Climate Change Impact On The Caribbean Environmental Sciences Essay

Climate Change Impact On The Caribbean Environmental Sciences Essay The purpose of this brief is to provide accurate information on how climate change will impact Caribbean trade, business and the environment. Realistic mitigation and cost-effective adaptation measures for dealing with this phenomenon are needed. On one hand, climate change presents challenging potential environmental problems and threatens the very foundation of sustainable development and economic stability in the region (Nicholas, 2007 and Bueno, Herzfeld, Stanton, and Ackerman, 2008). Most globally acclaimed scientists predict a rise in sea level and temperature and occurrences of increased and intensified extreme weather events (Niles, 2010). Businesses will generally be impacted by increased cost of production due to heightened energy costs, reduction of raw materials and lower amounts of fresh water. On the other hand, climate change delivers unprecedented opportunities for the islands to benefit from much needed international funding and the liberalization of environmental te chnologies, goods and services that will ultimately lessen vulnerability and strengthen resilience. Climate change undeniably impacts trade. Its impacts are already being felt and will continue to be felt as a result of trade liberalization, trade agreements, environmental regulations and standards, and food security. Although the islands partake in several trade agreements and environmental regulations, these come with strings attached, issues like green protectionism and reduced preferential trade regimes exist. The region is facing tremendous increased competition from food imports, particularly genetically modified foods. While these foods have the potential to strengthen the level of food security globally, it has disadvantageous trade implications for the region. Additionally, climate change can produce inconsistencies and reduction in the regions supply of goods for consumption and export. How will Climate Change impact Caribbean Business and the Environment? Caribbean businesses, especially those that are agriculture and tourism related are highly susceptible to the potential positive and negative impacts of climate change. The climate is a key factor in determining the productivity level of agricultural produce. A few predicted positive impacts of climate change on agricultural production in the Caribbean are increases in the productivity of tropical crops, diversity of crops produced, and accelerated maturity growth (Peter Carte, 2009). As climate change occurs, its impact on business operations becomes less predictable. Any reduction in the agriculture yield directly affects the businesses bottom line and breadwinners ability to provide adequately for their family needs. (Joseluise, 2009). Likely negative impacts are increased infestation, crop damage, soil erosion, increased moisture problems and unreliable forecasting (Carter, 2009). Hence, the method of production and harvesting techniques used may have to be discontinued or upgrad ed as the case may be. The tourism industry cannot sustain itself without a healthy environment. As a region, it is imperative that priority be given to the maintenance and preservation of the environment. This initiative can also serve to boost eco-tourism in the Caribbean. The negative potential change in the climate carries significant implications for tourism businesses and increases the cost of doing business. For example, rising temperatures will amplify the need for cooling appliances. If the snow cap decreases and flights to the region continue to become expensive, then visitors may seek cheaper destination closer to their homes. The unfortunate spin-off effect of this situation is decreased profits for businesses, high unemployment rates and reduced gross domestic product rates for countries. Scientists suggest that climate change is linked to increased coral bleaching, oceanic acidification, coastal erosion, saline intrusion, loss of biodiversity, and extinction of species (AOSIS, 2009 and Sookram, 2005). This has far reaching effects on the environment, since coral reefs are the breeding ground and food source for many different types of species. Many locals depend on fish as their main source of protein and fishermen in the Caribbean depend on the coral reefs for the provision of their livelihoods in the form of fishing. Recommendations for Trade, Business and the Environment Thoroughly analyze regulatory measures and economic incentives targeted at addressing climate change issues, since they have long term implications for the region. In relation to trade, more research on emissions trading and alternative sources of energy is needed along with the incorporation of climate change mitigation initiatives in all future development policies. Business as usual cannot be the mantra, climate change calls for decisive and wise decision making. The education system and local media can be used to share information on the positive and negative impacts of climate change. In order to mitigate future impacts on business and the environment, there is a dire need for enforcing stricter building codes, purchasing comprehensive insurance and constructing sea walls where necessary (Mc Donald, 2010 and Economics of Climate Adaptation, 2010). Possible means of adaptation for the agriculture industry are strengthening of the water supply system, changes in production technology and introduction of new crop varieties (Vega, 2008). Tourism industry businesses need to implement and execute a decisive strategy for the way forward in dealing with climate change issues. Additionally, a more environmentally friendly tourism model is needed. For instance, they can use alternative sources of energy (solar and wind) in facilities, utilize energy conservation technologies, cease further coastal tourism development and acquire environmental certification (Sookram, 2005). Intensive carbon producing businesses should immediately begin lessening their carbon footprint in order to prevent further environmental damage. Conclusion Every individual, household, business, community, and government in the Caribbean region needs to adhere to the urgent appeal to mitigate the potential impacts of climate change. A joint regional collaborative effort is immediately needed; the success of future generations depends on how the region responds to the issue of climate change impact on trade, business and the environment. In light of the thorough analysis of the facts presented here, one can definitely conclude that climate change challenges can be overcome if adaptation and mitigation measures are immediately put into place. The time for action is now!

Free Essay on Macbeth - The Guilt of Lady Macbeth :: GCSE Coursework Macbeth Essays

The Guilt of Lady Macbeth Everyone is influenced by other people, including leaders or authority, to make the wrong decisions at some point in their lives. In the play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is responsible for the evil doings of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is responsible for this by using his love for her to persuade him into killing King Duncan. Because Macbeth loved and trusted his wife, he was vulnerable to her opinions and suggestions. We also know that she is responsible for these heartless things because she has so much guilt that she commits suicide. Macbeth would never have done any of those horrible things if it were not for the murder of King Duncan, which was forced on by Lady Macbeth. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a trusted soldier, who is honest and noble. Unfortunately, he meets three witches who tell him three prophecies; that he will become thane of Cawdor, that he will become king and that Banquo’s sons will become kings. These three prophecies slowly change his opinions on life and turn him into a greedy, dishonest, tyrant, full of ambition. Lady Macbeth’s thoughts change as well when she is told about the three prophecies that were told to Macbeth. In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is ambitious, controlling and domineering. She is the one who encourages him to kill the king, she not only encourages him, she makes all the plans herself, which shows her determination and persistence."Yet I do fear thy nature, it is too full o’th milk of human kindness. To catch the nearest way thou wouldst be great. Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it." (Act 1, scene 5). Lady Macbeth is the force behind M acbeth’s sudden ambition and she tries to manipulate him into feeling guilty and unmanly for not following through with the murder, by using her husbands emotions, she manages to convince Macbeth to murder Duncan. After the death of King Duncan, Macbeth becomes the more controlling one, and Lady Macbeth’s guilt eventually becomes too much for her to handle which leads to her death. Lady Macbeth is in fact the one that performs the preparations for the murder of King Duncan, but still shows some signs of humanity by not committing the murder herself because he resembles "My father as he slept". After the murder has been committed, she also shows signs of being a strong person because she calms Macbeth down in order to keep him from going insane.

Mrs. and Mr. Bennet : Parenting in Pride and Prejudice Essay

A thorough second reading of Pride and Prejudice compels the reader to view the novel with a different perspective. Besides being a novel of courtship and romance, it focuses on decorum of conduct. Pride and Prejudice is about consequences. Jane Austen introduces her characters to the reader through simple conversations, refraining from authorial comments and physical descriptions to bring out their personalities. This shows her general disposition of not letting appearances affect her moral choice. Through her varied characters, she not only entertains her reader but also makes a point, without preaching. The novel begins with a conversation between Mrs. And Mr. Bennet. At once we are introduced to a couple whose banters are distressingly amusing, half parts witty and half parts inane. Mrs. Bennet fails to catch her husband’s sarcasm and the ill-treatment he metes out to her ‘poor nerves’. Mr. Bennet is aware of her feelings but he is not interested in her consta nt raptures and worries. Their weak understanding is the consequence of a marriage based on superficial factors like appearance and sexual chemistry. As a result, their parenting lacks wisdom and Jane Austen brings to light the upshots of such a marriage through various social means. When dealing with five children, it is only natural to have favorites among them. But good parenting is one where you keep it to yourself rather than avowing your views in front of the less favored siblings. In case of the Bennets, their bias is critical. And their open criticism of their less favored daughters does them no good. Mr. Bennet’s calling his two youngest daughters ‘uncommonly foolish’ and ‘the silliest girls in the country’ evokes only a sense of incredulity in Mrs. Bennet whereas Lydia is least affected by her father’s contempt. Her mother takes her side rather than seeing the point her husband is trying to make. As a result, Mr. Bennet’s contempt for Lydia has no effe ct on her as she continues to express her admiration of officers with ‘perfect indifference’. On the other hand, Elizabeth is Mrs. Bennet’s least favorite daughter. By repeatedly reproaching Lizzy in front of Lydia, Mrs. Bennet brings down Lizzy’s position as an elder sister in Lydia’s eyes. Lydia therefore doesn’t value Elizabeth’s views and has no respect for her intellect. The two teenaged daughters, Kitty and Lydia, are audience to their parents’ uninhibited criticism of Mrs. Long. The Bennets’ ‘failure to obey some arbitrary code of genteel conduct’ results in an equally forward and shameless daughter who is exposed to bad manners at a tender age. And Lydia is exposed to her mother’s horrifying public conduct throughout her teenage, up till the point, where she herself becomes a cause of embarrassment and mortification. By speaking ill of her neighbours and rebuking Elizabeth in front of the Netherfield party, Mrs. Bennet degrades the essence of relationships in Lydia’s view who thus fails to see nothing of a person beyond their appearance and physicality. Jane Austen uses the power of conversations and situations to bring out the contrast between good and bad. The moment Mrs. and Mr. Gardiner are introduced to the readers, we are awed by their genteel conduct and their love for their nieces. Mrs. Gardiner shares a healthy relationship with Jane and Elizabeth, especially with the latter. After Charlotte Lucas, Mrs. Gardiner is the only other person in whom Elizabeth confides. Mrs. Gardiner, being a fine judge of character, helps Lizzy in assessing situations well and is a companion to her in her doubts and philosophies. Mrs. Bennet, as a mother, should have been by her daughter’s side when deciding upon matters concerning lifelong felicity, like marriage. She should have been her guide, a friend, while choosing a life-partner for her daughter. Rather, her ‘habitual impropriety is a material impediment to her daughter’s chances of making a prosperous marriage’. It is her aunt instead, who by stressing to Lizzy her strengths of fine judgment, helps her keep a check on her thought-process. She even warns Eliza about Wickham’s suspicious manners. All of this, Mrs. Bennet fails to do as a mother. Unlike his wife, Mr. Bennet had the intellect and thus the power of directing his family towards a better path. He knows what right conduct is and isn’t oblivious to his daughters’ bad manners. But he chooses to sit back and relax in his library, thus dodging any responsibility that comes his way. His not saving money for his daughters even though he knew well that he couldn’t leave behind his estate to them brings out the worst in Mrs. Bennet. This forces her to consider every other charming, rich man as an eligible husband for her daughters. ‘It is thus entirely natural and plausible that a mother in her situation†¦would develop an overriding anxiety about their [her daughters’] future.’ â€Å"I r emember the time when I liked a red coat very well-indeed so I do still in my heart.† These lines by Mrs. Bennet are a confession of her still unappeased sexuality and by saying this she fosters in Lydia the thought of righteousness of uncontrolled sexual energy. She thus catalyzes Lydia’s already growing frivolous nature. Mrs. Bennet favors Lydia and is totally blind to her flaws to the extent that she blames the Forsters for Lydia’s elopement. Jane Austen cleverly voices the reader’s opinion of the shortcomings of Mrs. Bennet’s parenting through her own mouth – â€Å"I am sure there was some great neglect or other on their side, for she is not the kind of girl to do such a thing, if she had been well looked after†, though these accusations of Mrs. Bennet are directed towards the Forsters. Mr. Bennet fails to secure his family financially. Yet he could have imparted to them what money could never have done. He could have at least preserved the respectability of his daughters by channeling their energy and talents. A strong mind would have surpassed the material impediment that money is for the Bennet sisters. On the one hand, where Lydia is an element of stupidity and triviality in the novel, Elizabeth shows a change of character, alignment of priorities and the liveliness of a strong mind. Though brought up under the same roof, one can notice the degradation of morality and character in the Bennet sisters. Jane has a calm and composed countenance. Elizabeth has a fine intellect but shows a streak of her mother’s forwardness. Mary Bennet is the least interesting of all. Her display of her scholarly opinion once in a while is more or less her role in the household. Easily influenced by her younger sister’s wild ideas about life, Kitty is merely a companion to Lydia in her flirtatious adventures. Lydia is an untamed and fearless young woman who ‘subordinates all decent occupations to the pursuit of males.’ Jane and Lizzy’s closeness to their uncle and aunt, the Gardiners, early on in their life is the reason for their strong set of principles. The first three sisters are all well-read and this is the result of the exposure to their father’s extensive reading habits. Kitty and Lydia are the outcome of Mrs. Bennet’s frustrations resulting from failed attempts of having a son. Mrs. Bennet fails to separate herself from Lydia and gives her a piece of her mind, literally. Lydia’s proximity to her mother spoils her to the extent that the presence of two morally adept sisters, an uncle and an aunt is not enough to affect her. So guarded was she in her world of immorality. Lydia is less of anti-heroine. She is simply the product of a feckless father and a noisy and raucous mother. It is thus unfair to label her as an anti-heroine. But by her means, Jane Austen contrasts the goodness of Elizabeth, the heroine.

Reflections On The Things They Carried Essays - Free Essays

Reflections On The Things They Carried Essays - Free Essays Reflections on "The Things They Carried" Part I: Analyzing the story?s craftsmanship Tim O?Brien wrote a story that is known as "The Things They Carried." It is a carefully crafted, detailed account of a Lieutenant and his men, the time period being right in the middle of the Vietnam war. In most war stories the author spends most of his or her time describing actions and events to the reader, trying to really put the reader "right there" in the middle of everything that is happening. However, O?Brien drifts away from that trend here, hardly describing any events of import to us at all. Rather, he focuses on the thoughts of the soldiers, the inner feelings, small personal nuances and quirks that really describe the men. Being out in the wilderness, far from home or anything they recognize, these men must deal with the mental and physical stresses of war. Here is where O?Brien implements his literary art form. One thing a reader may notice when reading the story is the fact that the story is written in third person, limited omniscient. The narrator is not actually in the story, merely telling us of the events, and yet we still get to see inside Lt. Cross?s mind to more accurately picture his feelings. The narrator also, although letting us see the innermost, personal thoughts of Cross, always refers to the Lieutenant as either "he,", "him," or "Lt. Cross," never speaking of him by only his first name, which seems rather formal. Also, it is odd that O?Brien should choose the third person to write in when creating a story such as this one. Usually when an author wants the reader to feel what the main character is feeling, they will write the story in the first person point of view, to give the events and thoughts a more personal touch. However, the way O?Brien phrases his sentences, it is really very simple for the reader to get that accurate feeling for the main character, even! though it is not the main character speaking. For example, on the next to last page of the story, there is a large piece that speaks about Lt. Cross?s feelings. "On the morning after Ted Lavender died, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha?s letters. Then he burned the two photographs. There was a steady rain falling. . . He realized it was only a gesture. Stupid, he thought. Sentimental, too, but mostly just stupid. Lavender was dead. You couldn?t burn the blame." (Hansen, 436) This section is very vivid in the portrayal of Lt. Cross. The reader can easily see the man, crouching in the bottom of a muddy hole, burning photographs while thinking of a terrible blame he felt was his: it is a sad scene to picture. Another thing O?Brien does in his story is, as I mentioned above, to concentrate more on thoughts and seemingly minor details rather than on events. In the story, O?Brien skips the burning of a village in just a simple remark that makes it almost feel like an afterthought. ("Afterward they burned Than Khe." Hansen, 427) But, he spends almost half of the story explaining what exactly the men carried with them, going into full detail of why they carried these things, how much they weighed, etc. This is for a very good reason, though. O?Brien uses this weight factor as a symbolism and parallel to the "weight" of the emotional baggage and mental conflicts the men must also carry with them as they trek through this strange foreign land. At the bottom of the eleventh page O?Brien mentions this directly: "They all carried emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing-these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity! , they had tangible weight." (Hansen, 434-435) He then goes on for another half of a page describing other emotional baggage they carried. This shows some of the real horror of war; not who wins or who dies, but also what effect it has on all parties involved, including the soldiers out there usually fighting battles that they would rather not be fighting. Also, O?Brien