having a right to override or set aside the legislation of Parliament.† This is the most important law of the English legal system and it is this rule above all which explains the country’s lack of a written constitution. As a direct consequence of the application of this principle the UK Parliament has the power to make, amend and revoke law on any issue at any time. No Parliament has the power to bind a successor Parliament to its will, meaning that no Parliament could enact a so-called constitutional law which could not later be repealed or amended by some future Parliament as easily as any other piece of legislation. Moreover, the only body with the ultimate power to vary a law brought into force by the UK Parliament is Parliament itself. This gives the English system considerable flexibility and adaptability, and this is clearly and advantage. However, given that the system relies exclusively on the integrity of Parliament, its success is predicated on a fluctuating democratic mechanism. To date, the United Kingdom has enjoyed good and stable government and its citizens have not expressed any cogent desire for the protection of a written constitution.. However, that is not to say that at some point in the future the â€Å"checks and balances† and clarity typically provided by a written constitution might prove useful. 3. A Civil Law System: France The French legal system is a good example of a civil law system operating under a written constitution. The current Constitution of France, which is known as the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, was adopted in 1958.[14] It has been amended on various occasions, most recently in 2003. The French model is particularly interesting as it was used as a template for the foundation treaties of the European Economic Community, which has now evolved to become the European Union, which itself is now seeking to establish its own written constitution.[15] National legal systems characterised as Civilian are those which see their origins in the model of governance adopted in ancient Rome by the Emperor Justinian (sometimes known as Roman law systems). Civil law systems are systematic (based on an organised code of conceived principle) and inductive (where a specific ruling is induced from a general first-principle) as opposed to Common law systems which are empirical (based on a bank of actual cases) and deductive (where a general principle is deduced from a specific instance or series of instances). As to which system is to be preferred, both give rise to a variety of advantages and disadvantages and both have the potential to provide a state with a fair and effective system of government. Codified or written systems are always of the Civil school, given that a code of law is a prerequisite of that legal tradition, and consequently common law or case law systems are far better suited to an uncodified or unwritten constitutional arrangement. In very general terms the advantages of written systems of law such as the French system are those of certainty, consistency, clarity and stability, while its main disadvantage is rigidity. Unwritten case law systems benefit from being more fluid and adaptable and assuming this flexibility is not abused an uncodified model can be extremely successful. The main disadvantages of case law systems are that it is more difficult to predict the law’s response to new situations, and that the fundamental guiding principles of the legal system are harder to identify. The preamble of the French constitution refers to the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. As such it establishes the identity of the French state as a democratic secular republic which derives its sovereignty from the people of France. This gives the French constitution a clear mandate and provides it with a strong foundation, something which is lacking in unwritten, uncodified systems such as the English. This may be construed as an advantage, given law is an amorphous concept which can benefit from grounding in any context, but unless the authority of law is subject to challenge the advantage is theoretical only and the people of England appear satisfied to adhere to the law without such conceptual underpinning.. A written constitution such as the French offers a â€Å"one-stop shop† for provisions relating to the election of the President of France and the French Parliament.. It also sets down mechanisms for the appointment and selection of the Government of France, and specifically details the powers of each of these bodies and the relations between them. The French constitution also guaranteed the autonomy and authority of the judiciary and establishes the Constitutional Council, the High Court of Justice, and an Economic and Social Council. This is a clearly useful, and probably stands as an advantage over the English system, where such matters are dealt with in piecemeal fashion and without the simplicity and some might say methodological strength of an written system. When dispute arises in the French system there is therefore one and one only sovereign authority to turn to for guidance and this may prove beneficial in its resolution. In rebuttal, those defending the unwritten En glish system can point to many states which operate under a written constitution which suffer considerably more administrative difficulties and enjoy significantly less stability than it does. The maxim â€Å"if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it† appears to suit the English experience and explains the reluctance or at least ambivalence of English government and people in this context. The French constitution also provides for a politically strong President and this could be seen as another advantage, although again it is hard to argue that the British Prime Minister is prejudiced by the fact that his role is not similarly enshrined.. The French constitution also permits the ratification of international treaties such as those necessary for membership of the United Nations and European Union.. However, this is not necessarily an advantage. It is submitted that in modern times the trend has been towards greater and deeper international association. It could be argued that national written constitutions have the potential to frustrate international integration given that the international association may also wish to establish a sovereign constitution and that there will inevitably be conflict between the two sets of laws. There are tensions, for example, between the French constitution and the constitution which has been proposed for the European Union, and even with existing provisions of EU law. It can thus be contended that the English unwritten system is more adaptable to assimilation with an international body incorporating its own constitutional framework. Moreover written constitutions can be bypassed something done by French President Charles de Gaulle in highly controversial circumstances in 1962,[16] and this can leave a new law in a state of limbo. 4. Concluding Comments In summary, it is submitted that perhaps the most obvious advantage of a codified or written constitution is that it provides coherent, comprehensive and certain body of rules.. Being contained in a single document a codified constitution is accessible to all and can, if well crafted, establish an equitable and effective system of governance and rights. Written constitutions also promote consistency and concrete points of reference for law which can be applied to shape a legal system’s response to changing conditions within a state. That said however, written constitutions which become entrenched may suffer from rigidity and it is flexibility that perhaps stands as the greatest advantage of the unwritten, uncodified system operated in the United Kingdom. It is true that constitutional courts may offer a wide range of interpretations of constitutional principles under a written system, but it is not possible to lend a codified system that flexibility and adaptability enjoyed by an unwritten one. The title to this work asserts that â€Å"constitutions should be written†. It has been shown that this is not necessarily the case, given that states can function successfully and for long periods of time without the foundations of a codified or written constitutional framework. A good example is that of the United Kingdom itself, which is one of the most stable and successful democracies in the world, and which has grown to become such without being underpinned by a written constitutional document. While it has been suggested that the United Kingdom adopts a written constitution there appears to be no urgent pressure or compelling need to make the change. Therefore, while it is acknowledged that most states around the world have adopted a codified constitution this commentator contends that the statement under review should be subject to the caveat that states do not require to make reference to such a system of law as a prerequisite to effective government or a robust and e quitable society. The fact that a constitution is unwritten does not necessarily undermine the integrity of a national legal system, as the relative success of the United Kingdom and such countries as New Zealand and Israel testifies. There are, has been noted, risks attached to an unwritten system which puts its faith exclusively in the democratic process. However, in closing it is worth noting that there are also risks attached to written systems bound to overarching constitutions, because those constitutions can be abused or manipulated in a way that can deliver excessive power and authority. A constitution is, after all, only as good as the words that comprise it. Ironically, the elliptical doctrinal patchwork of an unwritten system can frustrate the intentions of nascent dictatorial ambition. In conclusion it is undeniably true that the great majority of states have chosen the certainty and clarity of a written system, but that is by no means the only way to run a country well. THE END WORD COUNT : 2808 (excluding footnotes) BIBLIOGRAPHY A. Bradley and K. Ewing, Constitutional and Administrative Law, (2003) Longman Wikipedia (various sources): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_United_States JF McEldowney, Public Law, (2002) Sweet Maxwell P. Spink and N. Busby et al, Scots Law, (2003) LexisNexis Albert Dicey, Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution (1885): http://www..constitution.org/cmt/avd/law_con.htm. 1 Footnotes [1] For an insightful overview see: A. Bradley and K. Ewing, Constitutional and Administrative Law, 13th ed., (2003) Longman, chapter 1. [2] See: http://en.wikipedia..org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_United_States. [3] See: http://en.wikipedia..org/wiki/Constitution_of_Australia. [4] In the Constitution of Australia, most fundamental political principles and regulations regarding the relationship between branches of government, and regarding the government and the individual are codified in a single document, the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia. However, the existence of statutes with constitutional significance, namely the Statute of Westminster, as adopted by the Commonwealth in the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942, and the Australia Act 1986 means that Australias constitution is not incorporated in a single constitutional document. [5] See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/talking_politics/88136.stm. [6] See P. Spink and N. Busby et al, Scots Law, (2003) LexisNexis, chapter 1. [7] See: http://www.bl.uk/treasures/magnacarta/translation.html [8] See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Bill_of_Rights. [9] See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Settlement. [10] See: http://en.wikipedia..org/wiki/Parliament_Acts. [11] Although the participation of the Crown is essentially ceremonial and formal only. [12] See: http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution..html. [13] Albert Dicey, Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution (1885): http://www.constitution.org/cmt/avd/law_con.htm. [14] Which replaced that of the Fourth Republic dating from October 27, 1946. [15] Ironically this plan has been frustrated by a negative referendum vote in France itself. [16] See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_France.

Applying Gis To Coastal Erosion And Hazards Environmental Sciences Essay

Applying Gis To Coastal Erosion And Hazards Environmental Sciences Essay The coast is the area where marine and terrestrial processes meet and interact. Limits of their respective actions are not well known, as processes which are characteristic of each of these environments are interrelated. This particular characteristic makes the coastal zone highly complex and vulnerable to human actions, which in many cases, cause permanent damage to the natural environment. Coastal Erosion has turned out to be one of the most crucial socio-economic and environmental problems facing authorities in charge of coastal hazard management. Irrespective of the major causes of this hazard, which could be human or anthropogenic, it has caused economic losses, social problems and ecological damage. The problem of coastal erosion can extend hundreds of kilometres along the shore line or it might be localized to small areas affecting surrounding communities or the tourism industry. Coastal Erosion has been defined as a natural process by which coastlines adjust to different sea levels, energy levels, sediment supply and existing topography. It poses a problem when it threatens to destroy human life and property. In identifying the problems of erosion, human value judgements come in as erosion does have many societal and natural benefits. Coastal Erosion is usually judged as problematic wherever the rate of erosion, considered in conjunction with economic, recreational, agricultural, demographic, ecological and other relevant factors, indicates that action to remedy erosion hazard may be justified and required. The coast is used for several purposes and based on this fact, it is important to devise ways of attaining compatibility among these various uses while at the same time attempting to preserve the natural environment. Faced with the threat of climate change and possible sea level rises, it is necessary to put in place elaborate coastal management scenarios that will consider all elements for planning and sustainable development. Many recent studies done on Coastal Erosion have approached the problem within an integrated framework. This integrated approach takes into consideration the need for deep knowledge of the physical environment and the relationships between processes of involved elements and acceptable coastal management plans. These physical factors are also conditioned by legal, environmental and social factors (Barragan, 2003). The frequency of occurrence of coastal erosion is expected to rise and has become an issue of great concern to scientists and authorities in charge. Broad scale modelling of coastal morphology has been a major challenge for scientists and authorities alike. Several studies have been carried out in order to address this issue and its determinants (Townsend and Burgess, 2004; Burgess et all, 2002). More detailed analyses of risks and responses in coastal hazard management are affected by little knowledge of the magnitude and location of erosion hazard zones for different shoreline changes and management situations. GIS AND COASTAL HAZARD MANAGEMENT The coast is unique because of several marine and terrestrial processes that occur there. As result of this, there is need for integration of data relating to different aspects and factors of the coastal environment in policy development and planning. GIS provides the right platform for data collection, analyses, and storage and information dissemination. It has the ability to display spatial and temporal evolution of processes and factors that control them in order to analyse them better and evaluate their impact on the coastal environment (Hamada, 2004). It also able to identify spatial connections between different data layers leading to the development of models for geomorphologic evolution and coastal change prediction. Several studies using GIS applications and methodologies in coastal hazard management have been carried out in several parts of the world. These studies have lead to the development of GIS applications or models and a few of these include: BALTICSEAWEB (Latinen and Neuvonen, 2001) Oceanic Bigeographic Information Systems (OBIS) (Zhang and Grassel, 2002). Coastal Erosion and Shoreline Development Regulation (Miller et all, 2003). SCAPEGIS (Walkden and Hall, 2005). Dune Hazard Assessment Tool (NOAA Coastal Services Centre, 2003) These applications have been developed for specific coastal areas as each area requires its own peculiar management strategies and therefore its own GIS application for planning and policy development. Recent studies in this area have advocated an integrated approach (ICZM) which promotes sustainable development of coastal areas by blending the use of natural resources in ways that limit damage to the environment. In using this approach GIS is useful as it aids data integration, storage, analyses and visualisation. GIS AS A TOOL FOR COASTAL HAZARD MANAGEMENT For the application of GIS to coastal hazard management to be carried out, there is need for data required for the different task to be available and accessible. The data requirements for this include slope, lithology, vegetation, drainage, structural conditions, coastal erosion and human action etc. In the coastal environment GIS is being increasingly used as a tool for collection, integration of required information and storage in a database with a view to accessing data, generating thematic maps and performing spatial and geo statistical analyses (Latinen and Neuvonen, 2001). During the process, relevant information is sourced and collected, compiled into a geo database, converted into relevant units and introduced into the GIS platform. This is useful in the integration and analysis of parameters used in coastal vulnerability assessments resulting in coastal risk maps (Doukakis, 2005). This is advantageous because it provides a flexible system. Data can be accessed and used through the database model system. It also allows data automation, visualisation, editing, mapping, spatial analyses, geo statistical analyses etc. The flexibility and versatility allows GIS to be used in many planning tasks in different situations for example in the area of maps, aerial photographs, statistics, tables and graphs that give details of the environmental conditions and their spatial distributions can be displayed. Fig 1. An example of a cartographic information prepared using GIS for coastal Management. Maps, aerial photos, tables and graphs that show spatial distribution of environmental conditions are displayed for visualisation. (Rodriguez et all, 2009) APPLICATION OF GIS TO COASTAL EROSION ESTIMATION GIS has been useful in studies of prediction and estimation of coastal erosion. The datasets required for this include topographic data, bathymetric data, recession rate data, historical maps and time series data as they describe the vulnerable state of the coastal environment and coastal erosion. Some of the applications of GIS include: GIS allows comparison between cartographic or map information that has been geo-referenced and this is very important for coastal change analyses. GIS allows collection of data showing temporal trends of shoreline positions for different dates. Such data can be derived from sources like satellite imageries, aerial photographs and cartography digitization. GIS allows integration of data from all these sources. GIS allows shoreline positions corresponding to different year to be overlaid with a view to aiding the identification of areas that have experienced movements or changes. GIS aids the calculation of erosion and accretion rates. It does this by calculating line lengths and perimeter of polygons. GIS allows detailed analyses of evolutionary trends. It aids the definition of the system and prediction of likely occurrence allowing change anticipation and hazard preparedness. GIS is advantageous because new data can be integrated and constant and dynamic follow up of coastal processes can be carried out. This allows continued development of models that can be useful in studying other aspects of the coastal environment (Sanchez et all, 2005). GIS has also been used in dune evolution studies and it has been highly useful in the area the data requirements are wind transport data, swell, sediments, wind speed, topography, soil humidity, bathymetry etc are required. These datasets are needed for the determination of dune field evolution and aeolian transport rates. This in turn enables the characterisation of the sedimentology, geomorphology and meteorology of coastal zones. Some other studies have made use of GIS as a tool for analyses and interpretation of coastal erosion model outputs. Making use of GIS to visualise predictions of coastal erosion provides a vital means of understanding coastal changes and their impacts locally and regionally (Brown et all, 2004). The intended target audience here are policymakers and planners interested in visualising erosion predictions and to carry out analyses of their implications so that proper mitigation measures can be set up by integrating other data sets for impact estimation and decision support. This basically involves the use models developed specifically for coastal erosion and one of such has been (SCAPEGIS) which is a process based model that determines the reshaping and retreat of shore profiles along the coast (Walkden and Hall, 2005; Dickson et all, 2005).It was developed from soft cliff and platform erosion model. These models provide the input for SCAPEGIS. It has been used in integrated assessments of coastal erosion and flood risk for strategic planning of responses to flood and erosion hazards. The SCAPE model was run for different climatic and management scenarios and the results were integrated into SCAPEGIS with other auxiliary data for detailed visualisation and impact analyses. The advantage of this GIS platform is that it allows importation of other erosion models developed with similar data output format. Fig. 2. The Impacts Estimation dialog of SCAPEGIS. Source: (Koukalas et all, 2005) Fig 3. An example of an Erosion Risk Map showing recession lines under certain climatic scenarios and management. The land after the yellow line towards the sea is assumed lost while the land between the yellow and blue lines is at risk. (Koukalas et al, 2005) The constant rise in the degradation of coastal environments has led to the need to develop techniques of balancing the protection of people and the economy against the cost of coastal hazards. As a result of this, a multidisciplinary approach to coastal management has been proposed (Nicholls et all, 2007). Coastal environments have become more vulnerable to the effects of climate change and rising sea levels. They also have high social, economic and biological value. In order put all this factors into consideration, the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Framework was proposed with a view to integrating all this factors while at the same time preserving the natural environment. Methodologies for the application of GIS within this framework have been developed by several institutions like UNESCO, European Union and several working groups (Olsen et all, 2003; IPCC, 2007) to mention a few. Within this framework, GIS is useful because of its ability to collect, integrate and analyse the different data requirements within an integrated framework. It has been used for coastal dune system research projects and shoreline evolution studies (Hernandez et all 2007; Ojeda et all, 2005). GIS aids the integration of required data like dune perimeter, shore line position so that spatial analyses of these data layers can be carried out and some of its application in this regard include: GIS aids integration, organisation and structuring of required data sets. GIS aids the development f Digital Elevation Models needed for the estimation of dune volume, volumetric evolution and dune migration. GIS allows for determination of dune morphology, dune slope and orientation. GIS allows for creation of possible dune predictions depending on sea level rise and waves. 3D GIS has proved to be very useful for this task (Sanchez et all, 2005) The advantage offered by SCAPEGIS tools is made evident in the analyses of coastal erosion model results. It has been proposed that these models be linked with other models of environmental studies like land use models for better appreciation of coastal hazard management (Hall et all, 2005). CONCLUSION In coastal erosion and hazard management, modelling spatial and temporal dimensions of dynamics of the coastal environment have proven to be some of the most challenging tasks in marine and costal GIS. The shift from the regular line and polygon data structure to digital shoreline is as a result of the need to develop technology for shoreline change detection and spatial modelling. GIS is being increasingly used in the development of policy and planning in coastal erosion and hazard management. This is due to the fact that in management policy implementation there is need for a tool able to store, analyse and display spatial and temporal data. GIS provides an appropriate platform for this. It provides a suitable instrument for integration of territorial data, makes variable analyses easier, allows for future scene simulations and allows potentially hazardous area to be identified. GIS is also use for evolutionary trend analyses and system characterisation which are important in the management of the coastal environment. However, models used are not always accurate as there are errors and uncertainties and as such these uncertainties should be systematically looked into when the results are being analysed for planning and policy development. There is also the problem data availability and accessibility. Data required may not always be available or accessible. In the developed world, access to such data is more reliable and available. In other parts of the world, required data can be unavailable and where they are, may be inaccurate.