Climate Change Essay Example for Free

Climate Change Essay Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions, or in the distribution of weather around the average conditions (i.e., more or fewer extreme weather events). Climate change is caused by factors that include oceanic processes (such as oceanic circulation), variations in solar radiation received by Earth, plate tectonics and volcanic eruptions, and human-induced alterations of the natural world; these latter effects are currently causing global warming, and climate change is often used to describe human-specific impacts. Causes of climate change Natural causes Continental drift You may have noticed something peculiar about South America and Africa on a map of the world dont they seem to fit into each other like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle? About 200 million years ago they were joined together! Scientists believe that back then, the earth was not as we see it today, but the continents were all part of one large landmass. Proof of this comes from the similarity between plant and animal fossils and broad belts of rocks found on the eastern coastline of South America and western coastline of Africa, which are now widely separated by the Atlantic Ocean. The discovery of fossils of tropical plants (in the form of coal deposits) in Antarctica has led to the conclusion that this frozen land at some time in the past, must have been situated closer to the equator, where the climate was tropical, with swamps and plenty of lush vegetation. The continents that we are familiar with today were formed when the landmass began gradually drifting apart, millions of years back. This drift also had an impact on the climate because it changed the physical features of the landmass, their position and the position of water bodies. The separation of the landmasses changed the flow of ocean currents and winds, which affected the climate. This drift of the continents continues even today; the Himalayan range is rising by about 1 mm (millimeter) every year because the Indian land mass is moving towards the Asian land mass, slowly but steadily. Volcanoes When a volcano erupts it throws out large volumes of sulphur dioxide (SO2), water vapor, dust, and ash into the atmosphere. Although the volcanic activity may last only a few days, yet the large volumes of gases and ash can influence climatic patterns for years. Millions of tons of sulphur dioxide gas can reach the upper levels of the atmosphere (called the stratosphere) from a major eruption. The gases and dust particles partially block the incoming rays of the sun, leading to cooling. Sulphur dioxide combines with water to form tiny droplets of sulphuric acid. These droplets are so small that many of them can stay aloft for several years. The earths tilt The earth makes one full orbit around the sun each year. It is tilted at an angle of 23.5 ° to the perpendicular plane of its orbital path. For one half of the year when it is summer, the northern hemisphere tilts towards the sun. In the other half when it is winter, the earth is tilted away from the sun. If there was no tilt we would not have experienced seasons. Changes in the tilt of the earth can affect the severity of the seasons more tilt means warmer summers and colder winters; less tilt means cooler summers and milder winters. The Earths orbit is somewhat elliptical, which means that the distance between the earth and the Sun varies over the course of a year. We usually think of the earths axis as being fixed, after all, it always seems to point toward Polaris (also known as the Pole Star and the North Star). Actually, it is not quite constant: the axis does move, at the rate of a little more than a half-degree each century. So Polaris has not always been, and will not always be, the star pointing to the North. When the pyramids were built, around 2500 BC, the pole was near the star Thuban (Alpha Draconis). This gradual change in the direction of the earths axis, called precession is responsible for changes in the climate. Ocean currents The oceans are a major component of the climate system. They cover about 71% of the Earth and absorb about twice as much of the suns radiation as the atmosphere or the land surface. Ocean currents move vast amounts of heat across the planet roughly the same amount as the atmosphere does. But the oceans are surrounded by land masses, so heat transport through the water is through channels. Ocean currents have been known to change direction or slow down. Much of the heat that escapes from the oceans is in the form of water vapour, the most abundant greenhouse gas on Earth. Yet, water vapor also contributes to the formation of clouds, which shade the surface and have a net cooling effect. Any or all of these phenomena can have an impact on the climate, as is believed to have happened at the end of the last Ice Age, about 14,000 years ago. Human causes Greenhouse gases and their sources Carbon dioxide is undoubtedly, the most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Changes in land use pattern, deforestation, land clearing, agriculture, and other activities have all led to a rise in the emission of carbon dioxide. Methane is another important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. About  ¼ of all methane emissions are said to come from domesticated animals such as dairy cows, goats, pigs, buffaloes, camels, horses, and sheep. These animals produce methane during the cud-chewing process Methane is also emitted from landfills and other waste dumps. If the waste is put into an incinerator or burnt in the open, carbon dioxide is emitted. Methane is also emitted during the process of oil drilling, coal mining and also from leaking gas pipelines (due to accidents and poor maintenance of sites). A large amount of nitrous oxide emission has been attributed to fertilizer application. This in turn depends on the type of fertilizer that is used, how and when it is used and the methods of tilling that are followed. Contributions are also made by leguminous plants, such as beans and pulses that add nitrogen to the soil. How we all contribute every day All of us in our daily lives contribute our bit to this change in the climate. Give these points a good, serious thought: Electricity is the main source of power in urban areas. All our gadgets run on electricity generated mainly from thermal power plants. These thermal power plants are run on fossil fuels (mostly coal) and are responsible for the emission of huge amounts of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Cars, buses, and trucks are the principal ways by which goods and people are transported in most of our cities. These are run mainly on petrol or diesel, both fossil fuels. We generate large quantities of waste in the form of plastics that remain in the environment for many years and cause damage. We use a huge quantity of paper in our work at schools and in offices. Have we ever thought about the number of trees that we use in a day? Timber is used in large quantities for construction of houses, which means that large areas of forest have to be cut down. A growing population has meant more and more mouths to feed. Because the land area available for agriculture is limited (and in fact, is actually shrinking as a result of ecological degradation!), high-yielding varieties of crop are being grown to increase the agricultural output from a given area of land. However, such high-yielding varieties of crops require large quantities of fertilizers; and more fertilizer means more emissions of nitrous oxide, both from the field into which it is put and the fertilizer industry that makes it. Pollution also results from the run-off of fertilizer into water bodies. Effects of Climate Change Today Over 100 years ago, people worldwide began burning more coal and oil for homes, factories, and transportation. Burning these fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These added greenhouses gases have caused Earth to warm more quickly than it has in the past. Sea level is rising. During the 20th century, sea level rose about 15 cm (6 inches) due to melting glacier ice and expansion of warmer seawater. Models predict that sea level may rise as much as 59 cm (23 inches) during the 21st Century, threatening coastal communities, wetlands, and coral reefs. Arctic sea ice is melting. The summer thickness of sea ice is about half of what it was in 1950. Melting ice may lead to changes in ocean circulation. Plus melting sea ice is speeding up warming in the Arctic. Glaciers and permafrost are melting. Over the past 100 years, mountain glaciers in all areas of the world have decreased in size and so has the amount of permafrost in the Arctic. Greenlands ice sheet is melting faster too. Sea-surface temperatures are warming. Warmer waters in the shallow oceans have contributed to the death of about a quarter of the worlds coral reefs in the last few decades. Many of the coral animals died after weakened by bleaching, a process tied to warmed waters. The temperatures of large lakes are warming. The temperatures of large lakes world-wide have risen dramatically. Temperature rises have increased algal blooms in lakes, favor invasive species, increase stratification in lakes and lower lake levels. Heavier rainfall cause flooding in many regions. Warmer temperatures have led to more intense rainfall events in some areas. This can cause flooding. Extreme drought is increasing. Higher temperatures cause a higher rate of evaporation and more drought in some areas of the world. Crops are withering. Increased temperatures and extreme drought are causing a decline in crop productivity around the world. Decreased crop productivity can mean food shortages which have many social implications. Ecosystems are changing. As temperatures warm, species may either move to a cooler habitat or die. Species that are particularly vulnerable include endangered species, coral reefs, and polar animals. Warming has also caused changes in the timing of spring events and the length of the growing season. Hurricanes have changed in frequency and strength. There is evidence that the number of intense hurricanes has increased in the Atlantic since 1970. Scientists continue to study whether climate is the cause. More frequent heat waves. It is likely that heat waves have become more common in more areas of the world. Warmer temperatures affect human health. There have been more deaths due to heat waves and more allergy attacks as the pollen season grows longer. There have also been some changes in the ranges of animals that carry disease like mosquitoes. Seawater is becoming more acidic. Carbon dioxide dissolving into the oceans, is making seawater more acidic. There could be impacts on coral reefs and other marine life.

What is Truth - Comparison of Plato and Peirces Philosophy :: essays research papers

What is Truth?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For thousands of years, mankind has persistently pursued truth, knowledge, and understanding. For most, this pursuit is a driving force which usually doesn’t end until one finds a â€Å"truth† that is satisfying to him or her. Even then, however, one may choose to look for an alternate truth that may be even more satisfying to them. This pursuit does not always follow the same path for everyone as there are different ideas as to how truth is actually obtained and which is the best way to obtain it. Two individuals and great philosophers of their time, Plato and Charles Peirce, each had their own ideas on how truth and knowledge could be obtained.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the main differences between Plato’s and Peirce’s philosophies regarding truth is that Plato believed truth is founded in knowledge while Peirce believed knowledge could never be obtained. Plato believed that everyone possesses knowledge and the realization of this knowledge could be achieved through recollection. This was demonstrated in Plato’s Meno when Socrates presented the â€Å"square of double size† question to the slave boy. Socrates did not teach the slave boy how to get the answer, he merely asked the boy a series of questions and the boy came to the right answer through recollection. In this way, the boy already possessed the knowledge to answer the question correctly. With this philosophy, truth is past-oriented. Past experiences and universal knowledge is the key to truth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plato also had the philosophy of dyadic intuitionism. Intuition, Plato believed, is the basis of knowledge. Logical progressions need not be made to determine relationships and discover truth. Plato was closer to the side of the â€Å"Realm of Being† as opposed to the â€Å"Realm of Becoming†. The ‘Realm of Being† is eternal, involves recollection and acquisition of knowledge, and consists of a more optimistic view of truth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Peirce, on the other hand, believed that true knowledge could never be obtained. He believed that truth was future oriented. Peirce’s preferred method of pursuing truth was the scientific method. This method consists of forming a hypothesis and trying to disprove the hypothesis through practical evidence. Although Peirce thought the scientific method was the best approach to search for truth, he believed that it could only be used to disprove a hypothesis, and that nothing could be proven for certain. It is through this idea that his belief that knowledge can never be obtained is founded.

Duty vs. Desire

The road to self-actualization is one filled with forks. One must constantly make decisions that affect character and one’s ultimate destination in life. Some travel this road very consciously, making informed and well thought out decisions that they hope will lead them in the right direction. Others live haphazardly, not taking into account the possible consequences of poor decisions. Often times one of the most major forks is a decision between moral obligation and private passion.Pressing matters of family or work may call one to put personal aspirations on hold for the sake of the whole. But does one necessitate abandonment of the other? Which way will lead to a happier life? Tom Wingfield, the disillusioned narrator of Tennessee Williams’ Depression-era play, â€Å"The Glass Menagerie,† must battle through this specific plight. He struggles to find the answer to the question of when desire overrides duty. All humans are blessed with a plethora of gifts, but all have one in common: life.This being said, there is one common humanistic duty: the obligation to live that life in the most satisfying manner in the hopes of reaching fulfillment. However, the individual decides which manner is most pleasing to himself or herself, and one person’s idea of a life well lived is wholly different from another’s. This fact should not be disdained, but embraced. Diversity is what allows for unique and inspirational perspectives that can create new ideas and changes in society and culture.Nevertheless, there are those that do not share this view, which leads to an all-too-common clash of wishes – between parents and children, subordinates and superiors, students and elders, etc. Tom Wingfield conflicts with his mother, Amanda, in this way. Her only wish is that her children, Tom and Laura, fulfill the classic American Dream of hard work and success. However, Tom has dreams of being a writer, and Laura is too painfully shy to even l eave the house. Clearly there will be at least one person displeased at the end of the day.The Wingfields live lives of short fuses hidden under good intentions – Tom and Laura do not wish to disregard their mother entirely, but they have their own wishes that she does not respect. There are daily battles over who has the right to decide the lives of the family. Tom rightfully uncovers the truth that in order to achieve true happiness in self-actualization, one must choose the paths one takes alone. As stated above, some people truly put thought into their decisions, while others do not.This done not imply that the thought-out choice is the superior one. One can reflect upon an important decision for weeks, months, or years, and still make the wrong choice. If this is true, how is one supposed to make the proper choice? How does one settle on the fork leading to the happier life? The answer is blunt and cruel. Sometimes there is no â€Å"happier life. † Many situations present themselves with no clear better choice. Tom debates his ever-growing desire to desert Amanda and Laura and live the life he feels he would enjoy infinitely more.He convinces himself that this would be his happier life, and does leave in the end, but not without some unwanted baggage. Wherever he goes, he is haunted by guilt of leaving Laura behind. It is evident that even when one does all the right things, when one takes into account outcome and consequences, and still makes the decision alone, it is very possible that there is no silver lining. One must simply do one’s best to make the decisions one feels good about and live with them.

Micro Economics - Analysis on the Behavior and Performance of Firms - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1904 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Economics Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Micro economics Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Micro Economics Analysis on the Behavior and Performance of Firms" essay for you Create order QUESTION ONE Perfect Competition: Perfect competition is a market place or structure where many companies offer a similar product. As there is free choice of entry and exit and perfect information. Therefore companies will make normal profits and prices will be kept low by pressure of the competition in the market. All companies even the new trader are expected to have equal entree to resources and developments in production technologies achieved by any other company. Features: Number of firms: Number of firms, with perfect competition increasing in the boundary as there can be infinity number of companies in one market selling the similar product. Product Differentiation: Product differentiation is the method of dissimilar a product or service from others to make it more unique and attractive to a target market. As this occurs because buyers notice a difference between products. However as the product becomes more different, which changes the category of each product and putting them into a category will become more difficult, and the product attracts less comparisons with its competition. Control over price As there is acompetition in the market, and each individual has strong assumptions and expectations. Many individual buyers, therefore there is a slight or none control over the price or quantity. Extent of market information There are no barriers to exit for the companies. Companies are free exit the market at their freedom of choice. Freedom of entry: As there is freedom of entry and perfect information, there are no barriers to entry for firms. Firms are free to enter the market at their choice. QUESTION TWO Short Run Long Run QUESTION THREE Monopoly In a monopoly Competitive markets each firm makes their own decisions about the price and output, based on their own product, its market, and itscosts of manufacture.Monopoly competitive is a place where an individual owns all or most of the market for their own individual product or services. Less competition in the market will always result in high price and inferior products. Features Number of firms In monopoly there is only one firm in the market, which has the high market power. Product Differentiation In a monopolistically competitive market there is a significant amount of non-pricecompetition. As a result product differentiation is key for any monopolistically competitive firm, it is a process of unique product or service from others to make it more attractive to a target market. Differentiation happens because consumersnotice a difference. Control over price As a there is only one company in the Market, it means the company has full control over the market, also has own terms and condition. As the company is branded by many firms selling products that are not identical, therefore the company can choose its own price to sell that product. Extent of market information There are barriers to when exiting a monopoly market. As if government believes that the product provided by the monopoly is important for well-being of the public, then the monopoly will not be allowed to leave the market for example Healthcare products. This barrier to exit is always or mostly applied to publicsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ everyday services or benefits, such as electricity companies, local telephone companies and etc. These are mostlyconsiderednecessary services that cannot be stopped without permission from a government regulation authority. Freedom of Entry As a monopoly is normally certain of being the only firm in a market because of various barriers to entry. Some of the key barriers to entry are: government license or franchise, resource ownership patents and copyrights high start-up cost QUESTION FOUR Short Run Long Run QUESTION FIVE Market Power In economic science and significantly in industrial organization, market power is that the ability of a firm to fruitfully raise the value of a decent or service over cost. In utterly competitive markets, market participants dont have any market power. Barriers to entry Barriers to entry are designed to block potential entrants from coming into a market productively. They request to shield the monopoly power of existing corporations in associate business and so maintain supernormal (monopoly) profits within the end of the day. Barriers to entry have the impact of creating a market less debatable Product differentiation Product differentiation is that the method of identifying a product or service from others to create it a lot of engaging to a target market. Price Discrimination A monopolize is also ready to interact in a very policy of value discrimination. This happens once a firm charges totally different or special value to different teams of shoppers for a uniform sensible or service, for reasons not related to the prices of production. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s necessary to worry that charging totally different costs for similar merchandise isnt value discrimination. As an example, value discrimination doesnt occur once a rail company charges a better value for a primary category seat. As a result of the value premium over an inferior seat can be explained by variations within the price of providing the service. QUESTION SIX Monopolistic Competition The model of noncompetitive competition describes a standard market structure within which corporations have several competitors, however all sells a rather totally different product Features Numbers of firms There square measure giant numbers of companies commercialism closely connected, however not consistent merchandise. Every firm acts severally and includes a restricted share of the market. So, a private firm has restricted management over the market value. Sizable amount of companies ends up in competition within the market. Product Differentiation Each firm is in an exceedingly position to exercise some extent of monopoly (in spite of enormous range of sellers) through product differentiation. Product differentiation refers to differentiating the product on the idea of name, size, colour, shape, etc. the merchandise of a firm is shut, however not good substitute of different firm. Control Over Price A firm underneath noncompetitive competition is neither a price- taker nor a price-maker. However, by manufacturing a singular product or establishing a selected name, every firm has partial management over the worth. The extent of power to manage worth depends upon however powerfully the patronsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ area unit hooked up to his whole. Extent of market information Buyers and sellers dont have good data concerning the market conditions. Merchandising prices produce artificial superiority within the minds of the shoppers and it becomes terribly troublesome for a shopper to judge totally different product on the market within the market. As a result, a specific product (although extremely priced) is most well-liked by the shoppers although different less priced product square measure of same quality Freedom of Entry Under noncompetitive competition, companies area unit liberal to enter into or exit from the trade at any time they want. It ensures that there are a unit neither abnormal profits nor any abnormal losses to a firm within the end of the day. However, it should be noted that entry beneath noncompetitive competition isnt as simple and free as beneath excellent competition. QUESTION SEVEN Short Run Long Run QUESTION EIGHT Oligopoly In the market place an Oligopoly has a market structure eith few companies, however those few companies are leading companies in this market structure. This is extremely focused when market is shared with leading companies. Also small firms will try to operate in the same market. Although only a few firms dominate, it is possible that many small firms may also operate in the market. Features: Number of firms In Oligopoly there are few but leading companies in the market. Product Differentiation In this market structure similarproducts are producedwith a few manufacture in the industry. However each manufacture attempts to make slightly different product in order to charge higher price to its consumers. . Control over Price In the market Oligopolistsare price focused and there are many leading companies, so they will use predatory pricing to force rivals out of the market. Which means keeping theirprices artificially low, this can be below the full cost of production. Extent of Market Information As this is market structure is dominated by small number of large firm, as these firms are quite large in size compared to overall size of the market. This creates significant market control, therefore extent of market control is depending on the number and size of the firms. Freedom to entry Oligopolies often maintain their placeof control in a marke, this might be because it is too expensive and also it is hard for possiblecompetitors to enter the market. Therefore there are barriers to entry in an Oligopoly which can stiff them purposely. Æ’Ëœ Economies of large scale production Æ’Ëœ High set-up costs Æ’Ëœ High RD costs Q9. Explain the behaviour of oligopoly in terms of market structure Price to explain stuck other . if one company change their way of selling their products , then it also effect the working of other similar company . Price leadership : in price leadership price of the product is decided by the then alternatively ,the other comparative company have decreased to sell their products. Kinked demand curve model: the kinked demand curve theory is an economic theory regarding oligopoly and monopolistic competition when it was created the idea fundamentally challenged classical economic tenets such as efficient markets and rapidly changing prices ideas that underlie basic supply and demand models. Kinked demand was an initial attempt to explain sticky price Behaviour. Advertising : Yes the company advertise to convince the customer so that they will buy their product. they spend allot of money on advertising. Output: there is competition between the countries if we take the example of OPEC like, in Arab country they sell mortal oil and the world price of oil will remain same. Product Differentation: There is great product differentiation in oligopoly Q11. Using as an example of New Zealandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) evaluate and describe how government regulation restrict the market power of firms. A response was required, and in 1993 the Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) was created to actively manage Government disbursal on medicines. PHARMACà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢S objective was to introduce price battle to a market wherever it had not antecedent existed. Pharmacyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s role was, in effect, to urge higher price for medicines so the most effective health outcomes may well be achieved from public cash pay on medicines. From Pharmacyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s creation, there was potential for value reductions through the introduction of price battle between pharmaceutical corporations. Reference evaluation, a policy wherever grant levels for medication with similar effects are set at an equivalent level, was a big strategy in achieving lower costs. All of those mechanisms facilitate cut back the number we have a tendency to pay money for medicines, generating savings that are ready to be accustomed subsidise a lot of merchandise à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" increasing New Zealandersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ access to medicines. Pharmacyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s getting power has tripled since 1993. This implies that we are able to currently subsidise concerning 3 times the number of medicines that would be brought with equivalent cash in 1993. Q12 Ans . In this graph average total cost increased quickly with the increase of quantity and then it started decreasing . Fixed cost remain fixed whether the output increased or decreased. marginal cost and variable cost it increased slowly with the increase of output. And last total cost has rapidly increased with the increase of quantity. Q13. In this graph average cost of products decreased with the increase in the production as the cost of per product was $12 when the production was 1000. But when the production increased from 1000 to 200000 the price declined to $6 per unit.