Friday, September 6, 2019

Genetically modified organism - DNA Essay Example for Free

Genetically modified organism DNA Essay 1. Introduction Genetically modified foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOS). GMOS have had particular turns led to their DNA by genetic engineering techniques. In fact,GM foods are already becoming a part of our life. (Maessen, 1997) The 2010 estimate, the most recent, says that 925 million people were undernourished in 2010 (FAO 2010). There are clearly some very real issues that need to be resolved. The purpose of this paper is to discuss whether GM foods can solve the problem of world hungry . It covers two advantages of GM food which are increasing production and effects of environment protection,finally it will cover a disadvantage for human health. 2 . Advantages 2. 1 Increase in food production GM food should be consider as a solution to slove world hunger as it produces much higher yield than conventional crops. Firstly,Crops are genetically modified in order to make them pest-resistant, drought-resistant, higher yield per acre, faster maturing, or some other improvement over natural crops. They are likely to be safer than ordinary crops since they dont have chemical pesticide on them , they are more likely to be picked and sent to market at their peak of ripeness, and are likely to last longer once you have them home in refrigerators. Its helping to resolve the worlds hungry problem. 2. 2 Advantages for environment protection One effect of GM foods is to protect environment. Genes could also be manipulated in trees, for example to absorb more CO2 and reduce the threat of global warming. Genetic Engineering could increase genetic diversity, and produce more variant alleles which could also be crossed over and implanted into other species. (Friends of Earth,2003) 3. Disadvantages of GM foods potential negative human health There are also critics objected to potential negative human health. As it has a Genetic engineering may actually counteract the processes of nature by reducing the resistance of the species to environmental extremes and diseases by creating ideal traits. Furthermore, new viruses would be encouraged to mutate into more dangerous, virulent forms that would be unstoppable. Even more horrifying is the possibility that genetically engineered products have the capability of being toxic and threatening to human and animal health. (Royal Society. 2002)Some scientists believe that introducing genetically modified genes may have an irreversible effect with consequences yet unknown. (Food Standards Agency. 2002. ) 4. Conclusion In conclusion,this paper discussed the effects of GM foods. Therefore, according to these passage that the genetically modified technology can bring more advantage and less disadvantage to us. It becomes a tendency to eat genetically modified foods. So we just be at ease to eat unless the productions are counterfeit and inferior and it is not qualified by the standard department and the GM foods almost can solve food crisis. Words (428). References 1) Maessen, GDF. 1997. Genomic stability and stability of expression in genetically modified plants. Acta Botanica Neerlandica 46 3-24 2) Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions. 1999. News Release 107, 5 November 1999. 3) Schmidt, T and Heslop-Harrison, JS. 1998. Genomes, genes and junk: the large scale organization of plant chromosomes. Trends on Plant Science 3 195-9 4) Royal Society.2002. Genetically modified plants for food use and human health – an update 5) Dr Marion Healy. 2005. Food Standards Australia New Zealand. 2005. Retrieved June, 2005 from http://www. foodstandards. gov. au/_srcfiles/GM%20Foods_text_pp_final. pdf 6)Genetically Modified crops and food ,Friends of Earth,(2003). Retrieved January ,2003 from http://www. foe. co. uk/resource/briefings/gm_crops_food. pdf 7) Food Standards Agency. 2002. GO10008 Evaluating the risks associated with using GMOs in Human foods. Retrieved from http://www. foodstandards. gov. uk/science/sciencetopics/gmfoods/gm_reports.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Untapped Mineral Resources And Their Potential Environmental Sciences Essay

Untapped Mineral Resources And Their Potential Environmental Sciences Essay Pakistan is blessed with huge mineral potential like coal copper, gold, limestone etc.   However, we have not yet been able to promote growth and alleviate poverty by exploiting our mineral resources as is done by other developing countries. Our efforts for mineral development has been limited to few industrial minerals such as limestone, rock salt, marble, gypsum and a very less amount of coal for internal power generation. 2. Our mineral resources are enormous and emerging as a promising country for exploration of minerals. Pakistans more than 6, 00, 000 sq kms  [1]  of outcrop area demonstrates varied geological potential for metallic / non-metallic mineral deposits. Exploration work and geological surveys have confirmed our great potential in the metallic as well as industrial minerals like copper, gold, silver, platinum, iron, lead, zinc, granite and marble. All these minerals have got huge prospects for exporting to the world. 3. Currently about 52 minerals  [2]  are under exploitation but on a small scale. The major contribution is of coal, rock salt, and other industrial and construction minerals. Value addition in the mineral sector is mainly concentrated in five principal minerals i.e. limestone, coal, gypsum, sulphur, oil and gas. The current contribution of mineral sector to the GDP is about 0.5% and is likely to increase considerably on the development of mineral projects like Reco Diq, Duddar Zinc lead and Thar coal. On the government level there is a requirement to put more serious efforts in the development of this promising prospect. AIM 4. To carryout comprehensive study of the mineral resource potential of Pakistan vis a vis impediments towards their development and its ramifications on the economy with a view to recommend viable response options. SCOPE 5. The discourse of the paper will follow the sequence as under :- Part I Mineral Resources of Pakistan Part II Untapped Minerals and their Potential Part III Economy and Mining of Mineral Resources Part IV Impediments towards the development of Mineral Resources Part v Recommendations for Viable Response Options Conclusion PART I MINERAL RESOURCES OF PAKISTAN 6.  [3]  Mineral resources for a country are like a wealth and Pakistan by the grace of Allah Almighty is gifted with enormous mineral resource potential. Presently 52 minerals are under exploitation but the major production is of coal, rock salt and other industrial minerals. The value addition in the mineral sector is mainly concentrated in five principal minerals i.e. limestone, coal, gypsum, sulphur, oil and natural gas. Mining industry in Pakistan is dominated by the public sector through Federal and Provincial development corporations. The public mining corporations such as PUNJMIN is involved in the mining of 8 minerals, Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation in 11 minerals, FATA Development Corporation in 10 minerals, Balochistan Development Authority in around 40 minerals, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Development Authority in 4 minerals and Azad Kashmir Mineral and Industrial Development Corporation in 12 minerals . 7. Foreign investors are mainly from China due to their historic friendship with Pakistan. Besides this, there has been little or investment in mineral exploration. So far whatever development has occurred is restricted to simple technologies and foreign investors without investing in the modern management and technological fields. Consequently mineral exploitation contributes only 0.5% of GDP  [4]  . Realizing the vast potential of the mineral sector, there is a great opportunity for the multinational companies to invest in this sector and be beneficial to our economy as well as themselves. 8. Top Fifteen Minerals of Pakistan  [5]   a. Aluminium b. Iron Ore c. Copper d. Chromite Ore e. Zinc / Lead f. Coal g. Gypsum / Anhydrite h. Phosphates i. Rock Salt j. Solar Salt k. Magnesite l. Limestone for lime m Kaolin (China Clay) n. Building stones i.e. Granite, Marble and Onyx o. Gemstones 9. Mineral Resources in Punjab  [6]   a. Iron ore. Large iron ore deposits are present in Punjab. Major deposits are in Kalabagh(Mianwali district). b. Coal. In Punjab coal is present in Salt Range. Coal deposits in this region are 235 million tons with average quality coal. c. Gypsum. Punjab stands 2nd in gypsum reserves. Major deposits in Dadukhel are about 53 million tons. Other major reserves are in Khewra and D.G. Khan. d. Salt. Salt deposits are mainly found in the salt Range. Rock salt is mined at Khewra, Warcha, Kalabagh, Bhadurkhel, Jatta, karak ,Chakwal and Khushab mines. According to Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, reserves of rock salt are around 600 million tons. e. Lime stone. Lime Stone is present in salt Range Potwar Plateau, Margalla Hills and Zinda Pir (Attock) in large deposits. f. Aluminium. It is found in Khushab district,but graded as low quality Aluminium. g. Calestine. Celestite is used in flares, tracer bullets, warning fuses and fire-works. It is found in Daud Khel. h. Natural oil. All major oil fields are located in potowar plateau. A brief description is given In following table:- i. Natural gas. Major gas resources are in Uch near Multan and Adhi in Rawalpindi district, supplying a gas of 18Mcf/day   . j. Marble. Main marble reserves are in Dalbandin Hills in Attock District 10. Mineral Resources in Sindh  [7]   a. Coal. Pakistan has total coal reserves of 185 billion tons, out of which 184 Billion tons are in Sindh. It is one of the biggest good quality lignite deposits in the World. b. Salt. Bright prospects exist for the development of high purity solar salt facility around the coastal areas of Karachi. c. Limestone. It is found in Kot Diji, Ranipur, Ganjo Takkar, Murli Hills, Mango Pir and Cape Monze. d. Aluminium. In Sindh Aluminium is found in Kirthar Nits. e. Carbonate Soda. Present in large quantity in Nawabshah, Umerkot ,Nara Taluka( Khaipur) and Shah Bandar. f. Calestine. The estimated reserves are 300,000 tons. In Sindh, Calestine deposits are found in Thana Bula Khan. g. China Clay. It is found in Nagar Parkar (Tharparkar) and used in cement, paper, rubber filter manufacturing. h. Natural Oil. There are three renowned oil fields in Sindh which are briefly described in tabular form below:- i. Natural   Gas. In Sindh Natural Gas is found in Khairpur, Kandkot , Mari, Golarchi and Khaskheli. 11. Mineral Resources in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa  [8]   a. Chromite. Deposits in Dargai (0.7 Mt), Heroshah (0.1 Mt) have been proven. Similarly in Pattan and Chilas areas prospects appear to contain 0.2 Mt reserves. b. Coal. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa there is no large deposit of coal. Two small ones are briefly described in tabular form:- c. Bauxite.  Ã‚   Bauxite ismainly found in Hazara District. Details are as under :- d. Gypsum. The largest gypsum reserves in Pakistan are in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which are primarily found in D.I.Khan and Kohat districts. e. Phosphates. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa   contains Cambrian sedimentary phosphates mainly in Abbottabad. f. Magnesite. In Abbottabad established reserves around 11 million tons geological 3 million tons mineable containing acceptable   46%      47%   magnesium oxide are present.   g. Limestone. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Northern Areas the average annual production of limestone is 8697 Metric tons. h. China Clay. Presently the major production comes from shah Dheri, Swat .. i. Marbles. Marbles of different classifications occur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Northern Areas. 158 million tons out of 160.2 million tons of marble reserves, are in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. j. Gem Stones. Pakistan ranks amongst leading gem-hosting countries. Emerald, Ruby, Pink Topaz and Peridot are found in Hunza and AJK. k. Soap Stone. Its deposits are in Sherwan and Abbottabad districts. Soap stone is used in Ceramics and soap industries. 12. Mineral Resources in Balochistan  [9]  . Out of 50 minerals being mined 40 are being exploited in Balochistan:- a. Aluminium. Large deposits are in Kalat, Ziarat and Loralai districts. Khakhan-China spring mine in Loralai district produces 2000 tons annually. b. Iron Ore. More than 903.4 million tons of iron ores are found in Pakistan and potential ore deposits in Balochistan are the following: Copper. The significance of copper resources of Pakistan is widely known.Copper reserves are present in Saindak and Reko-diq in Balochistan. d. Chromite Ore. Major deposits are found in Muslim Bagh, Noshki, Ras-koh, Dilbadin and Khuzdar districts. e. Zinc. The Jurassic rocks of the Lasbela Khuzdar Belt have the potential to host several World class zinc lead ore deposits. Zinc deposits in Duddar Gunga   are estimated over 160 million tons. f. Coal. In Balochistan about 217 million tons of coal is estimated. Thà ¨se Resources are distributed in Hamai, ,Duki ,Mach-Abegum   Pir Ismail Ziarat   Bar khan Chamalang. g. Natural Gas. Total Natural gas reserves in Pakistan are estimated at about 31 trillion cubic feet. In the Province of Balochistan, the reserves are in Pirkok, Sui ,Mazarani, Golarchi. h. Manganese. Manganese is found in Lasbela and Khuzdar and estimated reserves are 0.477 million tons. i. Limestone. In Balochistan average annual production of limestone is 8697 Metric tons. j. Magnesite. In Balochistan it is found in Muslim bagh and Bela. k. Gypsum. According to geological survey of Pakistan, about 2000 million ton gypsum resources are present in different areas of Balochistan. l. Antimony. Antimony deposits have been sporadically mined near Qila Abdullah in district Pishin of Balochistan. m. Marble. Large deposits of marble are present in Balochistan, about 2 million ton high quality Marble is present in Chagai district. n. Gems. Discoveries in Chagai, Panjgur, Kalat and Killa Abdullah. o. Aragonite. It is found in Khuzdar and Loralai. PART II UNTAPPED MINERAL RESOURCES AND THEIR POTENTIAL 13. Despite the fact that Pakistan is bestowed with huge mineral potential the overall contribution of this sector in GDP is merely 0.5%, which warrants extensive efforts to harness this unexplored wealth. The untapped mineral resources are discussed in subsequent paragraphs  [10]  :- a. Platinum. The Chilas rock body with indications of Platinum and Platinum-group elements occurrences belongs to the largest basic intrusions in the world which are continuously exposed. Similarly area between Jijal and Patan, Allai in Kohistan and Malakand Agency, west of Dargai bears Platinum and Platinum-group elements. b. Antimony. Antimony is an important metal which is used for making and antimony salt is used in the production of safety matches, in percussion caps of cartridge and in tracer bullets. Antimony reserves have been recently discovered by GSP in Kharan district. Present estimates of available ore are 26,000 tons and the antimony content of the ore varies from 7 to 12% (Hussain, 1974). c. Copper. Copper is used in electrical industry, automobiles, airplanes, conductors and circuit breakers due to its high electrical and thermal conductivity and strength. Geological Survey of Pakistan has discovered copper at Saindak, Dasht-e-Kain, Missi and Ziarat Pir Sultan.Massive sulphide type copper deposits have been reported from Chagai, Lasbela and Khuzdar districts. Mineral deposits at Saindak are in table-1 and estimated recoverable quantities of different metals are reflected in table-2. Table 1 : Saindak Copper Reserves  [11]   Deposit Reserves (million tones) (% of copper) South Ore Body 111 0.430 East Ore Body 273 0.340 North Ore Body 28 0.440 Table 2 : Estimated Quantities of Metals and their Values  [12]   Metals Current Price (In USS) Value (in million USS) Copper 1.69 million tones 2000 / tones 3,380.00 Gold 2.24 million ounces 387 / oz 867.00 Silver 2.49 million ounces 5.0 / oz 12.45 d. Gold. In the present day world along with its major consumption in Jewelry, gold is being used as an important industrial metal also. In the Chagai area, Geological Survey of Pakistan has identified at least 12 porphyry type deposits which may contain appreciable quantities of gold along with copper and silver.Similarly clusters of gold and silver have also been discovered in Drosh district Chitral ,Sargodha, Mansehra and Muzaffarabad. e. Iron. Iron is used for making steel and a number of other alloys. Many small and large deposits of iron ore have been found in Dilband, Chilghazi, Chigendil and Pachin Koh districts of Balochistan. The iron ore deposits recently discovered by the GSP at Uthal appear to be of economic value. Estimated iron reserves and quality are given in Table-3. Table 3 : Iron Reserves and Quality of Iron Ores in Balochistan  [13]   Ser Area / Locality Reserves (million tons) Quality Chemical Mineralogical 1. Dilband, Kalat District 250 40-60% Sedimentry ore with predominant heamatite 2. Chagai District (Chigendil, Pachin Koh, Chilghzi) 85 20-55% Magnetite. 3. Uthal Lasbela District, Balochistan Not estimated Up to 45% Metamorphie ore with predominant magnetive. Total :- 335 f. Lead Zinc. Lead and Zinc metals form important alloys having varied uses in industry and ammunitions. The geological Survey of Pakistan has discovered several deposits of lead and Zinc ore in Lasbela Khuzdar region of Balochistan. Deposits at Gunga, Surmai and Duddar have been investigated in some details by GSP and are expected to be around 10 million tons each. g. Chromite. Chromite is mainly used in the manufacture of stainless steel and as refractory material. Chromite is found in Zhob, Killah Saifullah, Chagai, Kharam, Khuzdar and Lasbela districts as podiform type. A total production of 25,735 tons was achieved during the year 2002-2003. h. Manganese. Manganese ores are found in Lasbela, Khuzdar, Chagai and Zhob districts. The manganese occurrences in Chagai district are found as coating and film in the quartz veins cutting limestone beds. A total of 580,500 tons of manganese ore has been estimated in various deposits. The average range of manganese content is 8.2% to 50.56%. i. Fluorite. It is mainly used as flux in steel making and is the only source of fluorine which is required for hydrofluoric acid and other fluorine compounds. Fluorite is found in Maran, Dilband and Pad Maran areas. The reserves are estimated over 0.1 million tons . j. Gypsum and Anhydrite. Balochistan has very large reserves of gypsum/ anhydrite found at spintangi and Chamalang. Estimated gypsum reserves are given in table . 4. Table: 4 Major Gypsum Deposits of Balochistan  [14]  . Deposits/ Localities Reserve of million of tons Insoluble% R2O3% CaO% MgO% SO3 H2O% CaS O421 12O% CaSO4% Spintangi Range Analysis 0.5 0.30 0.50 32.30 0.68 47.30 18.20 High Gypsum 0.60 0.40 32.67 0.32 47.44 19.10 k. Baryte. The baryte deposits are located in the area between Uthal and Khuzdar. Deposits at Gunga near Khazdar and Daddar in Lasbela dirtrict are estimated over 12 million tons. The production from indigenous deposits meets the total requirement of baryte for oil well drilling and barium based chemical plants of the country. l. Dimension and Decorative Stones. The ones most commonly used are onyx marble and granite. Marble is used in building facings, bathrooms and floor tiles / handicraft items. Onyx marble of high quality is found in Chagai District / Gilgit Baltistan. Granite occurs in Chagai , Zhob, Kila Saifullah and Lasbela. m. Gemstones. Northern areas are marked by GSP as ruby-bearing marble zone. Similarly in Swat district few deposits are expected of gemstones. n. Limestone. Pakistan has vast resources of limestone extending from the coastal region near Karachi to as far north as the Chagai and Zhob. These rocks generally contain over 80% calcium carbonate,less than 5 %silica and less than 1% iron oxide making them suitable raw material for the cement manufacturing. o. Coal. According to estimates prepared by GSP, Pakistan has total coal reserves of 185 billion tons, out of which 184 billion tons are in Sindh. One of the biggest good quality lignite deposit is in Thar, Thar coal is of relatively good quality and is likely to be operational by Dec 2013  [15]  .There are six coal areas in Balochistan where coal mining activities are in progress i.e. Harnai, Duki, Daghari, Pir Imail Ziarat, Mach and most recently in Chamalang area but it has been abandoned due to a tribal conflict. The coal resources of Balochistan are described below:- Table No. 5 Summary of Coal Resources of Balochistan (Million tons)  [16]   S.No Coalfield Proved Indicated Inferred Hypot-hetical Total Mineable (1) Khost Shahrig Harnai 13 63 76 8 (2) Sor Range Daghari 15 19 16 50 9 (3) Duki 14 11 25 50 8 (4) Mach Abegum 9 14 23 5 (5) Pir Ismail Ziarat 2 2 8 12 12 (6) Chamalang 1 5 6 0.6 Total:- 54 13 134 16 217 32 p. Gas  [17]  . Zin block is surrounded by major natural gas producing fields of Pirkoh, Loti, Sui and Uch. 22 trillion cubic feet of projected gas reserves are expected in Kohlu district, therefore OGDCL has applied for security cover for four licenses i.e. Kohlu, Jandran, Jandran West and Kalchas. OGDCL is the largest upstream company in the country , as of December 2010 it holds 48 percent of the countrys recoverable oil reserves and 37 percent of the countrys recoverable gas reserves. PART III ECONOMY AND MINING OF MINERAL RESOURCES 14. Growing demand for mineral resources such as aluminium, nickel, copper and zinc by developing markets in Asia has contributed to a surge in mineral prices. Driven by the prospect of higher revenues, developing countries are increasingly turning to their minerals wealth as a source of growth and new economic development opportunities  [18]  . 15. The extractive industry sector is very diverse. Classification may refer to scale of operation, nature of activity (underground, off-shore, open-cast, etc.), material extracted (industrial minerals, gemstones, precious metals, oil and gas etc), utility (energy, metallic and non-metallic) or degree of capitalization. However, the unique feature of all extractive operations is that the resource being extracted is non-renewable. Therefore goal of non-renewable resource exploitation, should be the conversion of natural capital into other forms of capital. In terms of scale, there are three general levels of extractive operation as under  [19]  :- a. Large Scale. Capital-intensive and multinational companies use extraction and processing technologies that require high levels of investment and skills. Significant revenues, economies of scale and efficiencies result from these operations. b. Medium Scale. Includes state run enterprise such as national oil and gas producers and numerous expansionary juniors (with less than USD 100 million assets) in the hard rock mining sector. c. Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM). Old mining methods i.e rudimentary technology, minimal capital investment , high labour intensity and low levels of technology for extraction and processing. It is estimated that ASM produces up to 31% of the global production of minerals including 20% to 30% of gold, 20% of coal, 10% of diamonds and 75% of non-diamond gemstones. 16. The Economics of Mining  [20]  . Minerals represent only a small part of world production and global FDI flows, however their supply is essential to modern economies. Major contributions of mining in economy are:- a. The contribution of Mining to Growth, Exports and Fiscal Revenues. Accurate statistics of the economic benefits derived from mining are difficult to obtain, especially when the full scale range of the sector is considered. For example, the informal and frequently illegal nature of ASM activities results in significant losses of potential government revenues. Where figures are available metal exports constitute a large part of total exports for several countries like in Tanzania, mining represents 40 % of national exports, 75% of foreign direct investments and is estimated to have contributed about 6 % of the total annual GDP growth rate of 4.8 % between 1996 and 2003 (ICMM / World Bank, UNCTAD, 2006a). Many governments derive a large part of fiscal revenues from the mining sector. In Botswana more than half of fiscal revenues are derived from mining (USGS, 2005) whereas mining accounts for 43% of government revenues in Peru (gold, copper, zinc, etc). b. The contribution of Mining to Employment and subsistence. The ILO has estimated that the mining sector employs 22 to 25 million people worldwide, approximately 1% of the total global workforce (ILO, 2007). Large-scale mining is capital-intensive activity requiring increasingly higher skills levels. The artisanal sector is coupled with the fact that mining may be pursued during periods of agricultural inactivity or underemployment. The sector often operates in poor / remote locations so as to provide pro-poor benefits which private sector or government are unable to provide. 17. Potential of Mining to Lift the Poor Out of Poverty  [21]  . The track record of countries with the opportunity to convert resource abundance into broader development goals is often disappointing. Resource abundance often does not translate into economic prosperity. Mineral wealth and its proper exploitation would form the basis for economic growth, poverty reduction and sustained development. However some of the most resource rich countries had the highest levels of poverty, corruption and conflict. 18. The evolution of mining codes has been described as having three phases. The first has been characterized by major withdrawal of state intervention. The second places greater emphasis on the responsibilities of companies for socio-economic development. In Mali, for example companies are required to pay a tax directly to regional governments for re-allocation to local communities. The third places greater emphasis on the participation of affected people and enhanced government responsibility for environmental and social safeguards. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), for example, has made provision to ensure revenue distribution to those directly impacted by mining companies (60% of royalties remain with the central government, 25% go to the provinces and 15% to the community where the mining occurs (CASM, 2007). PART IV IMPEDIMENTS TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF MINERAL RESOURCES IN PAKISTAN 19. The detailed overview only helps to ascertain that the mineral deposits of Pakistan are huge but there seems a host of factors which are hindering the development of minerals. Taking a 360 degree view, there are internal as well as external impediments and also issues like environmental hazards and lack of technology. Each of these are discussed in succeeding paragraphs. 20. Internal Impediments. Some of the impediments faced by Pakistan internally are as under:- a. Understaffing of Mineral Department. Minerals department is critically understaffed. There is only one mine inspector for the whole district and only one Assistant Director of License to look after the licenses issues in the whole region. Hence the officials are unable to visit the mine sites and monitor the progress. b. Lack of Technology. There is visible lack of technology available for the miners, since most of the mine owners are medium to small scale. The mining carried in the country is still based upon the century old techniques. c. Lack of Proper Database. Inconsistency is common in the data provided by the Provincial Offices and District Offices on licenses, leases, budget, revenues, etc. Regional offices are not very reliable and do not help towards well-informed policy initiatives. d. Lack of interest of the foreign investors. Although the FDI inflow in mining and quarrying sector in Pakistan has increased yet deteriorating law and order situation and poicies are proving to be major barriers against the inflow of FDI specially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. e. Security of Tenure. Another important issue faced by the miners is the lack of security of tenure. The government can take away the lease any time citing reasons of low extraction, slow work progress etcetera and this reason alone is enough to deter investment. The mineral development Act of 1948 is still in place which also needs to be addressed. f. Weak Coordination and Non Transparency. Mineral department is not only weak in coordination due to nonexistence of proper policy but is also non transparent at times i.e. ignoring the mandatory requirement for grant of licenses and leases under political influence. Employees Old Age Benefit Institute (EOBI)  [22]  is a case in point. The contractors also accuse that some officials of regional directorate bypass the rules and regulations and ignore the merit due to their vested interests. g. Tribal Rivalries. In mineral rich areas tribes are mostly working against each other so as to gain control over the mineral resources in that particular region. Resultantly the exploration work is stalled, since no foreign company would like to work in a hostile environment. h. Deteriorating Law and Order Situation. Owing to GWOT the law and order situation of the country is not very encouraging for local as well as foreign investors. Most of the mineral rich areas are either under conditions of unrest or located in the close vicinity, thereby precluding any chance of exploration work. i. Role of Government  [23]  . The responsibility of the mineral exploitation rests with duality of control between provincial and federal governments. Constitutionally, government of Pakistan has defined its role for nuclear minerals, oil and gas while solid minerals whether they are in the Federal territory are the subject of provincial government. The concern of government of Pakistan for agriculture which relates to the curst of the earth is not likewise in the minerals. j. Public Sector Corporations. The public sector corporations which were created to undertake R D and disseminate/ transfer such knowledge and experience to the private sector have focused their attention on maximizing the revenue generation even at the cost of disregarding the safety measures. L k. Beneficiation R D  [24]  . The engineering universities as well as geological departments which have the high level of talent and manpower are not being utilized for R D in the mineral sector due to which most of the talent is being wasted. 21. External Impediments. Some of the impediments faced by Pakistan internally are as under:- a. Role of Donor Agencies. In case of third world countries the international donor agencies like IMF, World Bank ADB etce

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Energy Policy of Russia

Energy Policy of Russia Introduction Russia is a naturally powerless nation, encompassed by other extraordinary powers and having no effectively faultless fringes. Furthermore, Russia is a huge, cold domain populated by assorted ethnic gatherings that generally have been at chances with Moscows brought together power. This leaves Russia with a reasonable arrangement of objectives to hold together as a nation and secure itself as a provincial force. To start with, Russia must solidify its general public under one power. Second, it must extend its energy over its quick neighborhood to make cradles against different forces. The formation of the Soviet Union is the clearest case of this basic in real life. Finally, it must influence its characteristic assets to accomplish an offset with the immense powers past its fringe (wikipedia, 2015). The Russian Energy approach is contained in an Energy staggering strategy archive, which sets out strategy for the period until 2020. In 2000, the Russian government endorsed the primary procurements of the Russian energy procedure to 2020, and in 2003, the new Russian energy system was affirmed by the legislature. The Energy Strategy record traces a few primary needs: an increment in energy productivity, diminishing effect on nature, feasible improvement, energy advancement and mechanical advancement, and in addition enhanced viability and aggressiveness. The economy of the Soviet Union was in view of an arrangement of state responsibility for method for creation, aggregate cultivating, modern assembling and brought together authoritative arranging. The economy was described by state control of venture, and open responsibility for resources. (Rousseau, 2013). Historical Perspectives Political background: The Putin regime is very much aware of the difficulties confronting the Russian energy division. Russias endeavors in the previous decade to move far from reliance on energy trades by concentrating on mechanical improvement have not been especially effective and keep the nation fixing to the destiny of its energy part. Russias technique of utilizing its energy trades as both an outside strategy apparatus and an income generator is conflicting now and again: To utilize energy in remote approach, Moscow must have the capacity to lower or raise costs and debilitate to cut off supplies, which is an abomination to the income producing perspective. The Kremlin has started creating an arrangement of strategies intended to modify the nation to the progressions that will come in the following two decade (James Henderson, 2014). Economical Background: The Soviet financial framework was set up for in the range of six decades, and components of that framework stayed set up after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991. The pioneers applying the most considerable impact on that framework were its organizer, Lenin, and his successor Stalin, who secured the predominant examples of collectivization and industrialization that, has to be normal of the Soviet Unions halfway-arranged framework. In the year of 1980, on the other hand, inborn imperfections have to be clear as the national economy moped; without further ado from that point, change projects started to modify the conventional structure. One of the boss reformers of the late 1980s, Yeltsin, directed the considerable disintegration of the focal arranging framework in the mid-1990s (Jong, 2012). While in the 1980s Russia had experienced supply deficiencies, all through the 1990s as transported in merchandise overflowed into the nation, Russians could no more manage the cost of most products. Stores that had already stood void were currently supplied with a wide range of products that nobody could stand to purchase (Phyllis, 2014). Energy Background: Russia is a naturally powerless nation, encompassed by other awesome powers and having no effortlessly faultless outskirts. Moreover, Russia is a monstrous, generally ungracious region populated by differing ethnic gatherings that truly have been at chances with Moscows brought together power. This leaves Russia with an unmistakable arrangement of objectives to hold together as a nation and make itself as a provincial force. To start with, Russia must unite its general public under one power. Second, it must extend its energy over its quick neighborhood to make cushions against different forces. The production of the Soviet Union is the clearest illustration of this basic in real life. Finally, it must influence its common assets to accomplish a parity with the considerable powers past its outskirts. Russia has utilized a mixture of instruments all through history to attain to these objectives, going from farming fares to immaculate military success and intimidatio n. By the 1950s, Russias energy segment had turned into one of the significant mainstays of its financial and political quality (Rousseau, 2013). Markets: What Energy Sources have been most important; how have energy market dynamics affected Russia? Russia has always been focused on the European markets. Since then, they have been too determined about the fact they are controlling the European markets. Various new undertakings are being developed, however these new ventures might just balance declining yield from maturing fields and not bring about critical yield development in the close term. The utilization of more propelled innovations and the use of enhanced recuperation systems are bringing about expanded oil yield from existing oil stores (St. Rosemary Educational Institution, 2015). The potential oil stores of Eastern Siberia, the Russian Arctic, the northern Caspian Sea, and Sakhalin Island are pulling in consideration. Various worldwide oil organizations have secured real estate and are putting intensely in investigation and advancement on hydrocarbon-rich Sakhalin Island, despite the fact that the Russian government is pushing for a more prominent part for household organizations in these ventures. Gazprom procured control of the Sakhalin task from Shell, and it is looking for control of the displaying of gas supplies from the Sakhalin I anticipate drove by Exxon Neft Ltd, an auxiliary of Exxon. Russian organizations are likewise venturing into the Arctic and Eastern Siberian areas, impelled on by assessment occasions and lower oil fare levies. While a few new fields have gone ahead line subsequent until 2009, bringing extra fields into generation will require some investment and may oblige a transformed oil charge administration from the legislature (eia.gov , 2013). International Oil (Energy) Companies and National Oil (Energy) Companies; What International Companies Have Played a Major Role; Does Russia Have National Energy Companies? Of course, Russian owns the Gazprom Company and it is one of the biggest petroleum and energy providers in the Russian market and the neighboring area of Europe and eastern Russia. Gazprom is a worldwide energy organization. Its real business lines are geographical investigation, creation, transportation, stockpiling, preparing and offers of gas, gas condensate and oil, offers of gas as a vehicle fuel and also era and promoting of warmth and electric force. Gazprom perspectives its main goal in dependable, proficient and adjusted supply of common gas, other energy assets and their subsidiaries to buyers. Gazprom holds the worlds biggest regular gas saves. The Companys offer in the worldwide and Russian gas stores makes up 18 and 72 every penny separately. Gazprom represents 14 and 74 every penny of the worldwide and Russian gas yield in like manner (gazprom, 2015). At present, the Company effectively executes expansive scale ventures went for misusing gas assets of the Yamal Peninsul a, Arctic Shelf, Eastern Siberia and the Far East, and in addition, hydrocarbons investigation and generation extends abroad (gazprom, 2015). There is also Rosneft followed by Surgutneftegaz as well as Tatneft and Lukoil. These firms are state-owned monopoly transneft and the oil products pipelines are owned and operated by the subsidiary Transnefteproduct. Russia offers an intriguing sample of the differentiation between the attractions of an unlimited hydrocarbon asset base to significant oil and gas organizations and the issues that can be experienced in attempting to put resources into it. Global Partnership in Russia gives a novel knowledge into the joint endeavors, which have been framed in the middle of residential and worldwide accomplices in Russia amid the post-Soviet time (ucsf.edu, 2015). Energy Mix: What Are the Major Sources of Energy That Russia Uses; Has the Mix Changed Over Time? Russia is the second biggest maker of dry regular gas and third-biggest fluid fills maker on the planet. Regardless of its critical stores of coal, it delivers just humble measure of coal. Russias economy is very subject to its hydrocarbons, and oil and gas incomes represent more than 50% of the government spending plan incomes. Russia is a real maker and exporter of oil and characteristic gas, and its economy generally relies on upon energy trades. Russias monetary development keeps on being driven by energy fares, issued its high oil and gas creation and the lifted costs for those products. Oil and gas incomes represented 52% of government spending plan incomes and more than 70% of aggregate fares in 2012. Russia is the third-biggest generator of atomic power on the planet and fourth-biggest regarding introduced limit. With ten atomic reactors presently under development, Russia is the second nation on the planet regarding number of reactors under development in 2012, as per the IA EA (James Henderson, 2014). Energy Security: What Are the Energy Security Challenges Russia Faces; Have These Changed Over Time? It is all related to the relations between Russia and the European Union since Russia suffers economic sanctions. Correspondence in energy business access is a subject, which during the time has highlighted reliably at the highest point of the EU Russia plan. After some time, the issue has come to mean distinctive things on either side of the association in any case. For the EU, correspondence relates to openness of the inner energy advertise in return for access to remote markets. So also, correspondence considers the insurance of the inner business against those states that have not changed their energy segments in equivalent measure. Russia in any case, sees correspondence in connection to the status of the long haul supply administration that exists in universal gas exchange. It bargains more with quantitativeexchanges,suchasvolumes by-volumes, orassetswaps.Atthesame time, venture correspondence comes from any political accord between the on-screen characters included. Fundamenta lly, the matter is best represented through, from one viewpoint, the tenets on third nation administrators inside the EU internalenergymarketwithinthe’third legislativeMarketPackage’, and the change of existing and reception of new Russian enactment on the support of outside organizations inside its energy area. In 2007, the European Commission tabled a bundle of proposition to change the inward energy market. The bundle included solid tenets on the partition of systems from exercises of creation and supply and a correspondence provision (Aron, 2013). Energy Economic Development: What Role Have Which Energy Sources Played in the Russian’s Economy? The quick test to common gas rents, then again, is a sharp loss of benefit in view of the opposition from option methods of generation made conceivable by new advances. The last incorporates even penetrating to tap shallow yet expansive stores and water powered breaking when sand, chemicals, and water, gel, or condensed gasses are infused under incredible weight into shale rock developments to concentrate gas and oil. Therefore, throughout the most recent decade US gas imports have contracted by 45 percent. Much more than Russian oil, regular gas rents are liable to psychologist altogether in the impending years. Notwithstanding Gazproms infamous defilement and international transparency positioned it among the minimum straightforward organizations on the planet (eia.gov, 2013). Putins dedication to oil and gas as the backbone of Russias advancement originates from a profound and withstanding feeling about its significance to the countrys economy. Much sooner than he came to power, he had accepted that the rebuilding of the national Russian economy on the premise of mineral and crude material assets was a key component of financial development in the close term. One of the worlds two biggest oil makers and the main supplier of regular gas to Europe, Russia has progressively utilized its incomes from energy fares to reinforce the Putin administration. As new, less expensive energy suppliers develop and the business gets to be leaner and more aggressive, Russia needs to reduce its reliance on benefits from these assets on the off chance that it is to dodge stagnation and perhaps a monetary emergency. The administration needs to actualize profound institutional changes to make a superior speculation atmosphere and enhance the economy, yet in doing as such it da ngers undermining the tyrant vertical of force (Lanthemann, 2013). Governance: How Has Russia Dealt With Energy Issues? Fundamentally, the EU essentially unrealistic to fly a lot of characteristic gas from some other source. In light of the current numbers, and all the more particularly, it can be presumed that, regardless of the possibility that we include the Azerbaijani characteristic gas, shale gas in North America and common gas, which can be imported from the Eastern Mediterranean, we get less 50 billion cubic meters, that is, the aggregate utilization every year. As it were, the volume of gas from all these option sources will meet stand out third of the characteristic gas that we purchase in Russia, and just 10% of aggregate utilization in Europe. Second, to the offer 2035-imported gas taken together utilization of regular gas in Europe will increment from the current 66% to 84%. On the off chance that these information are broke down in light of the way that the North Sea stores are lessened, the European business is under extreme weight in a circumstance. Europe is not preceding the investig ations. Third, the interior strife in Iraq and Libya determine these nations past the energy segment (U.S. Library of Congress, 2015). Sustainability Justice: What Are the Main Sustainability Issues Facing the Russia? How Has It Sought to Deal With These Issues? Energys helpfulness as a method for accomplishing Russias three principle objectives has adjusted over the long run in light of the fact that Russia has needed to change its techniques relying upon shifts in household or global circumstances. Moscows quality lies in its adaptability in dealing with its energy segment. Past fare incomes, the energy division has added to the production of a locally steady and industrialized state. Russias household energy utilization is high because of to a great degree chilly climate for a large portion of the year, yet notwithstanding inefficiencies inside the energy part and the expense of creating energy, the nations residential stores have empowered Moscow to give its subjects and the businesses that utilize them with low energy costs (Phyllis, 2014). Conclusion Finally, the energy segment additionally adds to Russias capacity to grow its impact to its prompt neighbors. Moscows utilization of energy as influence in the support states contrasts from nation to nation and extents from controlling local energy generation. Swinging to option oil and gas trading nations may give a short to medium-term arrangement; be that as it may, Europes emphasis on lessening its reliance on Russia redirects consideration from the locales proceeded with dependence on hydrocarbons. The southern Gas Corridor may sidestep Russia and Iran, however, by all evidences Europe would remain excessively subject to hydrocarbon energy trades from a locale that remaining parts inside Russias range of authority, albeit to a lesser extent a firm hold than beforehand. As opposed to the proceeding with prioritization of energy security connected to the fare and import of oil and gas, the eventual fate of energy security for both Europe and Russia lies in the expansion of energy assets and in moving far from a reliance on fossil fills (Aron, 2013). References:

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Platos Antipaideia: Perplexity for the Guided :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Plato's Antipaideia: Perplexity for the Guided ABSTRACT: ‘Paideia’ connotes the handing down and preservation of tradition and culture, even civilization, through education. Plato’s education of philosophers in the Academy is inimical to such an essentially conservative notion. His dialectical method is inherently dynamic and open-ended: not only are such conclusions as are reached in the dialogues subject to further criticism, so are the assumptions on which those conclusions are based. In these and other ways explored in this paper, Plato demonstrates that paideia has no harbor within philosophy. Jaeger declares in his massive Paideia that civilization, culture, tradition, literature, and education are all merely aspects of what the Greeks meant by their term `paideia', and that these five "cannot take in the same field as the Greek concept unless we employ them all together." I will argue, pace Jaeger, that Plato's unique contribution was no perfection of sophistic humanism, no "reincarnation of the religious spirit of earlier Greek education, from Homer to the tragedians," but with its philosophical context properly restored an utter rejection of the authority of those institutions at the basis of what Greeks understood paideia to be. Without resorting to skepticism, Plato problematized the ordinary; without straining logic, he declared every premise and every conclusion radically open to further discussion and refutation and all this not only without dogmatism, but against dogma. For Plato, education was more fundamental than tradition or literature or civilization or culture, for education determined how all the others were to be acquired, appreciated, and criticized. Indeed, education and philosophy were, as they are now, intimately linked. The practice of philosophy in Plato's time as in ours, the business of philosophy, was teaching far more than it was system-building. In fact, if Plato was the author of a system of philosophy, by which we are to understand a coherent set of interrelated axioms and their mutual implications, then Plato was a profoundly unsuccessful philosopher. For Plato makes such a variety of different and incompatible statements about so many topics that more than two thousand years of scholarship has thus far failed to produce anything like the consensus about his so-called system that one finds among Aristotelians, for example, or even Marxists. It is for this reason that I shall turn from the content of the dialogues to the method or methods exhibited there. In those, I will argue, we have a better model for the contemporary conduct of philosophy than is usually suspected.

Stereotypes :: essays research papers

Meet Francesca Fine, also known as â€Å"The Nanny†. She is a very sexy woman with an equally sensual mind. She is very attracted to her handsome male employer, Throughout the show’s popular run, Ms. Fine pursues her employer and many other men, persistently. Never allowing â€Å"no† to be an answer. Ms Fine used her sexuality, in many ways, to get her way out of things such as parking tickets, IRS trouble, and out of plenty of things with her employer. Ms. Fine used her sexuality to the fullest and played her part as a sexually attractive woman well. You are probably wondering why TV’s â€Å"The Nanny† is so important. Well, it shows a most perfect example of gender stereotyping. Because women, stereotypically, can use their sexuality to get out of sticky situations and use it to carry out domestic professions such as a caregiver. It is my belief that there is nothing wrong with exercising your strengths as a woman and becoming an excellent chef a nd opening a successful restaurant. Or it is certifiable for a woman to use her good looks and charm to keep a police officer from writing a speeding ticket.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people would perceive that these are all illustrations of gender stereotypes, and with good reason. Women using their femininity, and in some cases abusing, to get their way or to obtain things that they would want could provide a bad name for women general. Not all females participate in these activities, and some may find the thought of them offensive and objectionable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Women are not the only victims of gender stereotyping, men are as well. Numerous people believe that men are the providers, the bacon bringers. The men are the ones who get up early in the morning, put on a suit, drink coffee, drive in traffic, work a nine-to-five, come home, watch TV, and go to bed. It is hard for some people to comprehend a man as a stay at home parent. It is for a fact that more and more men nowadays are crossing certain barriers of their sexuality. Until recently, men are becoming single parents, caregivers, nurses, almost all of the professions and positions that were dominated by women. Almost like a gender revolution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In my belief, gender stereotypes do not have a negative affect on today’s society or me. These stereotypes are something we have grown to be accustomed to.

Monday, September 2, 2019

Kinship System in Foraging and Horticultural

I have chosen to write about the San Tribe because their ways are very intriguing to me. The San or also known as the â€Å"Bushman†, are located in the Kalahari Desert. These tribes have lived in this area for around four thousand years. They have a diet of primarily nuts, fruits, melons, and berries. Since their women gather about eighty per-cent of the food for their unit there is more of these fruits and other things than there is meat. Their men gather meat about once or twice a week and accountable for about twenty per-cent of the food which is meat of some kind. San is a group of people who know how to enjoy their lives since only gathering food two or three times a week they spend the rest of their time on leisure activities. These activities could include any of the following, visiting one another or just sleeping. (Lee, 1979) When you do not have to get more and more you can enjoy what you have and not have to over work yourself and it would have to b4e more comfortable for your body with less strain and worry. The San is a Ban society and their livelihood comes from foraging, which is hunting and gathering what they require to survive. These Nomadic tribes of kin people travel over the land year after year to prime locations for known where they gather food and water and not only do they survive they are a thriving community. They travel in small independent communities that break apart and then rejoin other members at different times. They tend to live in the most marginal environment in the world. Their community is a reciprocal unit in the fact that they have an exchange economical system. Among the kinship group, there is a form of giving of services and goods in a mutual agreed upon atmosphere. This is not only among the family unit but also by the completely camp residents and visitors alike share in the quantity of food available equally. The collectors distribute the food in either a raw or a prepared portion and then distributed around to each. You can find a constant flow of nut, berries roots as well as melons around the fireplaces of each resident all given to meet the standard of equality (1969a’p. 58). This foraging system is an immediate return system; they must consume to stop spoilage. Woodburn, 1988) It is also a way to prevent a large amount of produce from remaining in the event of there moving about, as they tend to move constantly. This foraging system works because even as they give without expectation of exchange or immediate return there is an unwritten rules that all has even in the event there is no kill by some of the parties on a certain day. There are some times when hunters can go weeks without a kill and they must rely on the hunters that h ave luck in those times. Even though San men are widely skilled at hunting there can be different level of success but this does not have a status level on it for anyone as far as being accepted. There is a great deal of modesty in the village as the hunters return to camp upon a successful hunt. The hunter coming into camp does not give off an atmosphere of bragging; in fact, it is to the contraire. There are unspoken rules followed by the hunter as well as the others. This keeps one from feeling inferior or superior to another bringing forth feelings of jealousy. This also brings a reinforcement of social ties and helps to be closer knitting together of family units. You could also feel safer in the event a family member is hurt or was to become ill and could not provide their part of the food for a while.. Well I am afraid in comparison to our society there is not a great deal to say is the same as foraging. We here are more likely to let those that will not work go hungry. Of course, we have the welfare system and food pantries that do make it easier for those who do not have to get food. However, we do not work on the general idea of every one being equal those that work harder have more. The more you apply your self the more you have. We also do have leaders that can make us do things whether we want to or not. The seat belt law is an example of this. As far as kinship in our family my children and grandchildren would be considered one that I personally would share anything I have with but not all in our family feels this way. We are in a dog eat dog society and I fear it has rubbed off on most everyone. I believe if you do not work for it, you do not get it and I have tried to teach my family these same rules to live by. However, we do tend to do for our own kin folk first in taking care of them. We look out for our immediate family in providing for them and making sure, they have what they need. I remember as a child we lived in the city and my mothers family (brothers, sisters and some of their children would come and stay with us and we would help them get a job and get started. Dad owned an apartment house so they could stay in one of our apartments and we would feed them until they could do for themselves. Rules followed now are less kinship in our society in this present time.

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Disadvantages Early Marriage

Many people are marrying early these days. They would like to get into matrimony as soon as their courtship is over. Tying the knot is important to strengthen their relationship. They feel settling down in life early would help them set up their independent home. Whatever may be the advantages of settling down early in life, the fact remains there are problems to be faced if one gets into matrimony too quickly. Examples are:1. Responsibility has to be shouldered at a very young age. One has to take on household responsibilities, child rearing responsibility etc. There is no adult to guide or help out. 2. Missing out on the fun of teenage life and being young. The drudgeries of married life can get to you. They deprive you of your youth. 3. Health also can get affected as early pregnancy can have a negative impact on overall health. 4. Breakdown of marriage is possible. Often the young couple is immature to shoulder major responsibility and end up fighting with each other. Adjustment problems may arise. 5. Education also gets affected. The young couple may not be able to pursue higher education as they have to take on the responsibilities of family budget. 6. Work opportunities are limited for the youngsters. Since their education levels are low, they cannot get highly paid jobs. 7. Bringing up children may be difficult. Their knowledge of child care may be limited and parental guidance is also not there. They may not be able to provide the appropriate care for their child.Marrying early may seem very romantic and convenient, but it has its problems. Couples need to get to know each other better and this takes time. Rushing into a marriage, which may not last long does not appear the right thing to do. In some countries, where child marriage is prevalent, efforts are on by respective Governments to dissuade such a practice.