Nevada Constitution

â€Å"LAS VEGAS — The sixth and final man sought in the armed robbery case against O.J. Simpson has been released on $32,000 bail after surrendering to authorities. John Moran Jr., the attorney for Charles Bruce Ehrlich, 53, of Miami, said his client is â€Å"not a principal in this thing† and will plead not guilty. Moran said Ehrlich planned to return home to the Miami area†. (â€Å"Sixth O.J. Robbery Suspect Released On Bail†, 2007) Article 1 section 7 of the Nevada’s Constitution states that all persons shall be bailable of any case except for Capital Offences or murder. Bailable cases should not be punishable by life imprisonment or when the life imprisonment sentence has parole possibility. Article 1 section 7 of the Nevada’s Constitution is clearly evident in this news. O.J.Simpson is facing cases such as kidnapping, robbery and assault. Although punishment for the said crimes could lead to life imprisonment, the punishment includes parole therefore allowing O.J. Simpson to bail for the cases under Article 1 Section 7 of the Nevada’s Constitution. Article XIII Section 3 [Sec. 3 of the original constitution was repealed by vote of the people at a special election held March 17, 1937. See: Statutes of Nevada 1937, pp. 19, 50. The original section read: â€Å"The respective counties of the State shall provide as may be prescribed by law, for those inhabitants who, by reason of age and infirmity or misfortunes, may have claim upon the sympathy and aid of Society.†] A little help for the homeless goes a long way NEVADA APPEAL Andrew Pridgen Appeal Staff Writer September 23, 2007, 4:01 AM â€Å"The day, put on by staff of Carson City Health and Human Services and about 20 volunteers from the community, was an opportunity for homeless residents to get free health care, legal advice and job counseling as well as a meal, a hygiene kit and information about which organizations around town can assist the needy back onto the road to self-sufficiency†. (Andrew Pridge, 2007) Article XIII Section 3 states that the State shall provide some of the needs of the citizens provided that these citizens are incapable of meeting their own needs for some reasons. This can be seen in the story in such a way that a certain organization, together with several volunteers, is helping the homeless residents of the country. These citizens are definitely in need of the support of the country and society. Sec. 4.   Taxation of estates taxed by United States; limitations. †¦The State of Nevada shall: 1.   Accept the determination by the United States of the amount of the taxable estate without further audit. †¦ Taxes Are the People's Money Nevada News Digest†¦Sept.21-22, 2007 â€Å"Open Meetings Are the People's Law†¦Many arguments are saying that the issue about tax is an issue manages only by the government agency . The secrecy within the issue of tax should be preserve, and that the people living in the state will not acquire any knowledge on how their taxes are determined. University System Regents have tackled some of these arguments; they conducted debate with their exclusive proclivity to privacy while there are about to spend millions of dollars obtain trough the taxes. The state should greatly criticize Open Meting Law and how this right to determine tax issues accompanied by Nevada Tax Commission behind closed door.† (â€Å"Taxes are for the People†, 2007) The application of Article X, Section 4 (1) can be seen in the article (Taxes are the People's Money). The news states that â€Å"†¦ the people living in the State will not acquire any knowledge on how their taxes are determined†, which clearly shows the application of the constitution. The rate of taxation is determined by the United States and should be accepted by the State of Nevada without any further question or auditing. Article 10 Section 1 The Legislature may constitute agricultural and open-space real property having a greater value for another use than that for which it is being used, as a separate class for taxation purposes and may provide a separate uniform plan for appraisal and valuation of such property for assessment purposes. The Beginning Of The End  For Farmers Markets? By Bob Bennett Nevada News Digest†¦Sept.21-22, 2007 â€Å"In Reno farmer's Markets are very popular, as well as elsewhere in the nation.   Yet they could be in danger of extinction if certain federal legislation is allowed to go unchecked.  The National Animal Identification System have raised their concern about the issue, currently a voluntary system run by the states, including Nevada, becoming mandatory with fines of up to $1,000 a day per animal per day plus criminal liability (as in Texas) should reports to the government fall even one day behind. While all of those factory farms in the place would all is able to limit their accountability by grouping all of their animals in lots based on its designated area, for all of those small farmers they are about to separate identification numbers †¦ and computer chips for each animal.  If a farmer has 12 chickens, twelve numbers would be needed.   Five cows would require five numbers.†Ã‚  (Bob Bebbett, 2007) Section 1 of Article VII can be seen in this issue of the Reno farmer's market. The mandatory fine increase for agricultural property had been dictated and evaluated by the government.    A separate uniform plan had also been used in which every animal requires a separate identification number. Every animal should be reported to the government for the assessment of the property, that is agricultural properties more specifically, farm animals. Article XI  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Section 6. Support of university and common schools by direct legislative appropriation; priority of appropriations. 1.   In addition to other means provided for the support and maintenance of said university and common schools, the legislature shall provide for their support and maintenance by direct legislative appropriation from the general fund, upon the presentation of budgets in the manner required by law. The Federal Education Budget The Nevada Observer August 1, 2005 â€Å"The U.S. Department of Education's fiscal year (FY) 2006 budget provides $56 billion in education funding, up about one third since President Bush took office. Federal money coming to Nevada during FY 2006 will be about $439 million, up almost 69 percent from when Mr. Bush took office. Nevada's state education budget has not kept pace. As much as $129 million will be used to help Nevada implement the reforms of NCLB. Special education grants will be more than $70 million and there will about $172 million for new Federal Student Loans†. (â€Å"The Federal Education Budget†, 2005) In this issue, $56 billion had been allotted for education and $129 million will be used by the State of Nevada. The government provided support for education that can be used in the maintenance of the school facilities and other important matters just as stated in Article XI Section 6 of the Nevada Constitution. It is the US Department of Education that evaluates the said budget. As stated in the constitution, the government will determine the amount for education and will be coming from general fund. Works Cited: Nevada Law Library.(2007).The Constitution of the State of Nevada. Retrieved September 23, 2007 from http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Const/NvConst.html Nevada Legislature.(2007).Nevada Law Library. Retrieved September 23, 2007 from http://www.leg.state.nv.us/law1.cfm The Nevada Observer.(2007). Nevada’s Online State News Journal. Retrieved September 23, 2007 from http://www.nevadaobserver.com/index.html Webster Univrsity.(2007).Sixth O.J. Robbery Suspect Released On Bail. Retrieved September 23, 2007from http://www.wftv.com/entertainment/14179988/detail.html?rss=orlc&psp=entertainment                  

Confessions of an Application Reader Essay

A HIGHLY qualified student, with a 3. 95 unweighted grade point average and 2300 on the SAT, was not among the top-ranked engineering applicants to the University of California, Berkeley. He had perfect 800s on his subject tests in math and chemistry, a score of 5 on five Advanced Placement exams, musical talent and, in one of two personal statements, had written a loving tribute to his parents, who had emigrated from India. Enlarge This Image Brian Cronin for The New York Times Related Go to Education Life  » Enlarge This Image Peg Skorpinski Sather Gate, a literal and symbolic portal on Berkeley’s campus. Readers’ Comments Readers shared their thoughts on this article. Read All Comments (250)  » Why was he not top-ranked by the â€Å"world’s premier public university,† as Berkeley calls itself? Perhaps others had perfect grades and scores? They did indeed. Were they ranked higher? Not necessarily. What kind of student was ranked higher? Every case is different. The reason our budding engineer was a 2 on a 1-to-5 scale (1 being highest) has to do with Berkeley’s holistic, or comprehensive, review, an admissions policy adopted by most selective colleges and universities. In holistic review, institutions look beyond grades and scores to determine academic potential, drive and leadership abilities. Apparently, our Indian-American student needed more extracurricular activities and engineering awards to be ranked a 1. Now consider a second engineering applicant, a Mexican-American student with a moving, well-written essay but a 3. 4 G. P. A. and SATs below 1800. His school offered no A. P. He competed in track when not at his after-school job, working the fields with his parents. His score? 2. 5. Both students were among â€Å"typical† applicants used as norms to train application readers like myself. And their different credentials yet remarkably close rankings illustrate the challenges, the ambiguities and the agenda of admissions at a major public research university in a post-affirmative-action world. WHILE teaching ethics at the University of San Francisco, I signed on as an â€Å"external reader† at Berkeley for the fall 2011 admissions cycle. I was one of about 70 outside readers — some high school counselors, some private admissions consultants — who helped rank the nearly 53,000 applications that year, giving each about eight minutes of attention. An applicant scoring a 4 or 5 was probably going to be disappointed; a 3 might be deferred to a January entry; students with a 1, 2 or 2. 5 went to the top of the pile, but that didn’t mean they were in. Berkeley might accept 21 percent of freshman applicants over all but only 12 percent in engineering. My job was to help sort the pool. We were to assess each piece of information — grades, courses, standardized test scores, activities, leadership potential and character — in an additive fashion, looking for ways to advance the student to the next level, as opposed to counting any factor as a negative. External readers are only the first read. Every one of our applications was scored by an experienced lead reader before being passed on to an inner committee of admissions officers for the selection phase. My new position required two days of intensive training at the Berkeley Alumni House as well as eight three-hour norming sessions. There, we practiced ranking under the supervision of lead readers and admissions officers to ensure our decisions conformed to the criteria outlined by the admissions office, with the intent of giving applicants as close to equal treatment as possible. The process, however, turned out very differently. In principle, a broader examination of candidates is a great idea; some might say it is an ethical imperative to look at the â€Å"bigger picture† of an applicant’s life, as our mission was described. Considering the bigger picture has aided Berkeley’s pursuit of diversity after Proposition 209, which in 1996 amended California’s constitution to prohibit consideration of race, ethnicity or gender in admissions to public institutions. In Fisher v.  the University of Texas, the Supreme Court, too, endorsed race-neutral processes aimed at promoting educational diversity and, on throwing the case back to lower courts, challenged public institutions to justify race as a factor in the holistic process. In practice, holistic admissions raises many questions about who gets selected, how and why. I could see the fundamental unevenness in this process both in the norming Webinars and when alone in a dark room at home with my Berkeley-issued netbook, reading assigned applications away from enormously curious family members. First and foremost, the process is confusingly subjective, despite all the objective criteria I was trained to examine. In norming sessions, I remember how lead readers would raise a candidate’s ranking because he or she â€Å"helped build the class. † I never quite grasped how to build a class of freshmen from California — the priority, it was explained in the first day’s pep talk — while seeming to prize the high-paying out-of-state students who are so attractive during times of a growing budget gap. (A special team handled international applications. ) In one norming session, puzzled readers questioned why a student who resembled a throng of applicants and had only a 3. 5 G. P. A. should rank so highly. Could it be because he was a nonresident and had wealthy parents? (He had taken one of the expensive volunteer trips to Africa that we were told should not impress us. ) Income, an optional item on the application, would appear on the very first screen we saw, along with applicant name, address and family information. We also saw the high school’s state performance ranking. All this can be revealing. Admissions officials were careful not to mention gender, ethnicity and race during our training sessions. Norming examples were our guide. Privately, I asked an officer point-blank: â€Å"What are we doing about race? † She nodded sympathetically at my confusion but warned that it would be illegal to consider: we’re looking at — again, that phrase — the â€Å"bigger picture† of the applicant’s life. After the next training session, when I asked about an Asian student who I thought was a 2 but had only received a 3, the officer noted: â€Å"Oh, you’ll get a lot of them. † She said the same when I asked why a low-income student with top grades and scores, and who had served in the Israeli army, was a 3. Which them? I had wondered. Did she mean I’d see a lot of 4. 0 G. P. A. ’s, or a lot of applicants whose bigger picture would fail to advance them, or a lot of Jewish and Asian applicants (Berkeley is 43 percent Asian, 11 percent Latino and 3 percent black)? The idea behind multiple readers is to prevent any single reader from making an outlier decision. And some of the rankings I gave actual applicants were overturned up the reading hierarchy. I received an e-mail from the assistant director suggesting I was not with the program: â€Å"You’ve got 15 outlier, which is quite a lot. Mainly you gave 4’s and the final scores were 2’s and 2. 5’s. † As I continued reading, I should keep an eye on the â€Å"percentile report on the e-viewer† and adjust my rankings accordingly. In a second e-mail, I was told I needed more 1’s and referrals. A referral is a flag that a student’s grades and scores do not make the cut but the application merits a special read because of â€Å"stressors† — socioeconomic disadvantages that admissions offices can use to increase diversity. Officially, like all readers, I was to exclude minority background from my consideration. I was simply to notice whether the student came from a non-English-speaking household. I was not told what to do with this information — except that it may be a stressor if the personal statement revealed the student was having trouble adjusting to coursework in English. In such a case, I could refer the applicant for a special read. Why did I hear so many times from the assistant director? I think I got lost in the unspoken directives. Some things can’t be spelled out, but they have to be known. Application readers must simply pick it up by osmosis, so that the process of detecting objective factors of disadvantage becomes tricky. It’s an extreme version of the American non-conversation about race. I scoured applications for stressors. To better understand stressors, I was trained to look for the â€Å"helpful† personal statement that elevates a candidate. Here I encountered through-the-looking-glass moments: an inspiring account of achievements may be less â€Å"helpful† than a report of the hardships that prevented the student from achieving better grades, test scores and honors. Should I value consistent excellence or better results at the end of a personal struggle? I applied both, depending on race. An underrepresented minority could be the phoenix, I decided. We were not to hold a lack of Advanced Placement courses against applicants. Highest attention was to be paid to the unweighted G. P. A. , as schools in low-income neighborhoods may not offer A. P. courses, which are given more weight in G. P. A. calculation. Yet readers also want to know if a student has taken challenging courses, and will consider A. P. ’s along with key college-prep subjects, known as a-g courses, required by the U. C. system. Even such objective information was open to interpretation. During training Webinars, we argued over transcripts. I scribbled this exchange in my notes: A reader ranks an applicant low because she sees an â€Å"overcount† in the student’s a-g courses. She thinks the courses were miscounted or perhaps counted higher than they should have been. Another reader sees an undercount and charges the first reader with â€Å"trying to cut this girl down. † The lead reader corrects: â€Å"We’re not here to cut down a student. † We’re here to find factors that advance the student to a higher ranking. Another reader thinks the student is â€Å"good† but we have so many of â€Å"these kids. † She doesn’t see any leadership beyond the student’s own projects. Listening to these conversations, I had to wonder exactly how elite institutions define leadership. I was supposed to find this major criterion holistically in the application. Some students took leadership courses. Most often, it was demonstrated in extracurricular activities.

Running Head: Substance abuse in prisons.

In most prisons in the world, alcohol dependence is the most prevalence substance abuse.   Most prisoners are said to depend on alcohol and drugs, to relieve stress and tension.   This has been linked to the fact that most inmates are imprisoned for drug – related offences.   These criminals are believed to introduce drugs and alcohol in prison.   The majority of the prison population has shown some evidence of substance abuse.   In Canada, research has shown that at least 7 – 10 inmates have engaged in activities of drug and alcohol abuse.The use of drugs and alcohol in prisons is highly spreading.   Research has shown that women have more severe substance abuse problems than men.   They have also shown a tendency of being involved in hard drugs such as cocaine and heroine than men. These women also have a higher rate of injection drug use than men, at approximately 91%.Heroin is the type of drug abused by most inmates in state prisons of Toronto and Mont rà ©al, while in Atlantic Canada alcohol and cocaine are the most abused. Alcohol and drugs are available in almost all prison facilities in the world.   Research studies have shown that drug trade is much more rampant and violent in the prison than on the street. Despite the efforts to eliminate drugs in prison inmates have always been discovered to test positive for drug tests.The types of drugs available in prison include marijuana, alcohol, drugs, cocaine, tranquilizers, opiates, Hallucinogens, stimulants, sedatives and heroin.   Marijuana is the most common drugs while heroin is the least available drug in prison.Drugs treatment programmes available in California state prison.Programmes for drugs abuse treatment in this prison include, detoxication programmes, therapeutic programmes, drug courts, transitional treatment, maintenance and aftercare and pharmacotherapy methods. In California prison state intensive intervention services are reserved for offenders who are viewed as high risk.   The treatment available is designed to target behaviors that are predicative of criminal behavior.In this prison, treatment techniques such as coping skills training have been used to reduce substance abuse.   Inmates are trained on how to cope in prison without drugs and also given social skills and employment skills. These skills assist in keeping them focused on other positive activities.   Structured relapse prevention techniques are established to prevent inmates from relapsing into substance abuse.   Stress management sessions are held in prisons to help prisoners deal with drug withdrawal symptoms. Willing prisoners are asked to set their goals of treatment and work step by step to achieve them.   This way they are motivated to stop drug abuse.   Community reinforcement techniques have also been started. The community offers its services to the prisoners through voluntary services to encourage motivate them in stopping substance abuse.   However , these treatment programs have not been very effective in the prison.   The programs are not enough to stop usage of substance abuse in prisons.ConclusionI think that more treatment programmes should be established in the prison.   Control and detection programmes should be established to detect any form of drug smuggling into the prison.   Visitors and new prisoners must be thoroughly checked before entering the prison compound.   Routine searches should also be done in the prison frequently to discourage any form of drug or alcohol storage in the prison. Comprehensive screening and assessment of inmates on entry should be performed to identify the treatment programme suitable for each patient. Drug detection dogs should be introduced in the prison to facilitate drug detection in the prison.   Visitors’ areas should be modified to the designs and layouts that are open and easily accessible.   The visiting areas should be completely separated from the inmates sec tion by an impassable barrier. The way against drug and substance should be intensified to eliminate them from our society.References.Substance abuse in corrections. http://www.ccsa.ca/pdf/ccsa-011058-2004.pdf.as retrieved on 26/10/2007.Alcohol info. http://www.alcoholinfo.nsw.gov.au/justice_system/corrections_system as retrieved on 20 Jul 2007.Heroin addiction treatment. http://www.alcoholinfo.nsw.gov.au/justice_system/corrections_system as retrieved on 20 Jul 2007.

Skip navigation links BFS 3460-08B-2 FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS Essay - 4

Skip navigation links BFS 3460-08B-2 FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS (BFS3460-08B-2) - Essay Example Personnel who would be inhaling this toxicant will breathe heavier as well as this gas is much heavier than air. Inhalation of vapors of this product may also affect the cardiovascular and central nervous system and in extreme cases may even cause death (Kidde Aerospace, 2007). Perhaps the most poisonous element on this compound is Methanol which if ingested may cause irregular heartbeat, headache, dizziness, visual disturbances and blindness . As stated in the safety data sheet of Halon, Prolonged exposure to methanol may cause reproductive harm and heart, kidney, liver, and nerve damage. Other symptoms of prolonged exposure to this compund include nausea, vomiting, irregular heartbeat, symptoms of drunkenness, disorientation, bluish skin color, and convulsions which are all the after effects of a heart and nervous system condition (Kidde Aerospace, 2007). Because this agent also effectively cools the temperature of any object it becomes proximate with, the usage of Halon also causes other side effetcs. If Halon comes in contact with the liquid of this product, it will cause frostbite to the eyes. Contact to the skin would also cause frostbite to the skin (Kidde Aerospace, 2007). Kidde Aerospace. (2007). Material Data Sheet of a Fire Extinguisher with recylced Halon 1301 and Methanol. Retrieved from:

History-wk 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History-wk 6 - Essay Example In other words, like a computer, the individual assumes "garbage in, garbage out" (DeMar, 1989, p. 1). The final assumption is that Behaviorism is manipulative in that it seeks to control and predict human behavior instead of understanding it (DeMar, 1989). Skinner felt that behavior could be shaped through controlling a system of rewards and punishments. Done correctly, an individual could control patients, professors could control students, and an individual could control entire nations (DeMar, 1989). He believed that this would lead to the ability to shape behavior in any way that was necessary. Skinner did not seem to care what others thought about his work because he was confident about his experiments and his writing. He made "confident assertions" about "economic, social, political and religious issues (Reeve, 2009, p. 343). He made many people angry but they still used his methods to dispute his claims. As an example, the Brelands experiments found the concept of "instinctive drift" (Reeve, p. 342). Their experiments included pigs and other animals that were able to use their instincts instead of reinforced behaviors whether they used food to reinforce behavior or they used other types of reinforcement. Skinner contributed many things to psychology. Between the 1950s and 1980s he shaped American Psychology more directly than other psychologists. He received several prestigious medals and recognitions for his work because he was most interested in improving human lives and society as a whole. His only regret was that people did not adopt his methods as easily or quickly as he thought they would do. Malone (2003) gives many ways in which Skinners work influenced contemporary psychology. One influence was that behavior is a choice rather than conditioned. In order to understand consequences or behaviors, researchers (and others) had to take into consideration what the behavior was

Law Case Study about Charity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Law Case Study about Charity - Research Paper Example Lord Parker’s observation in Bowman v Secular Society Limited it therefore instructive. According to Lord Parker, a gift is charitable if it is for the â€Å"benefit of the public and recognized as â€Å"charitable in the legal† sense rather than in the â€Å"popular sense†.2 A trust is legal if it is for at least one of four identified purposes: â€Å"relief of poverty; advancement of education; advancement of religion; and for other purposes beneficial to the community†.3 A gift to the homeless can thus be said to be for the relief of poverty. According to Kitto J. poverty exists with an individual cannot afford the bare necessities â€Å"for a modest standard of living in the Australian community.†4 Being homeless would certainly meet the criteria of poverty and thus is a legal charitable trust and as such is a valid trust. Moreover, a gift for the relief of poverty does not have to be specifically for the benefit of the public. It can be for an y number of individuals. The rationale is that relief of the poor is beneficial to the public in general.5 Paragraph 3(b): The gift described in Paragraph 3(b) must likewise meet the legal charity requirement in order to be a valid gift. The only category that this gift can fall under is for the advancement of education. ... fit on the public.7 In order to qualify as beneficial to the public the gift is required to be for either the public or for a section of the public and must not be associated with a particular private organization so as to make it a group of private individuals.8 The gift in Paragraph 3(b) does not identify or favour a specific company or organization or individuals. It provides for the briefing of any business people participating in the North Australian export market with East and South Asia. Thus the gift is for a public class of beneficiaries rather than a private class and therefore is a legal charitable trust for the advancement of education.9 Paragraph 3(c): The trust described in paragraph 3(c) appears on its face to be a charitable trust for the advancement of education. The trust speaks to spending the trust funds designated for this gift on a charitable organization that educates the public relative to the desirability of amending the Northern Territory (Self Government) A ct. However, such a gift will not likely be regarded as a legal charitable trust since it seeks to support a cause directed at changing a legislative provision. It was held in National Anti-Vivisection Society v Inland Revenue that a gift designed to support of make changes in the law is not a charitable trust.10 Thus this particular gift will fail as a charitable purpose trust. The only way for the gift to succeed is if it meets the requirements of an ordinary trust. The gift described in paragraph 3(c) does not specify a group for the purpose of an ordinary trust. It is not definitive enough for the court to execute and would only survive if it were a charitable gift.11 As a result, the shares designated to paragraph 3(c) will be regarded as an undisposed of gift and will fall to Foina

I am a liberal and I am a conservative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

I am a liberal and I am a conservative - Essay Example Law – the enacted laws should be geared towards full equality of all citizens without consideration of social, educational, or economic status. In this regard, I prefer more freedoms for individual citizens such as the right to free abortion, allowing for gay marriages, rejection or elimination of the military draft or compulsory military service, allot more funds for basic stem cell research, encourage and defend the freedom of speech and assembly for people to air their grievances, impose more restrictions on the right to bear arms of private citizens, and abolish the death penalty for heinous crimes or recidivist criminals but instead impose longer life sentences or even a life sentence if deserved but subject to review for parole. Government – in this regard, I prefer that government should regulate prices of basic commodities, impose price controls on important services like utilities, and put Big Business under more scrutiny through stiffer regulatory oversight to prevent corporate abuses or a rise in their market power through such devices as monopolies or cartels. Government agencies should have a more direct role in the provision and regulation of essential public goods which affect the overall quality of life of every citizen, a hybrid form of social insurance. Economics – the government should impose fewer or lesser taxes so that rich people can re-invest their earnings or profits and thereby help create more jobs instead of agencies of government imposing their own ideas. Additionally, the government should lower interest rate so people can borrow money more easily for whatever purpose they see fit and government must reduce its spending, eliminate unnecessary social programs like free health care, welfare programs for the unemployed, food stamps, and other dole-outs to effectively balance budget. Law – abortion laws should be revoked and abortion made illegal because it is a form of murder of the innocents and defenseless, marriage

Roanoke Island Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Roanoke Island - Research Paper Example The race for the newly discovered world, comprising of the modern day Americas, began in the later part of the 16th century. England had made numerous attempts to claim land across the Atlantic, long before it even won its conquest over Spain. For instance, in the year 1583 Sir Humphrey Gilbert laid claim over Newfoundland on behalf of the reigning Queen Elizabeth I. However, Sir Gilbert died before he could establish a colony. In the subsequent year, the Queen commissioned Sir Walter Raleigh to arrogate land in newly discovered North America. Sir Raleigh’s expedition was intended to ensure that England had a colony that would enable it to have a grip on the Americas. The foothold would also make it possible for England to exploit available resources, convert pagans to Christianity, claim territory and institute a base from which to strategically attack Spanish ships. However, as a result of poor associations with the indigenous populace, improper geographical timing of colony establishment and inefficient links with the parent country due to foreign conflicts, the settlers of this original English-American colony were destined to fail. The initiative of colonizing the North American coast was set in motion soon after Queen Elizabeth one gave an official charter to Sir Walter Raleigh to establish a colony in a suitable location. After acquiring formal approval from the Queen in 1584, Sir Raleigh created and funded a scouting expedition with the sole mandate of exploring the American coastline and finding a perfect spot to establish the proposed colony. The scout team, led by Captains Arthur Barlow and Phillip Amadas came back with a positive report of the location, that is, Roanoke Island; a land mass off the shore of contemporary North Carolina. The scouts described the Island with glowing terms, praising it for its fertility and pleasant nature. They also reported that Roanoke was occupied by friendly and loving people. Judging from the enthusiastic report, Raleigh and others decided that the Island’s sheltered and secure shores formed a perfect location to establish England’s maiden colony in this N ew World. In the year 1985, after receiving the Queen's financial support and blessing, the first boatload of colonists set sail for the North American coast (Clark n.pg). The initial 100 men, who went to Roanoke Island primarily comprised of soldiers. The men established a settlement on the northern side of Roanoke Island and immediately built a fort. Since they did not have sufficient supplies, these initial colonists exchanged trinkets and beads to the native populace for food and other basic necessities (Clark n.pg). As winter began and food increasingly became scarce, tension heightened between the locals and the English settlers. The expeditions also deteriorated the original kindness that the Native Americans felt toward the settlers. This is because the colonists regularly abducted tribal leaders with the intent of holding them in exchange for scarce supplies. The English settlers treated the locals with disrespect in spite of the fact that they relied on them for basic supp lies. After suffering such a difficult winter, the supply ships still did not arrive as expected in spring. By this time there was actual conflict between the locals and the settlers. Following the constant war with Native Americans, deprivation of food and becoming impatient waiting for the overdue supplies fleet, the colonists decided to travel back home. The overdue supply ships arrived just two weeks later and found the colony abandoned. The fleet left about 15 men to take care of the English settlement in readiness for the next group or recruits (Kupperman 12-25). After the first failure, Sir Raleigh decided to take another attempt at English settlement in Roanoke. During this second attempt, which took place in 1587, Raleigh chose to mix up the prospective English settlement. The recruits comprised of ninety one men, seventeen women and nine children (Kupperman

Decartes argument on the existence of God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Decartes argument on the existence of God - Essay Example Descartes thought the only way to attain true knowledge was to depend only on human reasoning while disregarding the role of the senses, if any. â€Å"His philosophy refused to accept the Aristotelian and Scholastic traditions that had dominated philosophical thought throughout the Medieval period; it attempted to fully integrate philosophy with the ‘new sciences’; and Descartes changed the relationship between philosophy and theology. Such new directions of philosophy made Descartes into a revolutionary figure† (Baillet 1693). For this revelation, he is now universally celebrated as the father of modern philosophy. Through this works regarding the development in thought, he was also known as the founder of modern day mathematics and scientific method. In forming his ideas, Descartes wrote many books, including his most well-known, â€Å"Discourse on Method†, first published in 1637, concerning the nature of knowledge and human existence. â€Å"Discourse o n Method† is divided into three sections Descartes described and named ‘meditations.’ It is in the third of these meditations that Descartes reflected upon the true nature of God and determined that He is indeed real and exists more than just in people’s minds. ... â€Å"In this item of first knowledge, there is simply a clear and distinct perception of what I am asserting; this would not be enough to make me certain of the truth of the matter if it could ever turn out that something which I perceived with such clarity and distinctness was false. So I now seem to be able to lay it down as a general rule that whatever I perceived very clearly and distinctly is true† (Descartes, 1637). One of the first notions that he professed in this line of thinking was that he had a fundamental idea that God exists. Descartes’ reasoning that God did indeed exist outside just the mind of man he had to have had a causation of some type because he had previously proven that nothing comes from nothing. Descartes rationalized that this cause must be based at least as much in reality as the idea. However, since he did not think himself infinitely perfect, of course, Descartes rationalized he could not have thought of this idea all on his own therefore there must be an remote cause that is infinitely perfect. Only God is infinitely perfect so God must indeed exist. â€Å"Descartes assumes that we have an idea of God as an actually infinite being, not just a being that is as great as we can imagine by extending the finite perfections of a human being. For this reason, it is impossible for us to have constructed our idea of God through an extension of the idea we have of ourselves or any other finite creature† (Rutherford, 2006). The second argument Descartes’ used to prove God’s existence emanates from his own ability to envision something perfect despite himself being imperfect. This second argument starts with the understanding that he exists – again, â€Å"I

International Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words - 1

International Economics - Essay Example In the case of a country’s competitiveness, it is directly associated with its economic activities and complex international trade condition (Wong & Grinols 1995).It is therefore clear that countries with substantial economic activities and potential earnings are viewed to be competitive enough to play their part in the worldwide economy. In the same way, those countries with poor economic performances are most likely known or called for their incapacity to compete in the world’s economic activities. This is eventually true when one has to try to take a look at the right measures used in economic performances. Adam Smith and David Ricardo and other economists come to agree that the competitive advantage of a certain location may be due to its local availability of resources for production purposes (Sachs & Warner 2001). However, it is not all the time that those countries with enough supply of resources may stand competitive over the other. In the same way, a country with arable lands does not necessarily mean economic competitiveness in its part. Most likely, the availability of enough manpower does not automatically mean a competitive advantage. If factor of international trade and factor input mobility are not considered, a certain region or country with larger resources can be capable of producing goods and services compared to other market or economy (Easterly & Levine 2003). In this paper the proponent elaborately discusses the extent to which factor availability is no longer an effective explanation of the competitiveness of regions or countries. There are other important factors t hat need to be elaborately discussed in order to understand further the true nature of competitiveness of a country. Some other countries have become so intensively competitive due to their political control or power in the world wide economy. There are other environmental issues that need to be considered and in the end it is important to create a link of them to the

Research Artical Critical Review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research Artical Critical Review - Assignment Example The article is very informative as it breaks down to the gender that mostly affected, hence indicating the then sport that had numerous casualties. He deemed this would help the athletes practice safely without any endangering themselves. Since article helps maximize the health protection of the athletes and facilitate in reduction of the costs involved in managing injuries as well as illnesses. The study also aimed at ascertaining chances of an illness or an injury occurring repeatedly throughout the games (Engretsen et al 2013). To achieve this, the author utilized both qualitative and quantitative as it involved the assembly of illness and injuries surveillance system for multisport events for the study (Engretsen et al 2013). This involved collection of data from the polyclinics and the national Olympic campaigns as stated earlier and conducting comparisons. Based on the article’s arguments, Engretsen et al (2013) information they have relayed is extremely critical in aiding international Olympic committee tasked with encouraging and supporting the health of the athletes. I like the manner in which authors has taken time to conduct a study on the health of the athletes. It is factual to state if their health is affected, then the Olympic Games would be grievously affected (Engretsen et al 2013). Authors have also evaluated lasting as well as short effects and pinpointed areas of concern such as the geographical conditions that could greviously affect athletes. This confirms authors’ focus and straight-forwardness evident by the way, they uphold heightened confidentiality, which is an indispensable ethic (Engretsen et al 2013). Conversely, authors’ reliance was only on two sources to conduct the study poses a heightened likelihood of erring besides missing some aspects. Authors’ could employ a third and fourth body for comparisons and better judgments when making a conclusion (Engretsen

Violence undermines Essay Example for Free

Violence undermines Essay Violence undermines the democratic reforms and the basic human rights implementation as it is the greatest threat to public safety in South America. Gun violence rose sharply especially after the internal armed struggles as well as the emergence of drug trafficking in the late 1970s and 80s. So far, Columbia is the only country that is engaged in a declared conflict in South America. Major causes of violence are the socio economic inequalities, corruption and easy availability of small and light guns and weapons. There are incidences of small arms proliferation and misuse in South America. Most of these small arms are produced in Brazil and Argentina. (countrystudies. us). Some states like Bolivia and Paraguay exercise laxity in terms of firearms regulation and this promotes or rather facilitates violence in the region. Weak border control as well as the constant failure to implement the existing legal procedures or instruments also perpetuates the violence instances in South America. There is increased illicit trafficking of illegal weapons which are used to practice criminality. Continued insecurity among the public necessitates the demand and the use of weapons in the society. The information that is available concerning the arms trade in most South American countries is quite unreliable making it difficult to develop programs that would be effective in ensuring public safety by the civil societies. The issue of weapons remains quite unpopular on the political agendas despite the serious implications they cause to the countries in question. (americas. irc-online. org). All in all there emerged increased efforts through campaigns to reduce the rates of demand that people have on firearms as well as advocacy ensured to promote the tightening and adherence of gun laws to reduce the flow of guns in the region. Effective research should be encouraged to ensure that the acquisition of correct data on gender victimization as well as routes that ensure illegal trafficking of drugs and other weapons are collected. More efforts need to be channeled into harmonizing gun laws in the region. There should be increased awareness regarding the risks that are involved or associated with firearms usage and possessions. Public gun destruction and the monitoring of the flow of weapons should also be encouraged as an effort to reduce violence. (www. iansa. org). Colombia’s political system is known for its long history on party politics, fair and regular elections as well as its adherence to the respect for political and civil rights. The major political parties are the liberals and the conservatives who compete and alternate as the governing party. Despite its increased popularity for democracy, Colombia is well known for its high instances of political violence. It is amazing how Colombian is capable of producing hospitable people who are dynamic and intelligent yet it also harbors a lot of violence. Peace is a rare but also a very precious commodity that is lacking in Colombia. Conservatives versus liberal political violence saw the once peaceful parts of Colombia soaked in blood. From 1899 to 1902 approximately 100,000 Colombians lost their lives due to inter party strife that lasted for over 1000 days. The La Violencia, another inter party war from 1948 to 1966 saw the death of approximately 200,000 Colombians. Guerilla warfare also saw the loss of lives of at least 70,000 lives in 1984. The violence entailed the left wing insurgence and terrorism, narcoterrorism and the right wing paramilitary activities. Since 1948 incidence that involved the death of Jorge Gaitan through an assassination as well as the loss of 2,000 lives Colombia was constitutionally authorized as a state of siege or estatuto de seguridad. It had to deal appropriately with its civil disturbances, rates of insurgence as well as terrorism. Jorge Gaitan was a liberal leader and a populist and he was against the Colombian Oligarch. His assassination resulted into a revolt that saw the death of many people. The revolt was known as El Bogotazo and it graduated into La Violencia. The state persecuted many people necessitating the liberal and the communists to hide in the remote areas that seemed inaccessible so as to resist the current predicament. This lasted for more than a decade and most of them regrouped to form FARC in 1966. Its main aim was to act as the armed wing of the communist party. Liberals in FARC created a distinction between it and other guerillas in South America. In the 60’s the combined liberal and communist guerillas were able to come together in liberated zones to form independent republics like the Marquetalia. They needed to defend or protect themselves from the rich land owners who had marginalized them and took their land forcing them away from fertile agricultural lands. Colombian guerillas were formed to act as self defense against violence from those who were in power. (americas. irc-online. org). May 1984 had much significance in Colombian history. The signing of a peace agreement by the president Betancourt led to a ceasefire as well as the creation of Unidad Patriotica (UP) that made it possible for all to participate in elections. Efforts of the UP were however curbed by the joint actions of drug dealers, paramilitaries as well as part of the state members or officials. They joined efforts and killed thousands of UP sympathizers and leaders. In 1986 there was a peace process where M-19, EPL, PRT and Quintin Lame Armed Movement as well as FARC and ERN formed the Simon Bolivar Coalition. However on the day that a constitutional assembly was to be convened as part of the peace process the army launched an offensive against the legendary Green House which was the secretariat of the guerilla group. In 1986 under president Andres Pastrana there was the creation of a new peace process. It ensured that there was the creation of a 40,000 km2 demilitarized zone. However this lasted for only 4 years as intensive accusation that FARC participated in drug trafficking and the forceful recruitment of minors saw its coming to a halt. President Pastrana in the meantime was negotiating the Plan Colombia which was geared towards empowering or strengthening the state to win the conflict. After the year 2000 when under Uribe’s rule or leadership the situation seemed to move from bad to worse. FARC was forced to retreat and it lost many of its members as well as the military and political initiative. It acquired most of its financing from drugs trade, extortion and kidnapping as well as through cattle rustling from the land owners. This means that to effectively survive they used criminal activities that entailed violence. According to Amnesty International, FARC is accused of violating many human rights. The average Colombians have in most cases had the perception that the wars and consistent conflicts are geared to benefit the rich and powerful in the society at their expense. (www. globalsecurity. or). FARC portrays itself as a revolutionary and popular organization but in the real sense it is surrounded by lack of decency and some countries view it as a terrorist organization that violates human rights and abuses women and hostages. The political violence has taken different perspectives in the sense that it has taken an ideological as well as an economical approach. Violence in the 50’s was to fight against the party’s in power but it later took a different perspective as both the left as well as the right wing groups were involved. A study conducted in 1988 by Columbian academic elites showed that it was quite clear that the Columbian government was losing focus in the fight against the rampant violence in the country. They had studied the killings that had been conducted by drug smugglers, guerilla wars and death squads. They noted that addressing one of the above mentioned issues in exclusion with the others would not see or rather result into the end of violence. They advocated for an all inclusive approach in ensuring that there was efficiency in eradicating violence. Important scholars worth mentioning include Robert H Dix and he attributed the violence trends to the political system that was elitist in nature. Traditional elites compete violently and with a lot of bitterness so as to control the government through liberal as well as the conservative parties. The parties rarely cooperate especially if there is no evidence that the upper class seems threatened. The Colombia Christian parties be they democratic, social democratic or Marxist proved to be weak and in most cases insignificant. However the constitutional amendments and the evolution of Columbia political culture saw to it that the government system was not only highly centralized but also elitist in nature. ( countrystudies. us). Control over the political system was done by the elites at the expense of the middle class, labor as well as the peasants’ classes. The existence of guerilla in the 1980s was a clear indication that the Colombia politics is elitist in nature. Guerilla insurgence in Colombia is the major problem in the country’s political system. The legitimacy problem could be reflected or seen in mass political apathy and increase the rates of voter absenteeism and decreased instances of voter identification with traditional parties as well as the increased urban swing vote. However to preserve and ensure stability, gradual changes were incorporated in the political system. This was more evident in the holding of the first direct and popular mayoral elections in the late 80’s. During this period there was a wide gap between the rich and the poor and the Colombian government failed to be competent enough to solve the issue amicably. The leftist guerilla groups had their leadership, structure and activities well known but on the contrast the rightist activities remains unclear regardless of the fact that it is known to be well organized and active. Almost all of the parties involved in the Columbian politics face violence or threats to violence. They include the elected officials, mayors and other politicians. Threats were also sent to priests, academicians, lawyers and even artists. Most people were threatened after denouncing the rightist campaigns but for others there were no clear motives behind threats. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) is known for its threats to municipal authorities. According to Gilberto Toro who heads the Colombian Federation of Municipalities approximately half of the total number of majors in the country receive threats from FARC. Tens of mayors and councilmen are assassinated across the country. The insecurity problem affects the manner in which business is conducted in the region as most business men opt to locate their premises near the capital centers where it seems safer or more secure and this hinders diversification. (Osterling J,1989). There are also many instances of unlawful and extra judicial killings. Politically motivated killings remain considerably high and most of them are not committed by state actors. However there are members of the state who or security officers who commit unlawful killings continuously for instance according to the Center for investigation and Popular Research there were responsible for 92 cases of intentional homicides in the first six months of 2001. Paramilitary forces are responsible for many politically motivated and unlawful killings. Such incidences are more prominent in areas where there is minimal or complete absence of a strong government and where their ideologies are refuted through guerillas. People who are most targeted by the paramilitaries include journalists, human rights activists, labor leaders, community activists, local politicians as well as indigenous leaders and all who seem to side with the guerillas. Journalists that seemed to challenge drug barons received threats or were killed. Again as most judges were intimidated or terrorized, gave up gearing their efforts in ensuring that the law was followed to the letter. Without the appropriate measures being taken by the criminal justice system the dug mobsters operated with ease. They intimidated the society in such a manner that the criminal justice system only acts as a toothless dog in fighting crime. Membership in the left wing or leftist political organizations ensures that individuals are killed, threatened or even harassed by the paramilitaries. Family members of known guerillas are also attacked. As the guerillas attack the military they are attacked together with their relatives and those who sympathize with them. FARC was against the election of president Uribe as the president and they conducted massive threats to many locally elected officials an act that saw the resignation of over 390 mayors across the country. City council members as well as municipal workers also resigned due to this. Some mayors were obligated on how to carry out their duties through phone calls as well as through the use of messengers from different departments that seemed secure. Although there are high incidences of insecurity and violence surrounding the Colombian politics there are high numbers of candidates who show their interests in politics. (www. acs-onweb). The conservative Roman Catholic has some significant role in the Colombian politics especially regarding the election of the president and also in political socialization of the Colombians. During Alvaro Uribe’s reign there were strict measures in fighting against drug trade and guerillas which resulted into intensive conflicts among the Colombian neighbors. The wide economic gap is evident from the fact that approximately 20% of the total population controls the Colombian economy and this attribute to the intensified conflicts in the region. The violence affects all people in the nation regardless of their racial, social, economical as well as political orientation. (Jorge Osterling, 1989). Although increased rate of violence have been subsiding since 2002, there are still constant attacks that against civilians and most parts of the country remain under guerilla influence. Conflicts are between the government and the non governmental forces. Uncontrolled violence in Colombia affects the country’s democratic institutions. There was well documented evidence that some army officers participated in the rightist death squads. Armed forces were accused of torturing suspected guerillas as well as killing innocent peasants. The rightist objectives were to drive other members out of the political arena forcing them to abandon the democratic struggle as well as to boycott the municipal elections. Rebel movements waged war against the police and army units. Violence then was linked to elections where some were not pleased with the fact that mayors were not to be appointed by the central government but would be elected through elections. Negotiations during the reign of president Belisario brought about the idea that through negotiations the crisis would be settled. It was supported by many as the constant wars had become tiresome. It was therefore agreed that the guerilla ought to join the country’s democracy. However there was need that all the relevant parties to be committed especially the government. As the insecurity rates worsened politicians and most senior officials were forced to use bullet proof vehicles and had heavily armed guards. More security officers were assigned the role of personal protection. This led to there having fewer officers to carryout effective investigations which is an important part in the criminal justice system. The paramilitary phenomenon has taken charge of the state enforcing their rule through bribery co-optation of politicians as well as many incidences of violence. Inefficiency in the fight against such groups is evident in the sense that even after showing their commitment through ceasefires it is still clear that the killings persist. A clear example is the United Self Defense of Colombia in 2002 which continued to kill those it perceived as its enemies. (americas. irc-online. or). As an effort to search for relevant measures to solve the current situation Colombia justice and peace law tried to ensure that justice prevailed and through it paramilitaries were to be sentenced up to eight years if they were found guilty. They were also expected to surrender all the possessions they had acquired illegally. Demobilization was backed up by many as a tool of ensuring that democracy and peace prevailed in the region. However this did not prove to be a sufficient way as the paramilitary kept influencing the country’s politics. In 2003 in Magdalena, Trino Correa became the governor and his opponents had been forced to pull out through paramilitary threats. He was later arrested in 2007 on alleged links with paramilitaries. The March 2006 congressional elections were also faced with much paramilitary intimidation and this saw the entry of several pro-AUC into the legislature. It is estimated that approximately 10 to 20% of the elected senators had paramilitary connections. It also became clear that the paramilitary still exerted much influence and this was revealed by a computer that disclosed how Jorge the AUC commander had authorized the murder of 558 Colombians in the Caribbean department of Atlantico a region where the paramilitary ceasefires were supposed to be in effect. Jorge had also used peasants as his fighters and had bribed the police to continue with the drug trafficking business. He had worked with local politicians and assisted them realize their electoral prospects. This scandal was very embarrassing to the president. (www. unhcr. org). Relatives of state leaders were also linked with paramilitary organizations. Senator Alvaro Araujo, a brother to the foreign minister was arrested on allegations that he had conspired with the AUC in kidnapping a political rival before the 2002 elections. This led to the resignation of the foreign minister. A president’s cousin, Mario Uribe was also accused of having dealings with the paramilitaries He was also a leader of the Colombia democratica a party they had co founded with the president. Some members of this party were accused of involvement with paramilitaries and some like Garcia Alvaro were accused of having orchestrated a massacre in 2000 as well as murder of an electoral official in 1997. (www. colombiajournal. org). To date there is clear indication that there is the existence of a sinister and anti democratic relationship between criminals and the country’s elected representatives. The crisis is a clear indication of the deep sense of the powerlessness that is prevailing.It is evident that violence affects or rather influences politics in South America and more so in Colombia. References: Global Security. Colombia. Retrieved on 9th April 2008 from http://www. globalsecurity. org/military/world/colombia/colombia_politics. htm Michael Walker. The Bush Administration’s Hollow Commitment to Colombian Democracy. Retrieved on 9th April 2008 from http://www. colombiajournal. org/colombia271. htm Raul Zibechi. 2008. Americas Program Special Report Military Crisis in South America: The Results of Plan Colombia. Retrieved on 9th April 2008 from http://americas. irc-online. org/am/5107 History of violence. Retrieved on 9th April 2008 from http://www. acs-onweb. de/hd/content/pres_c2_the_media_and_the_internet/history. htm South America. Retrieved on 9th April 2008 from http://www. iansa. org/regions/samerica/samerica. htm U. S. Library of Congress. Government and Politics. Retrieved on 9th April 2008 from http://countrystudies. us/colombia/78. htm UNHCR. Background on political violence in Colombia Retrieved on 9th April 2008 from http://www. unhcr. org/home/RSDCOI/414eef214. html

Role of women in times of social change

Role of women in times of social change From a passive housewife to an active member of society in times of social change, where are our women heading? So, what influenced the women in our society to change? With smiles on their faces and freshly cooked meals on the tables, they used to wait for their husbands to come back home from work. Their ambitions were centred on the marriage, fulfilment of the role of a proud housewife and devoted mother and the economic security that their husbands, the breadwinners, have provided them. But, in the past fifteen years, a womans path from an obeying housewife to an emancipated, independent and active member of society has been both, a cause and a reflection of social change in the UK. Feminine mystique Looking back to the past decade, there has been significant influences from the Womens Liberation Movement that has tackled the traditional gender roles. America has not only brought the drive to invent the clever labour saving devices designed to liberate women from domestic drudgery, it has, also, introduced Betty Friedans book, The Feminine Mystique to our British ladies. In this feminist classic of 1963 Friedan claimed: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The women who grow up wanting to be just a housewife are in as much danger as the millions who walked to their own death in concentration camps (Friedan in Fermaglich,2006,p.58). Her strong views of the womens position in society have caused historians to charge her with carelessness, insensitivity and exaggeration. However, nobody could stop the raising assertiveness of women who claimed that the labour saving virtues of modern household technology were countered by an expansion of maternal duties and more exacting levels of cleanliness. As feminists point out, for women of the 1950s in general, happiness was defined by a stereotyped view of the womans role as a homemaker and consequently, many women experienced social isolation. Women were expected to give up work once married and magazines such as Woman portrayed the image of a perfect housewife as the social norm1  [0]  . These high, and often impossible expectations are some of the causes that make the depressed housewife one of the more frequent visitors to the councillors office1  [1]  . Challenging the traditional values With growing female dissatisfaction and frustration, the rise of feminism is quite understandable as many women have begun to question their image of domesticity in the sixties. The teenagers, in particular, have challenged their, rather prescribed roles and as the young girls have developed into women, they promoted more liberal attitudes. The rising female resilience towards social constrains have resulted in a union of British feminist movements. With their aim to promote equality between the genders, at the first National Womens Liberation Conference held in 1970, they assertively demanded equal pay, free contraception and abortion on request, equal educational and job opportunities as well as free twenty-four-hour childcare  [10]  . Betty Friedan had set up the National Organisation of Women in 1966The success of feminism in bringing about the legal changes cannot be denied. In the past decade, the passing of the Abortion Act 1967, Divorce Reform Act 1969 and Equal Pay Act 1970  [11]  have made the women the main beneficiaries. However, the feminist conference and the four iconic demands took place after the government legislated in favour of women. This proves that some social injustices are still affecting women which are beyond the scope of legislation. These belong to the world of embedded prejudice among women as well as men. Even with their significant achievements, feminists still struggle to change the principal attitude at large we are still witnessing social and moral restraints that many women, particularly single mothers, spinsters and divorcees face  [12]  . Education was another useful tool by which girls expectations were manipulated. The universal secondary education and the expansion of universities in the 1960s facilitated admissions of women to higher education, but women felt frustrated that better jobs were still going to men even with their equal qualification  [13]  . Therefore, the emancipated, middle class girls have promoted the feminism as they benefited the most from the campaigns for equal rights. However, women from the lower classes have seen feminism as nothing more than the obsession of the middle class  [14]  as they did not feel the direct affects of the feminists urge for womens liberation. Girls work girls shop! Still, the most encouraging trend indicating the change in the society is that more women are working outside their homes. Nevertheless, researchers take 1961 as the critical point when, for the first time, it was the married women who dominated among the female workforce. As the figures have been steadily rising since then, historians and sociologists predict that we are heading in a way where by 1980 two thirds of all women at work will be married  [15]  . The reasons and impacts of this trend cannot be ignored. While many women view work as an escape from the loneliness of their homes, the families where both parents are in work benefit from an increase in consumer power. With an extra income, there are opportunities for a holiday or purchase of a car  [16]  . Therefore, the higher standard of living is an inspiration for married women to work  [17]  and also, a persuasive argument for their husbands to accept the new trend. This change has largely transformed the old fashioned attitude of the 1950s where working women are portrayed as a threat by depriving men of their jobs  [18]  . Combined with the increased family income and low figures of unemployment, new attitudes systematically led to a general increase in consumerism. Nevertheless, if all the reinforcement of feminism and the recent change in the law have caused Britain to go girlie, female natural affinities are not to be overseen. The fact is girls shop!  [19]  . Feminist propagandaThe new, liberating fashion for young women, mini skirts and see-through blouses, welcomed the beginning of the buy-and-throw-away consumer culture as we know it today. Even after the feminists criticised the new styles as a reinforcement of the new female stereotypes, relatively cheap clothes as designed by Biba have helped to create the concept of shopping as a leisure activity which has spread from young women to society at large  [20]  . Apart from fashion, the challenging attitudes of the younger generation had an impact on society in many ways. Teenage girls embraced feminism as it complied with the rebellious nature of the youth culture who were urged not to accept tamely what they were told, but to make their own judgements  [21]  . This presents the biggest threat to the future of the old fashioned, traditionalist Britain and if by looking at our offspring we can draw predictions about our future, the feminists are the ones to celebrate. Equal Pay fact or a myth? Families with both spouses in work contributed to an economic emancipation of society and allowed women to gain a degree of independence. But, less encouraging is that, in every occupation, employers restricted women to particular kinds of work, where they must accept low skilled and inferior jobs  [22]  . But, towards the end of the sixties, as the female workforce grew and women became generally more liberated, there was a growing attitude that discrimination was wrong  [23]  . This injustice has inspired over eight hundred women, sewing machinists at Fords Dagenham factory to surprise the country with their strike for equal pay in 1968. Even after the striking women agreed to 92% of male wages, their actions, the support of the first female Secretary of State, Barbara Castle, and the urging of the feminists, have publicly highlighted the existence of the discrimination of women in the sixties. This has subsequently led to the reform and the passing of the Equal Pay Act in 1970  [24]  . For most women, the feminists ideas about female fulfilment was alien and unrealistic, therefore, the majority regarded it as a movement of the affluent middle class  [25]  . But the sewing machinists proved that the there has been a change of attitudes in general as women from all social classes wanted better and more equal roles in the society. Having afternoon tea with the Secretary of State women of DagenhamBut, five years after the changes have been made in the law, employers discrimination still leaves the gender gap  [26]  . The types of jobs that traditionally belong to women, such as nursing, remain less paid than the ones dominated by men. The evidence of inequality between the genders is in brutally honest statistics in the past ten years the salaries of women increased less rapidly on average than those of men. Today, average earnings of women is just a little more than half of those of men  [27]  . However, the life stories of Yvonne Pope, the first women Air Traffic Controller in 1960 who has also earlier this year became the first women pilot and Annie Nightingale, the first woman on Radio One inspire many girls. Even while the debate about the principle equal pay for equal work continues, these women, pioneers in the world of male employment give optimism to many young girls. Working mothers, the pill, abortion on request: Is modern society exterminating us? The defenders of a traditional, patriarchal family have made the link between the recent fall in birth rates and increases in female employment. Their accusing finger points to a direct causal effect of the women in work which subsequently strengthens the beliefs that women belong at home. This attitude is still embedded in society, although a report in 1963 denied any correlation between the two. Still, many women, even today, feel guilty when applying for jobs  [28]  . While Penelope Mortimer and Margaret Drabble wrote articles in which they supported the traditionalist views by glorifying the position of women as mothers, feminists questioned the belief that women could only be fulfilled through motherhood  [29]  . They also campaigned for the right to family planning measures and the first effective contraception pill has undoubtedly become the feature of the decade. Even after officially going on sale in 1961, the turning point was in 1969  [30]  when it became an available choice to all women regardless of their marital status. The feminists eight year long battle to make the pill available to everyone proves how effortful it was to change the traditional attitudes towards motherhood and sex. The Pill was largely criticized by many, but probably the most disputed of the sixties reforms is the Abortion Act 1967  [31]  . Even though it was illegal in the early sixties, the expensive West End clinics performed thousands of abortions a year. At the other end of the social scale, horrific back-street abortions with coat-hangers and unofficially trained clinicians were the main cause of avoidable maternal death  [32]  . Even so, abortion is strongly opposed by the Catholic Church who asserts how all life is sacred  [33]  and not even all feminists agreed with it  [34]  . However, the passing of the Abortion Act is, after all, a powerful indicator of the extent to which women had become more emancipated. Decline in birth ratesVoluntary child bearing and the increase in divorce rates as a consequence of the passing of the Divorce Reform Act 1969 have all had a transforming effect on domestic life, the idea of home, and all the roles and functions of womanhood  [35]  . These play the important factors in producing smaller families as does increased family affluence which have made people choose their priorities with care. Even the modern architecture reinforces the trend towards smaller families new houses are designed for families with only two or three children  [36]  . So, where are our women heading? When analysing social change, it is important to stress the diversity in aspirations of British women. Whether that is as a housewife or as a career woman, some are free to choose their lifestyle, but others are still constrained by the attitudes and norms of the society they live in. The changes in government policy extended womens choices, but it remains to be seen if they have achieved the right balance between work and family. However, it is the social as well as economic circumstances which unavoidably leave some women more equal than others. In the future these issues will need to be addressed if women are to overcome the discrimination that still exists3  [7]  . However, the promotion of equality between the genders by the younger generations indicate, not a revolution, but a slow evolution of a womens role in British society.

Green Banking In India Environmental Sciences Essay

Green Banking In India Environmental Sciences Essay Moving to a prosperous low carbon economy can drive innovation, increase productivity and generate new well paid jobs. However, to achieve this, significant new investment will need to be found and, though government can provide the necessary incentives, it will be the private sector that will provide the bulk of this investment. Climate change is a significant issue for India. But while the effects of climate change are increasingly a risk to the health, economy and the environment of the country, economists are also recognizing that there are financial rewards from controlling climate change and developing a low carbon economy. Banks can provide important leadership for the required economic transformation that will provide new opportunities for financing and investment policies as well as portfolio management for the creation of a strong and successful low carbon economy. In this report I have tried to examine how banks can be catalysts for change. Discussing how banks are providing commitment and leadership in creating a low carbon economy and also the challenges to investment. A carbon credit is a generalised term used for any tradable certificate or permission representing the right to emit one tonne of carbon di-oxide [CO2]   The goal of carbon trading is to allow market mechanisms to drive industrial and commercial processes in the direction of low emissions or less carbon intensive approaches than those used when there is no cost to emitting  carbon dioxide  and other GHGs [Greenhouse Gases] into the atmosphere. In simple terms carbon credits gives a monetary value to the action of polluting the atmosphere and hence reduce greenhouse emissions, thus playing a pretty important role in saving the planet. Of late there has been a lot of discussion regarding the environment management in industrialised countries. However, because of the financial globalisation and ever increasing environmental regulations, there has been a large development in the banking sector which has been operating in developing and emerging countries and is pressed to better manage risks from environmental liabilities. As other economic players and industries, banks also consume natural resources. However, in developing countries this type of environmental impact can potentially be high in view of the insufficient availability of clean sources of energy. [Banco Itaà º, one of the largest banks in Brazil, recycles 2,200 tons of shredded paper annually] INTRODUCTION CLIMATE CHANGE-BACKGROUND 1.1 CLIMATE CHANGE-THE SCIENCE We all know that the climate change is a serious issue and which needs to be taken great care of in the near future or else we will have to face serious consequences in the future. A study conducted by The Climate Group with Price WaterHouse Coopers indicates an increase of more than 0.7 ËÅ ¡C over the last century and will continue to rise. The current projections of global average temperature change are in the order of 0.2 ËÅ ¡C per decade (from 1990 2050) or between 1.1 ËÅ ¡C and 6.4ËÅ ¡C within a century. CLIMATE CHANGE-THE INTERNATIONAL POLICY RESPONSE There have been international conferences and concerns on how to save the environment and efforts have been taken to gain consensus on how to save the environment since the early 1990s. In 1997 UNFCCC [United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] introduced the Kyoto Protocol [1] India being a non-Annex 1 party to the UNFCCC is under no legal obligation to curtail its greenhouse gases [GHGs] emissions, but India has announced a voluntary plan to reduce the carbon emission intensity by 20-25% by 2020. The Indian Government is very keen and has shown great interest in finding the solution to this problem and is actively involved in discussions that will lead to a Post Kyoto regime that tackles the problems. UNFCCC also held a recent conference in at Copenhagen called the CoP [Conference of Parties], which did not deliver any legal binding commitments, but the Accord it produced had led to all the major developing nations to publish their plans on how they will cut or reduce the gas emissions over the coming decades. Also a massive financial help was pledged, which can be counted as a success of the summit [US$ 30 Billion by the end of 2012 and a total of US$ 100 Billion by 2020] for the mitigation and help of developing countries to implement the plans for cutting down the emissions, along with the deployment of latest technology and techniques. India is sure to receive a major part of these funds but our authorities need to ensure that the necessary framework is in place to take best advantage of them. 1.3 CLIMATE CHANGE-INDIAs RESPONSE India s National Action Plan on climate change essentially proposes eight national missions , namely , Solar ; Enhanced Energy Efficiency ; Sustainable Habitat; Water; Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem ; Green India ; Sustainable Agriculture; and Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change India holds a major position and is signatory to both UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. The Clean Development Mechanism [CDM] provided by Kyoto Protocol has provided India with a significant opportunity for reducing carbon emissions at a relatively low price through renewable energy projects and energy efficient projects. The above also provides India with a wonderful opportunity of creating and trading carbon credits via (through) the help of regulated carbon emission trading schemes, in exchange of money. The CDM also allows and helps developed countries like USA to invest in emission reduction globally where it is the cheapest. The success of CDM can be gauged by the fact that since its inception in 2001 till 2012 it would have 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon-d-ioxide equivalent emission reductions. India along with CDM has also been working to develop a National Action Plan on Climate Change which enumerates a number of steps to simultaneously advance Indias development and climate change adaptation and mitigation objectives. Finance especially the BANKING SECTOR is a key element of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, outlined in the plans National Missions. Example 1: NATIONAL MISSION ON ENHANCED ENERGY EFFICIENCY The proposed National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) has been designed to focus on the creation of mechanisms that supports financing of demand side energy management programs by capturing the financial benefits of future energy savings. The Partial Risk Guarantee Fund has been developed with a purpose of providing commercial banks with partial coverage of risk exposure against loans made for energy efficiency projects. India has set voluntary targets to reduce carbon emissions intensity by 20-25% by 2020. The targets are being supported by legislation that requires mandatory fuel efficiency norms for all automobile vehicles, introduces green building codes, techniques and provides an amendment to the Energy Conservation Act to make it necessary for an initial group of 714 energy intensive businesses to take part in a scheme to cap energy usage and subsequently trade energy efficiency certificates. BANKING SECTOR RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE We are all aware of the fact that banks play a very important role in mobilizing financial resources across the economy-in particular for providing investment money i.e. capital for large scale infrastructure and low carbon technology deployment. As of now the climatic changes have only effected/influenced the financial decisions only on the margin i.e. to a very less extent. That too the impact is much less in India as compared to other developed or developing countries. The following are a few international examples of the same: In all over 180 financial institutions support the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) which is the oldest association between UN and banking, insurance and investment worlds There was an increase in the pace of the global clean energy investment from US$ 60 billion in 2006 to US$ 150 billion in the year 2007 Banks that have been controlling more than 80% of global project finance volume have adopted the Equator Principles[2]. 2.1 BANKING RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN INDIA IBA [Indian Bank Association] and TCG [The Climate Group] conducted a study know about how banks in India are responding to the climatic changes. The survey which was carried out focussed basically on following five themes: COMMITMENT LEADERSHIP Questioning the commitment of the bank and how is it demonstrated. MANAGEMENT To what level does the management take interest and participate in and around the climate change issues and how is the bank tackling its own impact. ENABLERS What are the key enablers for pushing the climate change agenda as perceived by the bank? PERCIEVED BARRIER What are the major barriers and key inhibitors which hinder the climate change agenda as perceived by the bank. INNOVATION AND ACTION What are the core business activities, products and services which the banks are offering to fight the climatic changing conditions. 2.2 THE SOLUTION: GREEN BANKING IN INDIA For the last one and a half decade India is on a higher growth trajectory and the industrial sector has been playing a very important role in Indias growth. However, Indian growth has always been limited due to the challenges faced in controlling the environmental impact of their business activities i.e. reducing pollution and emissions of their clients. Though environmental legislations and laws are being framed by the government to address the issue and it also encourages the industry to follow the environmental technologies and practices, but they are not enough considering the poor track record of enforcement, public awareness and inability to derive competitive advantage by producing eco friendly products. Just for the fact-book India is the sixth largest and the second fastest growing country in terms of producing green house gases. To add to your surprise three of Indias metropolitan capitals are amongst the worlds ten most polluted cities. The industries which contribute to making these cities most polluted majorly are: (a) Metallurgical Industries (b) Paper Pulp (c) Pesticides/Insecticides (d) Refineries (e) Tanneries/Fertilizers (f) Sugar etc. Thus the banking operations and investment by the financial institutions should take care of these polluting industries which can be done by improving the overall environment, the quality and conservation of life, level of efficiency in using the materials and energy, quality of services and products and hence in this context, the role of banking sector, which is the major source of financing for these industries, which is used for the implementation of the eco-friendly measures. The environmental regulations in India can be broadly classified in two broad categories: Command Control Regulations. Liability Laws. However, there is no law in India which can hold banks responsible for the checking and scrutinizing investment projects and granting/denying the financial aid to a company on the basis of environmental damage to be caused by the client. The most important thing here is that because of the growing concern for the environment legal framework for the environmental pollution standards are being formulated in India and once the formulation is done the companies violating these rules will either have to shut down or will have to make the necessary changes in terms of investment and methodology which will require the help of banking sector, thus proving the importance of GREEN BANKING. In the above process the above companies are sure to loose their viability and competitiveness in the international market and this will eventually affect the Indian Economy and the Banking Sector. Thus for the future prospects and the current scenario it is very important for the banks to protect themselves from the changing of their performing assets [3] to non performing assets [4]. If the banks realize these facts then the adoption of GREEN BANKING becomes fast and easily acceptable to them. One thing which is very obvious is that the industries that are ill equipped in preventing pollution today are the possible polluters of the future Example 2 Non Compliance to the Mandated Environmental Standards About a hundred and fifty SSI (Small Scale Industries) units around Agra and Delhi had been forced by the government authorities to make changes in the methodology or were made to shut down the entire units because of non compliance to the mandated environmental standards and were hence declared nonperforming assets for the banks that financed them. These rigorous steps were taken with the ultimate goal of protecting the Taj Mahal situated in Agra from the Greenhouse Gases and thus eventually losing its charm. Apart from the list above there are a number of companies that have been closed down due to non compliance of the standards in such a scenario the banks are the only ones incurring a financial loss due to the increase in bad asset and liability. The following Table1 reflects category wise summary status of pollution control in 17 categories of industries in India where we find that the industries are increasingly complying with pollution control norms. Refer to Table 1 in the appendix. 2.3 DISAPPOINTMENTS FACED: GREEN BANKING IN INDIA The financial banks and institutions are running far behind the schedules as compared to the global trends. None of the Indian banks or financial institutions have adopted the equator principle [2] even for the sake of records. None of our banks are signatories to the UNEPFI [5]. The British business newspaper and Financial Times in a joint effort nominated for Sustainable Banking Awards in 2006 for leadership and innovation in integrating social, environmental and corporate governance objectives into their operations did not find a single Indian nationalized bank or major private bank in the list except Yes bank (which is a small player in Indian Banking sector) which was nominated in Emerging Markets Sustainable Bank of the Year category. The other nominations have been shown in Table-2. It was very evident that there was no systematic attempt to integrate the environmental concerns into the business operations here by our nationalised banks. Though there has been a little improvement as in the previous years as for the year 2007 ET sustainable banking award two banks namely YES Bank and ABN AMRO Bank had filed nominations. Though its a little improvement but it also shows the ignorance in the part of our banks about the green banking initiatives at international levels. As we all know today the products of the countries violating the human rights or child labour laws are denied in countries like US and UK (European Markets), so it would not be surprising if the export of the domestic polluting industries get a severe jolt if they continue to neglect the degrading environment. If such a thing happens then the major blow would be to the Indian Banking sector because most of the SSIs have sponsored by the Indian Banks and if they do not comply with the environment standards then they would be worst hit by such an act. Therefore, banks in India need to be more careful about the environment aspects of both clients and products because: The future of exports and product markets will be going through stringent environmental rules and eco-friendly products will have a better future. Increased demands for pollution control equipments will want more and more financial aid from the banks. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) may also follow environmental friendly rules and regulations hence enforcing them on other banks just like the IFC [6] and Asian Development Bank [7]. Recent announcement by the government to use economic instruments for environmental control may also include banks also. Big investment projects supported by international organizations like The World Bank and ADB [7] require EIA [8]. 2.4 THE BRIGHTER SIDE: COMMITMENT AND SENIOR LEADERSHIP CHANGE IN INDIA Number of Banks Participating in: Carbon Disclosure Project 5 UNEP FI 2 UN Global Impact 2 Equator Principles 2 Climate Principles 1 Four Indian Banks named the challenges due to climate changes as very important and in the Top Ten Priorities Critical To Success Seven out of the eight banks surveyed believe that commercial lending banks in India can play a leadership role in the business community in addressing the challenges of climate change. The top management has been driving the climate change agenda in majority of the surveyed banks. Banks that demonstrate a high level of senior support for addressing climate change also demonstrate a high level of activity around initiatives that address the issue. All private sector and international banks involved in the climate change activities through formal partnership or relationships with external partners at a regional, national or international level. Public sector banks have not been taking part voluntarily but have been postponing the work until the legislations have been forced upon. Participating banks have highlighted that they have been forming partnerships with government agencies as well as industry associations to effectively discuss and act on issues. The RBI has issued notifications on corporate social responsibility for banks with reference to the role of banks in sustainable development and non financial reporting Six out of eight banks highlighted that the change in climate will highly affect the way they conduct their business and hence they would want to take advantage of the situation and enforce their business by being well prepared for the coming situations. 2.5 ROLE OF MANAGEMENT: GREEN BANKING IN INDIA Policies and Programs: Most of the banks have a formal written statement which describes the purpose and objectives of the organizations commitment to climate change. Such statements are usually included in the annual report of the company. Most of the banks have also been putting in place the policy of saving/reducing the footprints of the electricity consumption by implementing energy efficient systems in the offices and also by replacing the older systems. Most of the banks have a specific policy in place to consider the environmental issues associated with energy use, purchasing, transport, recycling and waste minimization. 2.6 MANAGING CARBON EMISSION Majority of the banks have been calculating their energy consumption and carbon footprint. Banks are getting external audits done for their energy consumption and follow it as a norm as opposed to the exception. The findings of such audits are being used to reduce their bills of energy consumption. All the banks have been indicating that the issue of climate change and sustainability was important to the organization. Example 3 Union Bank of Indias Energy Efficient Measures The union bank of India has decided to take an annual electrical energy audit. The bank has also installed solar power water heaters at the various facilities they maintain. Its the support service department of the bank that has been identified to implement such an energy reduction program. 2.7 EXTERNAL REPORTING All the participating banks communicate their actions on climate change as a part of their Environment or Corporate Social Responsibility Reports and statements. Almost 5 out of the 8 banks surveyed maintained their own greenhouse gas inventory such as calculating their carbon foot printing and undertaking annual energy audits. Seven out of the eight banks have a energy reduction or emission reduction plans on the agenda. Example 4 IDBI Bank IDBI bank is a member of National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The bank is also an authorised signatory to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). CDP aims to create a relationship between shareholders and corporations regarding the shareholder value and commercial operations because of the climatic changes. 2.8 INTERNAL COMMUNICATION AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT All the participating banks claimed that the issues relating the climatic changes were communicating internally to the concerned employees. Five out of the eight bank also informed that they have also initiated employee engagement programs so as to tackle the situations arising out of climatic change. Majority of the banks have also put up information regarding the climatic change on their intranet sites. Many banks have also been training their employees on specific technical fronts such as, sustainability screens on lending portfolios, enhanced investment criteria for low carbon projects. Banks have also been implementing car pools for their employees, hence encouraging not only clerical staff but also higher management to share transport so as to save the environment. Example 5 HSBC Global Research: Climate Change The HSBC Climate Change Centre of Excellence which had been established in 2007 has been ever since investigating the likely risks and opportunities of climate change for the financial markets and HSBCs business unit. About 30 reports were produced by the Centre in 2009, which also included a comprehensive analysis of fiscal stimulus for climate related investments. These reports have helped over 3000 customers to identify the opportunity and plan for potential climate change risks. 2.9 ENABLERS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVITIES Internal Factors: The top internal factors which have an effect on the climate change activities can be broadly classified as: Economic Benefits and Profitability Board influence Marketing benefits Refer to Table 3 External Factors: The top external factors can be specified as: Environment benefits Competitive advantage/new business opportunities. 2.10 PERCIEVED BARRIERS TO CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVITIES In the survey conducted by TCG and IBA it was concluded that the following are considered to be the major barriers for the cause: The Indian system lacks regulatory benefits and policy. The personnel lack technical knowhow. The cost implications. One interesting fact that came in light after the survey was that many banks in the survey wanted more legal regulations that provide an enabling framework. Some banks also raised the point that lack of general awareness about the climatic changes and its implications hindered their efforts to implement the green banking concept. Cost implications were also highlighted as a major hindrance, by three of the eight banks, to addressing climatic changes. However they believe that due to the added advantages and features such a s improved reputation or increased customer loyalty can overcome the financial concerns. Refer to Table 4 2.11 INNOVATION AND ACTION The Climate Principles framework have been represented in the research innovation and action by the banks as findings from key business lines. Research: The survey revealed that only two out of the eight banks currently have research on climate changes being carried on. The research being carried on by the Indian banks are less sophisticated as required by the cause. As most of the research is based on global level and is based on international standards the personnel here in India lack the technical knowhow of implementing the survey. Retail Banking: Half of the participating banks reported that they have implemented/incorporated carbon and climate issues to their retail banking arena. The banks also claimed to convince their clients to use paperless as a part of their green campaigns at retail outlets. Corporate Banking: Many of the banks that participated responded that many initiatives in corporate banking are underway which facilitates a transformation to a low carbon economy. Banks are also cognizant of how client defaults may increase from unanticipated `or underestimated mitigation. Project Finance: As there is a lack of knowhow to evaluate the risks associated with the changing climate and also the opportunities arising out of such a condition thus it acts as an hindrance for the consideration of finance of projects relating to climatic changes. Lack of technical knowhow often tends to raise the total cost of the project and hence restrains banks from entering into such a project finance. Asset Management: This field of the finance sector is still in its preliminary/infancy stage in India. So far only one bank has been thoughtful enough to launch a fund that takes account of ESG [9] issues. LEADING INDIAN BANKS AND GREEN BANKING 3.1 STATE BANK OF INDIA SBI Example 3.1.1 SBI Green Home Loans The State Bank Of India has started a new policy which they call as SBI Green Home Loans. It has been started with the objective of supporting the cause against the climate change and its implications. One of the initiatives which the bank has taken is the bank provides incentives to customers who choose green projects i.e. those projects which will be helpful in reducing the gas and carbon emission and help saving energy. Green Housing or Green Home is one of the types of loan identified for this purpose. The new Green Home Loan Scheme supports environmentally friendly residential projects and offers various concessions like reduced margins lower interest rates and zero processing fee. Example 3.1.2 Generation of Green Power SBI State Bank of India became the first bank in India to venture into the generation of Green Power on its own for by the installation of windmills for captive use. This action has been carried out as a Green Banking initiative, SBI has installed 10 windmills with the total aggregate capacity of around 15 MW in various parts of the country like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The future plans by the banks are even more lucrative as they plan to install additional 20 MW capacity windmills in Gujarat and soon touch a total production of 100 MW power generation through windmills in the coming five years. The officials of the bank believe that the bank consumes around 100 MW of energy in an year and hence by this initiative they are trying to be energy neutral and reducing their carbon footprints. The project has been carried on by Suzlon Energy and as one of the employees tells the cost of installation of one windmill of 1.5 MW is around Rs. 10 Cr. And the bank believes that the initial investment will be recovered in a short period of four years In an interview Mr. Tulsi R.Tanti CMD Suzlon Energy said that the mission of Suzlon Energy is to make all the Indian Banks go green and he also informed of being in talks with 25 banks. 3.2 ICICI BANK ICICI Banks Environmentally Sustainable Finance Initiative Example 3.2.1 Corporate Environmental Stewardship Initiatives ICICI Bank pioneered the corporate environmental stewardship programme with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) to sensitize various corporate bodies, financial institutions/banks and government agencies involved in the project planning on issues regarding biodiversity, wildlife habitats, various environmental laws and conventions. As a part of the programme BNHS has initiated Green Governance Award to recognize the efforts of the company working for this cause. Example 3.2.2 ICICIs Clean Technology Initiative ICICI bank has been assisting many government and non government organizations to undertake clean energy and environmentally sustainable projects/initiatives. ICICI bank has been assisting projects that would specifically promote energy efficiency, renewable, demand side management by utilities etc. ICICI bank has also assisted ESCOs [10] in facilitating various urban local bodies and manufacturing companies in reducing their energy bills. 3.3 IDBI BANK Example 3.3.1 IDBI Carbon Desk IDBI bank has a separate team working on the CDM advisory service. The bank provides end to end services from the documentation to registration of the CDM projects for the commercialization of carbon credits. The bank also provides an upfront financing against the carbon credits/carbon credit receivables. The bank also facilitates the registration of the projects with UNFCCC and trading of carbon credits generated by the CDM Projects. There is also a refinance scheme initiated by the bank for energy saving projects for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector.