Cause and Consequences of urbanization in Scotland Essay Example for Free

Cause and Consequences of urbanization in Scotland Essay This essay will explore relevant cause and consequences of urbanisation in Scotland from 1700-1860. A dictionary-defined term would be the social process whereby cities grow and societies become more urban.(1. 30/08/2005). Scotland went through huge political and economical changes from the 1700s onwards. The country went from being a rural, agricultural society with an estimated population of 1.2 million in 1755, to being urbanised, with the population rising to over 2.6 million in 1841(Lenman, p281, 2001). This figure is what makes the urbanisation of Scotland so interesting. What were the main factors that caused the population to grow so rapidly? The expansion of population over such a short period and the social changes that occurred with this. The great Agrarian and Industrial revolutions had a major parts to play in the urbanisation of Scotland and this essay will show some enlightenment on why it was so profoundly noticeable in Scotland. Another point that will be investigated is the consequences of urbanisation, how the country ultimately became a modern capitalised country from its rural beginnings. Before and up until 1750, Scotland was very much a feudalistic country. Lords rented tenants enough land for them to produce food to survive. In return, the tenant would have to labour the Lords land as well as his own. The Landlord would reap the benefits, the tenant would survive, and as the majority of the people depended on the land as their lively-hood, it was a means to survival. As Devine states,_ In 1750 only one Scot in eight lived in a town (population of 4000 or over) and there was only four towns with more than 10000 inhabitants_ (Devine, 1999, p125). This shows the enormity of Scots who were living in rural communities, with the main labour being in agriculture, weaving and fishing. The changes to agriculture began with those known as the improvers, whose main outlook was to modernise the way the land was cultivated. As the population of the country began to accelerate quickly, the improvers were looking to produce mass food instead of the old way of cultivation. During the period between 1790-1840 new farming equipment was introduced and the land that was formally cultivated  using the infield-outfield and rug and furrow method was improved by enclosing the land into fields making it more productive for crops and for livestock Crop rotations were also introduced which was making use of the land at all times. The introduction of single tenant farming as opposed to ferm-touns meant the beginning of the clearances, as well as agricultural tools becoming more efficient. The introduction of threshing machines reduced manual labour and the Smalls plough a two horse plough replaced the Scots plough which required a team of oxen and horses (Devine, 1998, p138). These new ideas did create more food but they also left people homeless and jobless, as there was less labour needed, which left people no choice but to move on into the towns and cities where industry had began creating jobs. The growth of the towns and cities were intricately linked with the agrarian revolution as the mass population relied on the land for the food it produced. The other main point that Devine makes is that as the agricultural market started to accelerate, the need for exchange centres that provided legal, commerce and financial facilities for the rural communities became more prominent, so several towns including Perth, Ayr and Dumfries became the provider of these services. This again contributed to expansion of towns, as people were required to work and live in the towns to facilitate these positions (Devine 1998, p32) Therefore, we can gather that three major changes occurred at the same time and they contributed towards urbanisation in Scotland: The agrarian revolution along with the population growth, and the expansion of the manufacturing industry. As T.M Devine States, _Urbanisation could not have taken place without a substantial increase in food production to sustain the needs of those who did not cultivate their own food supplies. At the same time, agrarian productivity had to improve in order to release a growing proportion of the population for non-agricultural tasks in towns and cities._ (Devine, 1998, p32) Along with theses changes the manufacturing industry began to grow rapidly. Scotland was a major player in the transatlantic trading industry and due to its geographical position, it was booming in the tobacco trade and it would go on to prosper in cotton and linen too. Scotlands Geographical position at this time was very important as it is situated between the Atlantic and Europe, which meant trading from one to the other, was very successful. The two major factors of the Industrial Revolution were, the textile industry and the productivity of the steam engine, which was revolutionised by James Watt in 1769 (Watt James online, 2005). Textiles factories and coalmines could produce more goods and they did not need to be near a water source in order to run. Due to this, the larger towns and cities began to grow rapidly. _Greenock in 1700 had a population of 2000 and by 1831 it had rose to 27500._ _Glasgow went from 31700 to 147000._ _Paisley went from 6800 to 47000._ _Kilmarnock went from 4400 to 12700_ _Falkirk went from 3900 to 11500. All within the time period from 1740-1850 (Devine 1998, p35)_ The population growth over the short period is the most significant point here as this is what made urbanisation in Scotland different. There are many different factors that affected the population growth but some are more significant than others are. Irish Immigration was very prominent and the migration of people from the rural areas had a major impact. For example:_ The majority of the migrants were young adults more concentrated in the marriageable and childbearing age groups than were the native inhabitants. High Migration because of its age composition was therefore likely to fuel natural increase in the urban areas_.(Devine 1998,p41) At the same time the  highlanders were leaving the land either through force as the lords applied the new cultivation techniques to the land or through choice. The majority chose to immigrate to America; this did not affect the population growth as many Irish migrants were coming to Scotland looking for employment in the booming industries. _Urbanisation meant more jobs, a wider diversity of social contacts and infinitely greater colour and excitement in the lives of the masses_ (Devine 1998 p43) Mortality rates demonstrate their huge impact on population growth too. It has been suggested that lower death rates, through natural immunity to disease highly contributed to urbanisation, as in the early 1800s the death rate had fallen to 25 per 1000. This suggests that natural immunity and high levels of unemployment accelerated the population growth (Devine, 1998, p48). The effect of industrialisation was economically good for the country, but with it came poverty. The majority of the working class lived in overcrowded housing areas known as slums with no sanitation, and were rife with disease. As Devine argues, during periods of industrial recession when employment had slumped, there were also periods of disease epidemic. These began in 1817-1820(Typhoid), 1826-27(Typhoid) and in 1830-1832, a cholera epidemic that wiped out 10000 people. Periods of recession run parallel, the first being 1816-1818, 1825 and then 1836 (Devine, 1999, p168). In 1839, Death rates rose to 29 per 1000. People were forced to live in abominable living conditions with huge sanitations problems, the towns and cities could not cope with the urban growth and disease was the outcome. Overcrowded, sub-divided housing was a problematic issue in all the major Towns and Cities, especially in Glasgow. _I did not believe until I visited Glasgow, that so large an amount of filth, crim e, misery and disease existed in one spot in any one civilised country (_Butt J, 1987 p41-42). People were customised to living in filthy dark, damp squalid conditions amongst disease. As the periods of recession were leaving thousands out of work in a state of poverty, the poor law amendment act was passed in 1845, which replaced the old poor relief laws of the parishes taking responsibly for the  poor. The new law allowed a claim to be made under supervision of a board of examiners, it came in the form of indoor relief, which would be admission to a poorhouse if subject had lost the ability to work, and outdoor relief, which was for short-term illness, and this may have been in the form of payment or medicine. It could be argued that the industrial revolution was the birth of the working class and capitalism in this country. Those who owned the factories and docks made a great profit and a middle class lifestyle was adopted. This could be said to be the division of the classes, with the help of the industrial revolution, people developed a working class or middle class att itude, In conclusion, the evidence points out that several major factors occurred that accelerated the urban growth of the nation. The Agrarian revolution started the mass migrating and the industrial revolution provided the work force in order for capitalism to evolve. The consequences of urbanisation were overwhelming, yes the economy did thrive, but at what cost to the working class people, death, disease and misery.

Effects of Renewable Energy in Nigeria

Effects of Renewable Energy in Nigeria AN INTRODUCTORY REVIEW: We are in the era, where we regularly envisage different sort of problems, some have a severe distress in it and some are like to be flash instantly. Poverty, financial instability, unemployment are some of the basic problems our society have faced from a number of years, but apart from that problems there are such problems which really makes the world like a hell. I intend to divert intentions towards some problems, which becomes so common across the globe. Energy Crisis and its conservation and environmental problems are some of the main problems our society has been facing from past few years. Before going further in to the details of its impacts and the problems which may arise from its threats, lets take a closer look of Energy Conservation and different environmental problems. AN OVERVIEW OF ENERGY CONSERVATION: Electricity and energy is now becomes an integral part of our routine life. Believe or not we are totally on the mercy of the energy to accomplish our different task. It has been observed that, and we also noticed that, the fear of energy crisis has been surging from past few years chaotically, which intervenes between the country to viable economically. After listen the name of the energy crisis, the thing which instantly clicks in our mind is the mitigation plan for this action and to abridge its threats accordingly. The practice of decreasing the quantity of energy used is known as the energy conservation. Efficiently uses any thing will enhance the productivity of that thing and will condense the hazards associated with it. A number of attributes are associated with the conservation of energy like deducing the financial cost which ultimately effects on the bottom line, other advantages includes national security, personal security and  human comforts. One of the important forms of energy is the Electrical energy, which is in use by the human beings exaggeratedly that is why the conservation of energy is termed as an integral element of the energy policy (Mike Adams, 2008). There are a number of problems connected with the energy conservation which exacerbates the situation, which we will examine in details when we move further. PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ENERGY CONSERVATION: Before going in to the details of the problems of the energy, I want to do a mind set of my readers regarding the uses of energy. Let me mention some examples associated with the transformation of different types of energy into the form of energy and heat. I have found a process of energy transmitting and processing which is mentioned below. †¢Ã‚  Oil is being burns to produce heat. †¢Ã‚  Heat boils the water †¢Ã‚  Water then turns into steam †¢Ã‚  Steams Pressure than turns a turbine †¢Ã‚  Turbine use to on the electric generator. †¢Ã‚  Generator than generates electricity. †¢Ã‚  Electricity than empowers the light bulbs, which gives us (the end users) lights and heat. The main problem lies with the energy is the exhalation of different types of injurious and devastative gases which spoil the health of a person in an outrageous manner. Carbon dioxide is one of the main threats for the health of the human being. A number of people consensuses that the gas act as a transparent blanket due to the atmospheric work. Synthetically speaking, carbon dioxide is combustion of gas, coal and oil which uses in the heating system and in car engines (Mike Adams, 2008). Health professionals and Doctors said that, carbon dioxide is the most perilous gas for the human being which demolishes the respiratory system of a person after penetration that is why the Doctors exhorts a lot to keep distance with plants at night because the plants excrete the carbon dioxide which can be disperse in a person if he doesnt take the safety majors into consideration. Apart from the hazards of carbon dioxide sulfur dioxide is also a major foe of the humans health. Sulfur dioxide emit ted in the air when the coal is being burned. Sulfur dioxide produces with the burning of coal which penetrates in the clouds after react with water and oxygen to from precipitation which commonly knows as acid rain, which is not even injurious for the human being but also for the sea spices. Acid rain is very harmful for the humans skin and sometimes it plays a vital role to inflate the fear of skin cancer. There are a number of factors which influences on the conservation of energy, threats of severe disease are the some examples of it. HOW ENERGY CONSERVATION MITIGATE SUCH PROBLEM We are in an era where the technologies really matters and we cant bear the crisis of this energy. Energy conservation is a brave and bold step towards efficiently use the energy in diversified sectors. Electrical energy and oil is the main thing which we have to utilize for the economic development of a country. The unavailability of these two things will make the situation chaotic for a country. Lets see in details what value efficient energy conservation can add in the accounts for a country. ?  Increment in the energy efficiency, resultantly makes the energy relatively cheaper, which is equally beneficial for the users and for the Government as well. ?  Increased energy efficiency will definitely lead to enhance the economic and physical growth, which spikes the graph of energy use in the whole economy.   ?  Efficiently uses the fuel energy will help to increase the production among the industries of a country which leads to a higher quality of life. ?  The threats we discussed earlier, which will be born from the poisonly gases like carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide can be abate with the help of energy conservation. It will help to reduce the effects of headache, stress, blood pressure, fatigue and work pressure. ?  Telecommunication becomes a major part to viable a company economically as a number of business been done on the telephone, so we have to be vigilant regarding the efficient use of telecommunication energy from a business stand point. ?  It is observed that electric motors, like elevators, water pumping machines, refrigerators and other electric home appliances consume more than 60% of all electrical energy, which become a major cause of the loss of 10 to 20 percent of all electricity. In order to tackle with this menace, we have to be cautious granted the wastage of energy. What can we do in this regards, is not an uphill task at all, use the electrical appliances when we use it like bulbs, iron, juicer blender and all such kind of things. ?  The problem of energy crisis persists in the whole world, because of the unavailability of the natural resources to produce the electricity energy. ?  Usage of bicycle and walking rigorously instead of driving to overcome on the fuel crisis. ?  Use air to dry clothes rather than the clothes dryer machine. ?  Install a programmable thermostat in your room cooler and air conditioners, which automatically adjusts the temperature when you are in bed or away. ?  Switch off ligh ts when leaving a room. The view of energy conservation, is been defined to give a thorough overview of renewable energy, now lets take a brief look over the stance of renewable energy. AN OVERVIEW OF THE RENEWABLE ENERGY: The energy which has been generated from the natural resources, like the sunlight, rain, tides, wind, and geothermal heat which can be refill tranquilly is called renewable energy. It has been estimated that in the year 2006, about 18% of the global energy consumptions came from renewable from which 13% imminent from biomass like from burning of the wood. Hydroelectricity is known as the second largest resource of the renewable energy which conduced 3% of the energy consumption and 15% of electric generation across the globe in the year 2008 (Global Status Report 2007). Wind power is also a famous form of the renewable energy which has a remarkable growth rate of around 30% annually with a installed capacity of over 121,000 megawatts in the year 2008, which has been massively used in Europe and in the United States of America (USA) (Renewable Global Status Report: 2009 Pg- 9). As per estimation the annual manufacturing output of the photovoltaic industry breached the level of 6900 MW in the year 2008. The photovoltaic power stations are quite popular in Spain and Germany because of their credible performance. Solar thermal power station is also one of the famous stations which mainly operate in USA and Spain. The largest of the solar thermal power station produces 354 MW operated in the Mojave Dessert. The Geysers is the world largest Geothermal Power Station (GPS) which is located in California, with a record or rated capacity of 750 MW (Calpine Corporation The Geysers. Retrieved from http://www.geysers.com). Brazil is the country who has the largest setup program of the renewable energy; it also involves the production of ethanol fuel which has been produced with the help of the sugar cane and the essence of the ethanol provides 18% of the countrys automotive fuel. Apart from the Brazil, ethanol fuel is also amply available in USA, while most of the renewable energy projects and its production on the large scale are also suited to the small off-grid applicat ions which sometimes located in the rural and remote areas, wherein the component of the energy are so essential for the human development (World Energy Assessment (2001). Renewable energy technologies, pg. 221). Kenya is the country which has the worlds highest household solar ownership rate with roughly 30,000 small (20-100 watt) solar power systems sold per year (What Solar Power Needs Now Renewable Energy Access, 13 August 2007). The market of the renewable energy has been envisage a continuous growth but the climate change like the high oil prices and mounting government support are driving spurring renewable energy legislation incentives and commercialization. HYDROPOWER ENERGY: Hydropower is inevitably is the largest source of the renewable energy, which provides 10% of the nations overall electricity. As per estimation, there were over 77,000 Megawatts of hydropower, which are adequate enough to provide energy to 35 million homes. Hydropower energy has been produce with the help of the water. The water has been utilized in this way that its flow will be converting in the hydropower energy. Most of the water which has been utilized for this purpose taken from the rivers or released through turbines to produce enough energy for the global usage. The power source has a great element attached with it, which is the releasing of the population so the ingredients which have been implant in the water will not harm the living beings and also the ocean species. However, scientist endeavors really hard through the latest technology to reduce the loss of marine life from the adverse effects of the energy, but the core problem with the technology is that, it is highly expensive and take a long time to build. Renewable energy technology is improving considerably. The prices of energy have dropped because new vehicles with sophisticated fuel systems and substitute fuels like the Ethanol are being launched and are a way to better technological encroachments. BIOMASS/BIO-ENERGY: As per the estimation and the result of the statistics the biomass construct about 7,000 megawatts of renewable electricity. Biomass fuels come from the forestry like the wood products, agriculture, constructions and transportation. Like the hydropower energy, which can be produce by replace the water into energy, it has also produced by reinstate the coal into the power plant which produces the energy. It has considered producing the energy because it fabricates less sulfur dioxide than coal. The operations of the Mill give the impression to be the chief basis of biomass energy in the U.S.  On the contrary, Europe illustrates its foremost source of bio-energy from urban wood squander.  However, the third world countries make lumber their most important source of the bio-energy. As per the statistics, 11% of the world obtains s its energy from biomass stations.  Developing countries use about 35% of the biomass energy; by contrast the poorest ones use roughly 90%. GEOTHERMAL ENERGY: Geothermal energy has the propensity to produce about 2,800 Megawatts of energy each year, or more precisely it can be say that 0.2% of the energy of US as a whole. Geothermal energy is shaped from logically taking place condensation and scorching dampens as of beneath the Earths exterior.  The vapor turns around a turbine, which in revolve powers of an electric generator.  Apart from that, the hot water can also be used to unswervingly heat edifices.  The disadvantage to geothermal energy is that land sites are very hard to find and tremendously rare.  An optimistic fact is that geothermal energy is very cost effective and dependable. WIND ENERGY: Wind energy manufactures a propos 2,500 Megawatts of energy, and engenders a measly .1% of our electricity.  The blustery weather turns blades in the region of a hub, which is allied to the main streak.  The core streak spins the generator.  The extent of turbines is gritty by how much energy is needed.  Miniature wind turbines are frequently used for homes, farms and ranches.  Other ways to use wind energy include grinding grain and pumping water. Wind is classed in categories of 1 through 7, with 7 being the highest and 1 being the lowest.  A good blustery weather source that has a class of 3 or higher is the east shoreline and along the Appalachian Mountains.  North Dakota is an excellent wind source. The drawbacks of wind energy are that again, the technology is very luxurious and unaffordable, the equipment is acknowledged to be earsplitting natural world have been killed by successively into the turbines, and the wind might not be present at convinced period all o ver the year. PHOTOVOLTAICS (PV) CELLS: PHOTOVOLTAICS PV cells generate electrical energy from the sunlight.  Resources used in computer chips are comparable to resources used in PV cells.  These resources soak up the sunlight, which frees the electrons from their atoms and mandates them to produce the electricity. PV cells are enormous because they dont entail high continuation, are very reliable and dependable, and dont produce pollutants. Even though it is better to use renewable energy, we immobile have to use some type of relic fuels.  We can, nevertheless, make the paramount choices, by using normal gas for water heating and power domestic device, which not only is better for the environment, but costs effective as well. The negative aspect to this power resource is that it costs more than other energy sources and tends to work in actual fact only when the sun is immaculate. THE NIGERIAN ENERGY SITUATION From the residence expansion based evaluation description on the Niger Delta Environment, it was acknowledged that water and oil which are the two rich normal resources in the region are the springs and grounds of miserable deficiency. The equivalent can be said about vigor possessions such as gas, coal etc. in Nigeria, which is in huge large quantity, yet there is energy dearth in the country. Climate Change Climate change is like the Sword of Damocles hanging over humanity. It is simply the process by which human emissions of Greenhouse Gases are believed to be causing changes in the Earths climate system. The emission of Green House Gases (mostly from anthropogenic activities) into the atmosphere, turn out to deplete the ozone layer that absorbs/shields the atmosphere of intensive sun radiation and in turn makes the planet earth unduly warm with resultant variations in climate conditions. This phenomenon is known as climate change. It brings about global warming that is responsible for increases in extreme weather conditions, rise in sea level, storms, floods, decrease in rainfalls, droughts, impairment of the ecosystems and its biodiversities which human life depends on, rapidly melting glaciers, destabilization of major ice sheets, desertification, decrease in agricultural produce etc. Government effort Government effort in the area of developing energy sector to the improvement of the poor status quo is on-going as seen in the current legislative process on national energy bill for an act that will lead to the establishment of a national agency that will take charge of regulating, enforcing policies and developing the energy sector in Nigeria. Just as we now have the National Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), so we hope to have the national energy regulatory agency when the bill is enacted into law. Yet, if we must achieve energy efficiency, gas flaring must not exist and in the face of governments discouraging effort in that direction, much is expected to be done, particularly by the civil society. Although the issuance of deadline for flares-out, January 2008 is reasonable, whereas its commitment to realizing it is absolutely discouraging due to lack of compliance on cash calls to the tune of $4billion (N508 billion) yearly for joint venture projects (JVP). This is due to the fact that the Federal Government through NNPC owns the largest stake in the JVP. The oil/gas sector have since been working on various gas utilization projects, by way of using gas for power generation to, at least, improve epileptic nature of power supply in the country, while some are working on exporting the gas. On Gas-to-Power Project The International Finance Institutions (IFIs) and the World Bank are currently assisting the Agips Kwale Partners Flaring-Reduction to use the natural gas to generate electricity. The project is further supported by Global Gas Flaring Reduction (GGFR) a Public Private Partnership (PPP) project and is to be registered as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project under the Kyoto Protocol. The Kwale Partners Flaring Reduction Project which is 40% stake to Nigerian AGIP and 60% to NNPC, will be the first to put associated natural gas into generating electricity in Nigeria and will eliminate 1.5 million tons of CO2 thus becoming the 10th largest in the 2,160 projects in CDP pipeline of Kyoto Protocol. There are also plans to build a $10billion (N1.27 trillion) gas pipeline network across the Sahara Desert through Niger, Algeria, across the Mediterranean for export of gas from Nigeria to Europe by Shell. In addition to that, the West Africa Gas Pipeline (WAGP) project spearheaded by Ch evron is to also export gas from Nigeria to Benin, Togo and Ghana, with capacity of 75 billion cubit feet a year and would cost $590 million (N74.6 billion). SPDC, NNPC are equally partners in the project. And for Ghana Pipeline stretch, the World Bank has already provided guarantee for $50 million (N6.3 billion) while $75million (N9.5billion) political risk guarantee has also been provided for West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAGPCO) that will operate the project. Chevron has 36.7 % stake in WAGPCO, Shell, Tokoradi Power Company Limited of Ghana, Togolaise de Gaz and Societe Beninoise de Gaz are other shareholders in the company. Impacts and Statistics Meanwhile, United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOOA) in its studies revealed that Nigeria flares 75% of its Natural gas for lack of processing facilities and that amounted to 20% of flared gas Worldwide. Secondly, according to Earth Trend Country Profile 2003, its report on Nigeria shows that Nigeria flares 2.5billion cubic feet per day of associated gas and that represents 40% of all natural gas consumed in the continent of Africa and further represents the single largest sources of GHG emissions on planet earth. On that note the Nigerian Government is doubling its effort in seeking support on how to tackle the issue of flares-out. Presently, the Government is seeking assistance from Norway, while World Bank is presently mediating between it and the Multinational oil/gas companies for a compromise on the ultimatum to end gas flaring January 2008. SUSTAINABLE HOUSING IN NIGERIA: One may perchance be excited to put why accent is being positioned on the housing. Firstly of all mans basic needs, housing questionably, constitutes and incontrovertibly poses the supreme challenge. Secondly, dynamic and lighthearted accommodation sectors are a proposition of a physically powerful curriculum of countrywide investment and are to be sure the groundwork of and the first step to future monetary growth and social development. The unpleasant housing delivery is consequently a most important factor in the nations gross domestic product (GDP) and indeed this reflects the mirror and the gauge of the state of health of the Nation. Financially viable activities are well recognized to include all aspects of human enterprise that are heading for towards the conception of wealth. It is also known that one of the foundations of person needs is to try to find to augment our self worth by civilizing our living standards. Economic growth is therefore a natural hunt in any individual set-up as such enhancements is predictable to lead to amplified wealth and affluence both for individuals and the complete nation. In regulate to restrain the heightened deficiency of sanctuary in the country, the NHP for the period spanning 1994 to 1998 was probable to build 121,000 housing units. In addition, the amount of Licensed Primary Mortgage Finance Institutions (LPMFI) rose from 251 in 1993 to 276 in 1994. However, by the end of 1998, it has declined to 115. Similarly, the Federal Government resources disbursement on somewhere to live increase by over 500 per cent to N4818.3 million in 1995 from N776.7 million in 1988, but deteriorates slightly by about to per cent to N722.0 million in 1998 (CBN 1994 and 1998). The Federal and the State Government were probable to spend N2.7 billion on housing provision during the 1996-8 NRP. Over N3.0 billion was expected to be spending by the two levels of governments during the 1999-2001 NRP (NPC, 1998 and 2000). Regardless of all these interferences and inventions and huge investments in housing requirements since the colonial times and to date, Nigerias housing pr oblems still remain intractable. In fact, access to decent shelter has wretched for increasing segments of the urban population in Nigeria. For instance, it was reported that out of 121,000 housing units be down for to be built between 1994 and 1995, only 1,014 houses were completed (CBN, 1994 and 1998; and Vision 2010 Main Report). Also, it was estimated that about 85 per cent of urban population live in single rooms, and the number of tenants per room range from 8 to 12 with adverse effects on sanitation and health. The deteriorating housing situation in Nigeria, especially at the urban centers is too critical to leave for government to level out alone. Nigeria is the 6th biggest creator of unfinished oil in the privileged confederation known as OPEC, whose members account for over two -third of the worlds total supply of this product. Also the countrys anticipated reserves of natural gas runs into billions of metric tones and the first train of the liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) has recently being shipped out with the  construction all fully committed to purchases from abroad. In terms of revenue earning capability and latent, it is worth mentioning that Nigeria to date has realized over S200 billion from crude oil sales. For a country that could blow your own horn of such huge amount of possessions, it is very saddening and disturbing to note that very little of the pay packet have been put into use to boost the fortune of the Housing Industry and infrastructure. The industry should have seen a lot more commotion and government support, in large scale development schemes, and improvement and providing of infrastructure; provision of large scale community housing, creating and getting higher new towns. A superficial look at the present state of the housing condition tells an obtrusive tale of a huge paradox An absurdity of achieving so little with so many donations! A measure of inadequacy of the government that should to provide the lead. And so today the somewhere to live stipulation is in a state of down for the count, neither dying nor living!!! STATUS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN NIGERIA: Wind Energy Potentials Internationally, Nigeria is positioned within short to moderate wind liveliness zone. Ojosu and Salawu (1989) carried out the most inclusive on a national scale study on current of air get-up-and-go accessibility and latent in Nigeria. The revise uses facts on Wind speeds and guidelines for 22 meteorological Stations from the Nigerian Meteorological office, Oshodi near Lagos. The meteorological data are based on the 3-hourly records of wind for periods ranging from 12 to 33 years (1951 1983) The insolvents at 10m heights are drawn and four different wind zones/regimes are identified .The wind energy probable for wind energy consumption in Nigeria is broadly considered (Ojosu and Salawu, 1990). Solar Energy Resources in Nigeria According to Bala et al (2000), Nigeria is gifted with a twelve-monthly normal daily brightness of 6.25 hours, ranging between about 3.5 hours at the coastal areas and 9.0 hours at the far northern boundary (Figure 8). Correspondingly, it has an annual average daily solar emission of about 5.25 KW/m2/day, varying between about 3.5 kWm2/day at the coastal Area and 7.0kW/m2/day at the northern boundary (8). Nigeria accepts on the subject of 4.851x 1012 KWh of energy per day from the sun. This is the same to about 1.082 million tones of oil Equivalent (mtoe) per day, and is about 4 thousand times the current daily crude oil diminution, and about 13 thousand times that of natural gas daily construction based on energy unit. This huge energy resource from the sun is available for about 26% only of the day. The country is also characterized with some cold and dusty impression during the harmattan, in its northern part, for a period of about four months (No vember-February) annually (13). The dust has an attenuating effect on the solar radiation intensity (Bala, et al, 2001). Biogas Energy Resources Akinbami et al (2001)s consideration indicated that in Nigeria, notorious feedstock substrate for an economically reasonable biogas program embraces water lettuee, water hyacinth, dung, cassava leave, urban refuse, solid (including industrial) waste, agricultural residues and sewage. Various farming and domestic animals resources and their coupled residues have the prospective substrates for biogas production in the country. Akinbami et al (2001)s views include the following; Nigeria produces about 227,500 tons of fresh animal wastes daily. Since 1 kilogram (kg) of fresh animal wastes produces about 0.03 m3 gas, then Nigeria can produce about 6.8 million m3 of biogas every day. In addition to all these, 20kg of municipal solid wastes (MSW) per capital has been estimated to be generated within the country annually. By the 1991 census figure of 88.5 million inhabitants, the full amount generated MSW will be at least 1.77 million tones every year. With escalating urbanization and industrialization, the annual MSW generated will maintain to increase. Biogas construction may therefore be a money-spinning means of falling or even eliminate the peril and annoyances of urban waste in many cities by recycle them. REFERENCES:   Abumere S. (1987) Urbanisation and Urban Design in Nigeria in Onibokun A.C,   Olokesusi et al Urban Reveiwal In Nigeria   Agbola Tunde (1998) The Housing of Nigerian: A review of policy development and   Implementation. Research Report No.14.   CBN (1990-1998) Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, Central Bank of Nigeria;   Abuja.   CBN (1993-1997) Statistical Bulletin (Various issues) CBN; Abuja   Falegan S.B. (1985) Housing Finance and Funding: The Nigeria Experience In(ed)   Onibokun, Poju; Housing in Nigeria (A book of reading) NISER.   Federal Office of Statistics (FOS) (1994) Social Statistics in Nigeria FOS; Abuja   Federal Office of Statistics (FOS) (1997) Social Statistics in Nigeria, FOS, Abuja   Federal Office of Statistics(FOS) (1999) Poverty profile for Nigeria (1980-1996) FOS;   Abuja   Federal Ministry of Works And Housing (2001) Publication in Policy News Journal June   4, 2001.   Policy strategies should be targeted towards sustainable, eco-friendly alternative energy sources.   The government should set up the Ministry of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.   Develop adequate policies with input from the civil society to address renewable energy and energy efficiency   Nigerian government should encourage the use of solar energy to provide electricity for her populace   State government be encourage to generate alternative energy sources Civil society and NGOs must be involved in the planning and implementation of renewable energy and energy efficiency policy   Capacity build should be intensified to empower communities to advocate for renewable energy and energy efficiency   Nigerian government and local NGOs should develop partnership with international agencies to develop renewable energy and energy efficiency   The importation of renewable energy products should be duty free to encourage the development in Nigeria   The government should promote the mapping of renewable energy and energy efficiency centers   Mainstream gender in the energy sector through policy formulation and implementation   The government should increase budgetary allocation to energy sector for research and development of alternative energy in Nigeria   Enhance strategic integration of relevant stakeholders groups into all policies on renewable energy

Do Magnet Schools Work? :: essays research papers

Do Magnet Schools Actually Work? The 1954 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, represented a turning point in the history of the United States. (144) Reversing the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling, which said that racially "separate but equal" public institutions were legal, the court held that segregated public schools were "inherently unequal" and denied black children equal protection under the law. It later directed that the state provide desegregated educational facilities "with all deliberate speed." Kansas had been only one of many states that had "separate but equal" schools that were affected by the decision. Although Southern white officials sought to obstruct implementation of the Brown decision, many blacks saw the ruling as a sign that the federal government might intervene on their behalf in other racial matters. The court ruled that the schools would have to come up with a solution to the problem of desegregating the schools. Special schools called â€Å"Magnet Schools† were set up. These schools were designed as a desegregation method. There were three methods used in the desegregation of the schools. Black students were bussed out to the suburbs to attend white schools, white children were bussed into the city to attend black schools, or both races were mixed in different schools. There are two types of magnet Durham 2 schools. The full site school is where all students in a particular district transfer into the school and are mixed together in the magnet program. Partial site programs offer a special magnet program within a â€Å"non-magnet† general school, even though students still transfer into the school to participate in the magnet curriculum. The focus of these schools is to achieve racial balance and increase educational quality. (146) Some of the problems with magnet schools were that they would â€Å"siphon† off the better students from a school district, leaving all the educationally at-risk students. (147) Most of these students that were left behind were members of a minority group such as Black or Hispanic. Another problem with magnet schools is that they might already be aimed at middle class families. This is done to try to avoid desegregation by some parents so their children will not have to go to school with members of a minority. Removing students from a given school district also removes resources from students most in need from this interaction.

House of the Spirits Essay

In Isabel Allende’s novel The House of the Spirits, there are two definitive classes of people that are present throughout the novel. The poor class, including the peasants of Tres Marias and the socialist party members, has continual resentment towards the other class, which is the wealthy aristocratic class. The wealthy division of the novel shows little humanity towards the poor, treats the poor as servants, and control all politics involved in the country. The wealthy’s treatment of the lower class shattered the peace experienced by Chile because the poor and the wealthy maintained a struggle to co-exist with such division between their classes. The struggles between the two classes was first established early on in the novel at Tres Marias where Estreban Trueba makes it clear that he is the leader of the land and the rest of the tenants were much less important than him. Trueba was a part of the wealthy class and he takes the peasants that are housed on his land and he takes complete advantage of the people there. Word of his cruelty spread throughout the region, provoking jealous admiration among the men of his class. The peasants hid their daughters and clenched their fists helplessly because they could not confront him. Esteban Trueba was stronger, and he had impunity† (Allende 63). There was nothing that the peasants could do to a man of a higher class and Trueba takes full advantage of this. He acts as though he is untouchable throughout the novel and that the wealthy class can do whatever they please. Esteban Trueba speaks of how he believes that since he is in a higher and wealthier class, he is free to do anything that he wishes, including raping the women of Tres Marias. Esteban sees the people that live on his land as lesser human beings and Esteban believes that â€Å"poor people are completely ignorant and uneducated. They’re like children, they can’t handle responsibility. How could they know what’s best for them? Without [Trueba] they’d be lost† (64). This attitude that the wealthy class has for those in the book ignites the resentment felt by the poor class that resounds in the rest of the story. The inequality that is present between these two classes is unbelievable throughout the book that even parts of the wealthy class begin to realize the damage that their right wing government has caused to the lower division of Chile. Even Esteban Trueba’s immediate family senses the problems that the poor face. â€Å"[Clara] now took Blanca with her on her visits to the poor, weighed down with gifts and comfort. ‘This is to assuage our conscience, darling,’ she would explain to Blanca. ‘But it doesn’t help the poor. They don’t need charity, they need justice’† (136). Because of this unequal treatment of the classes and the resentment that the poor held for the wealthy, the two classes could not continue to co-exist. The incessant struggle that the lower class faced when the wealthy controlled everything forced them to begin a revolution so that they can finally take control of their own lives instead of living to please the wealthy. Throughout the novel, the wealthy controlled every part of the country’s government and therefore, they controlled the country as a whole until the day that Esteban Trueba lost the election and the socialist party came to power. This is when the poor finally ceased to be dominated by the wealthy. â€Å"They lit torches, and the jumble of voices and dancing in the streets became a disciplined, jubilant procession that advanced toward the well-tended avenues of the bourgeoisie, creating the unaccustomed spectacle of ordinary citizens – factory workers in their heavy work shoes, women with babies in their arms, students in shirt-sleeves – calmly marching through the private, expensive neighborhood where they had rarely ventured before, and in which they were complete foreigners† (340). After the socialist victory there was room for a class that was previously completely blocked from the wealthy areas of living as well as in the government. The poor and the wealthy became much more even in terms of rights which, in turn, made the two classes much less divided. With such deplorable treatment of the lower class, the two classes could never co-exist peacefully unless there was a dramatic change in Chile. With a socialist victory over the conservatives, there was room for the differences between the poor and the wealthy to be diminished and for the country to be diplomatic.

High School and Teen Pregnancy Essay

A. General Purpose: To inform B. Specific Purpose: To inform my audience on what I see as the biggest challenges young adults face today. C. Central Idea: I will give three reasons as to what I see as the biggest challenges are; the abuse of drugs and alcohol, teen pregnancies, and unemployment. I. Introduction A. More than half of teen mothers never get their high school diploma because they drop out of high school to provide a better parenthood for their child. B. The use of illegal drugs is increasing in young teens. An average age of first usage of marijuana is 14 and alcohol usage can start at age 12. The usage of marijuana and alcohol is now very common in high schools. C. More than 40% of those who have earned their college degree in the last two years are working in a job that does not require their degree. II. A. Teen pregnancy is affecting young adults more each year. 1. Young adults are taught that it is okay to raise a child no matter what age you are. 2. Even though statistics show that teen pregnancies are a negative outcome in their lives, some manage to make it a positive outcome. B. Young adults do not realize the use of drugs and alcohol at young age can cause negative effects on your life. They feel like they are indestructible and immune to the problems that others experience. 1. It is common for teens to experiment the use of drugs and alcohol. The problem is when they get addicted and are moving on to more dangerous drugs. 2. see more:papers on teen pregnancy Teenagers, who are depressed, have low self-esteem, and feel like they don’t fit in will most likely develop a serious drug and alcohol problem. C. Some young adults who are unemployed, are not able to pay their student loans, car payments, and cannot afford an apartment so they have to go back to their childhood bedroom and live with their parents. 1. The unemployment rate in young adults rose significantly in just one month of July 2013 from 16. 4% to 16. 8%. 2. More than 4 out of 5 are now delaying and changing their major life decisions. I. Conclusion Young adults face many challenges every day. I have listed the main three that I consider are the biggest, teen pregnancy, the abuse of drug and alcohol, and the unemployment that young adults are facing today. Some challenges are just part of life and we have to learn how to deal with them, but there are others such as unemployment that we can change. The thing is, it’s not going to change by its self, and we have to do something about it if we want to see a change in the coming future.

Laila McClaurin-Seamon

Date:4/17/18 Activism is when a person campaigns and does whatever they can to make the community around them a better place. Activism is important because the activist are doing what they love while helping the community making a change in their community. Three teens that are activist are Liza Yaroshenko, Marley Dias and Malala Yousafzai. The first activist is Marley Dias, Marley started by finding the problem which was right in her school. When she was 11 she complained to her mother that all the she was reading was about white boys and dogs, she told her mom she didn't have the freedom to read what she wanted o.She launched a campaign called #1000blackgirlbooks in 2015, with the goal to collect 1,000 books to donate for black girls. Her two friends Briana and Amina joined her campaign, and they started to be called â€Å"BAM† in social media. The campaign also called public attention to the lack of diversity in children's literature. They collected over 9,000 books. Many of these books have been sent to a children's book drive in Jamaica. The second activist is Liza Yaroshenko. She got started when she was just 15 years old. Last autumn President Viktor Yanukovych declared that tackling infectious diseases was a priority but the government allocated no funds in 2013 to fighting hepatitis and only 40% of the sum the president proposed for Aids and tuberculosis.That's when Liza decided to speak out. She speaks out on healthcare laws that hurt those affected by HIV and AIDS, as well as general HIV awareness. Liza was six years old when she lost her mother to Aids. Like tens of thousands of Ukrainians, Liza's mother contracted HIV while injecting a cheap heroin substitute made of liquid poppy straw.In 2012, for the first time, there was a slight drop in the number of newly registered cases of HIV in Ukraine. And the last activist is Malala Yousafzai. Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani education advocate who, at the age of 17, became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize after surviving an assassination attempt by the Taliban. She was born on July 12, 1997. She survived and has continued to speak out on the importance of education. In 2013, she gave a speech to the United Nations. Malala highlighted her focus on education and women's rights, urging world leaders to change their policies. Those teen activist are making a change in the world by giving books to little children or fighting for a cure of a deadly disease or just fighting for the education of young girls and boys. They are lots of teen activist in the world.

From Empiricism to Postmodernism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

From Empiricism to Postmodernism - Essay Example The essay "From Empiricism to Postmodernism" states Empiricism and Postmodernism. The nature of knowledge has evolved throughout history. During the modern period, that is â€Å"since the 17th century scientific revolution and the Enlightenment, we have assumed there is a single objective reality, and science and reason offer the most effective method of discovering it†. This was highlighted during two modern philosophical traditions, i.e. rationalism and empiricism. Rationalism, which began with Rene Descartes, claimed that knowledge stems from reason alone. However, by the time John Locke came into the scene, the nature of knowledge began to shift towards the empiricism. This was at its peak with the empiricist, David Hume. Contrary to rationalism, empiricism claims that knowledge stem from our experience alone. What we can know is that which we can perceive and experience through our senses. Nevertheless, despite the contrast between these two traditions, both characterized knowledge as something structured. It both aimed towards an objective truth, which serves as the foundation of all knowledge. However, by the end of the modern era, a new tradition stepped into the scene. This was called postmodernism. Postmodernism, on the other hand, serves as a critique of the modern project. While modernism emphasized on structure, postmodernism emphasized on de-structuralizing knowledge. The new movement implies a shift from the signified to the signifier: and so there is a perpetual detour on the way to a truth. that has lost any status or finality† (Sarup 1993, p.3). Postmodernism deconstructs foundational concepts such as causality, identity, truth and knowledge. Postmodernists attack the view that there is a single unified body of knowledge. Rather, knowledge, for postmodernists, is relative. There is no single truth so to speak but a multiplicity of truths. It argues that â€Å"the human subject does not have a unified consciousness but is structur ed by language† (Sarup 1993, p.3). In this paper, I shall focus on two philosophical traditions that have shaped the way by which we perceive reality, i.e. empiricism and postmodernism. I shall show how these two traditions differ in their epistemological approaches. In doing so, I shall argue that postmodernism does not serve to give us a clear picture of knowledge. Thus, if philosophy, in its epistemological concerns, aims to search for foundations of our knowledge, then so it seems that postmodernism contradicts the very nature of philosophy in its goal to achieve a reliable and foundational theory of knowledge. Therefore, although empiricism relied too much on observable facts, it nevertheless gave us a consistent theory of knowledge, as opposed to the postmodernist epistemological approach. Given the aforementioned background, I shall divide this paper into three main parts. The first part will discuss the empiricist tradition with regards to its epistemological approache s, while the second part will discuss the postmodernist approach. Here, I shall emphasize on the difference between the manner by which both traditions define the nature and acquisition of knowledge. Finally, the third part will be devoted to my analysis regarding the issue at hand. This will serve as my conclusion. In this final section, I shall give my argument on what I believe is the more consistent and reliable framework for epistemology. In doing so, I shall defend the empiricist view on epistemology as that which upholds rather then rejects the nature of philosophy. For, structure is a necessary factor in any theory of knowledge. Postmodernism deconstructs this structure of knowledge that philosophers, since the ancient period have developed. I shall argue that postmodernism dissolves the very nature of knowledge, and this nullifies the nature of philosophy itself. Postmodernism only serves as a critique to empiricism, but it does not suffice to create a reliable framework of a theory of knowledge, that is, of epistemology. Empiricism and Epistemology There are four