Current State of the Environment in Ireland

Current State of the Environment in Ireland Critical Evaluation of the Current State of the Environment in Ireland in Light of the Current Legislation INTRODUCTION There is a growing concern to reconcile the proper development of business with environmental issues in order to promote basic environmental conditions that do not harm the community and the place where such industry will be installed. Thus, efforts to improve pollution levels, whether in terms of air, water, soil, noise, etc. Become fundamental. Entrepreneurs, more and more, must be aware of local needs and respond to their priorities and concerns. Moreover, Environmental Licensing and permitting is a fundamental tool, since it allows the entrepreneur to identify the environmental effects of his business, and how these effects can be managed. This instrument seeks to ensure that the preventive and control measures adopted in the projects are compatible with sustainable development. Regarding this, Ireland follows the European Union (EU) legislation to protect the environment, the main bodies responsible to ensure that the environment legislation is being follow is the Environmental Protective Agency (EPA), the local authorities and the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The aim of this work is to do a critical evaluation on the current legislation of air and water quality on the current state of the environment in Ireland. AIR QUALITY FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE The Air Quality Framework was established in 1996 by the European Commission, in the aim to improve the air quality, succeeding this the four daughter directives were implemented in order to established limits for different pollutants. Although, this air quality framework and his first 3 daughters directives were replaced in 2008 by the Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe (CAFÉ) Directive. Following this, in 2009, the fourth daughter directive was transposed into the Irish legislation, were it specifies limit values and requirements to monitor arsenic, cadmium, mercury, nickel and polycyclic hydrocarbons. In 2011, the CAFÉ Directive was transposed to the Air Quality Standards in the Irish legislation. Comparing with other countries in the European Union (EU), Ireland have a good air quality but the biggest challenge is to keep the levels below the limit, especially because is growing the particulate matter on the air and this grow is more concern on the winter months because of the domestic solid fuel burning. From the air pollutants the most concern, considered by the European Environment Agency (EEA) are nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter (PM), ozone and PAHs. Those air pollutants are the most dangerous for the human health, vegetation and ecosystems and in the figure bellow it can be noticed the impacts. For this reason, the levels of air pollutants have to be monitor closely and its classified as very good, good, fair, poor and very poor. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) co-ordinate and manages this monitoring through 31 stations spread in Ireland and the data is available for the public. Figure 1- Impacts of Air Pollution (Source: EPA,2014) In order to improve the air quality, the EPA is implementing new measures by increasing the monitoring network with a program call new National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme where the public have a real-time information about the air quality and the pollutants. In the case of domestic fuel burning, will be implemented the nationwide ban on smoky coal and it is due in 2018 by encouraging the change from solid fuel to cleaner fuel alternatives and increasing the awareness about how the house heating can affect the quality of air. Moreover, as part of the EU Clean Air Policy Package Directive, the government of Ireland is going to implement the National Emissions Ceiling (NEC) to decrease the pollutant levels such as NOx and ammonia. Levels of ammonia is starting to rise concerns because of the agriculture sector growth that leads to a secondary formation of particulate matter. Another measure that can be adopt to help the air quality, water quality and climate change associated energy recovery with the anaerobic digestion of animal wastes. WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE In 2000, The EU Directive implemented The Water Framework Directive (WFD), 2000/60/EC was established. This legislation it is a framework for the management of sustainable water which includes the protection of surface water, estuaries transitional waters; groundwater and coastal waters. In addition, WFD also involves the protection of the entire ecosystem such as the animals and plants that lives there. According to the EPA website, this water framework directive it is important for maintain the good status of the waters use in different activities like bathing, recreating and drinking. With this legislation the water bodies are classified in five different levels: high status, good status, moderate status, poor status and bad status. In order to get at least a good status, the WFD created some programmes for the water bodies. The aim of these programmes is to specify the nature, extent and frequency that is analysed on the water bodies To monitoring the water bodies in Ireland, the country was divided in eight River Basin District (RBD) and it is not based on political borders. Was necessary to identify and classify each RBD for create a River Basin District Plan in order to achieve the necessary target status. PROBLEMS WITH THE WFD The Water Framework looks a good way to ensure the quality of water and to protect the environmental, but appears to be few weaknesses points in the River Basin Management Plans, especially because these Plans do not specify any action that have to be made to prevent the deterioration of the water bodies and a way to recovery the water that is not classify as a good status by the WFD. (SWAN, 2014). Moreover, the major problem in Ireland is that there is not a single agency that manages the quality of water but multiple organizations that regulates and supervises, leaving difficult to actually act effective. The idea of the Sustainable Water Network (SWAN) is that the current water management structure needs a restructuration. In order to fix the problem with the fragmentation of agencies that manages the quality of water, the government of Ireland with managers from EPA and City and County Managers Association (CCMA) are proposing a type of three-tier governance system, as shown in figure 2 below.   It is a new system that delegate each tier for different agencies to lead and also specify what are they aims within the new system. The tier one is led by the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government (DECLG), tier two is led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the tier three is led by the local authorities. Figure 2: The three-tier governance structure for the Second Cycle River Basin Management Plans. Another problem that was identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) related with the Water Framework Directive is that in order to classified the water status, they do not consider microbiological elements. According to an analysis made by the EPA in 2012 40% of all samples taken from the 285 wells and springs in the EPA national groundwater monitoring network were polluted by microbial pathogens, which can pose a threat to private water supplies in particular. CONCLUSION It is important to increase the awareness of the pollution of air and water, since that they are related with public health and also economic aspects. The quality of water and air has to be good in order to preserve the environment to future generation. The existence of government regulations and legislations it is essential to keep a sustainable and preserve environment. In addition, more research has to done in order to create a link between the air and water quality with public health, this understanding is essential to identify the main issue and help all organizations to implement necessary improvements in the system. In conclusion, the agencies in charge for the environmental legislation acknowledges many of the problems that was cited in this paper and it is doing something about it to change the scenario. Legislation is always changing by implementing something new that it is discover, especially when it is about the environmental that is constantly changing and new technologies are coming. REFERENCES Sustainable Water Network, 2013.The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): Interactions with the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and implications for the status of Irelands waters. [pdf] Dublin 2: Sustainable Water Network (SWAN). Available at: [Accessed 23th February]. Dublin Regional Air Quality Management Plan, 2009-2012. [pdf] Available at: [Accessed 23th February]. Citizen Information, 2016. European environmental law. [online] Available at:  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   [Accessed 23th February]. Environmental Policy Agency, 2012.Irelands Environment an Assessment. [pdf] Wexford: Environmental Policy Agency (EPA). Available at: [Accessed 23th February]. Environmental Policy Agency, 2015. WFD Governance. [online] Available at: [Accessed 23th February]. European Commission, 2015.Introduction to the new EU Water Framework Directive. [online] Available at: [Accessed 23th February]. Environmental Policy Agency, 2017. Ireland ´s Environmental Air. [online] Available at: [Accessed 23th February].

An Argument Against High Salaries in Major League Baseball Essay

An Argument Against High Salaries in Major League Baseball Twenty-five million dollars made per year. Over one hundred fifty-four thousand dollars made per game. Over forty-seven thousand dollars earned per at bat. Sounds a little ridiculous, does it not? That is what current Texas Ranger shortstop Alex Rodriguez earns to play the game of baseball (azcentral.com). Baseball is a game that children have been playing in schoolyards and fields for the past one hundred years. It may not be a game anymore. On the Major League level it has become a business. This is where the problem starts. There are twenty-five players who make more than ten million dollars per year, a price that, ten years ago, only two players made half of that (azcentral.com). The Seattle Mariners had the highest median salary in 2002 at over 3.3 million dollars per player. Ten years ago, the same Seattle Mariners had a median salary of $317,500; an increase of over three million dollars or an increase of over 900% (usatoday.com). This trend can be seen in all Major League franchises. The salaries in Major League Baseball are growing at an astronomical rate that should not only decrease, but halt, due to the fact that these salaries are pushing away the fans that support these businesses and the lack of parity within baseball itself. Baseball has historically been known as America’s pastime because the American people cannot only enjoy games that they play themselves, but attend professional games and have a good afternoon with friends. But in 1972, Curt Flood challenged the reserve system in court and became the first free-agent, a player who is legally able to sign a contract with any team he chooses for a... ...ined. The money of this nation should go towards those who will make a difference tomorrow. The salaries of professional baseball players are at such a level that fan support is dwindling from the franchises, as well as creating a talent gap among teams causing the game to be tainted. Works Cited Stark, Jayson. The Decision that Changed the Game. 22 November 2002. 25 March 2003 http://espn.go.com/mlb/columns/stark_jayson/891711.html 2002 MLB Attendance. 23 February 2003. Montreal Expos. 25 March 2003 http://mtlexpos.tripod.com/attendance2002_mlb.htm Baseball Salaries Database. 11 November 2002. USA Today. 25 March 2003 http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/salaries/default.aspx Twenty-five Highest Paid Major League Baseball Players. 12 May 2002. Arizona Republic. 25 March 2003 http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/ top25salaries2002.html

Personal Administration Essay

Personnel administration, better known as human resources (HR) management, is the coordination and regulation of employees in a company. It involves organizing, recruiting, hiring, training, and assessing workers. Conflict resolution and legal compliance also are important aspects. With a good HR team doing their jobs well, a company will often be ultimately more efficient and competitive, generating additional revenue. Organization In most businesses, a well-organized workforce translates to greater efficiency, productivity, and revenue. The first goal of personnel administration, therefore, is to organize all employees in such a way that allows them to cooperate and complete tasks in the best way possible. Examples of issues in this area include how many departments are necessary, how many individuals should be in each department, what the manager to employee ratio should be, and what alternate chains of command should be used when managers cannot be contacted. Organization also deals with how to assign individuals to specific projects, as well as keeping the employees healthy and safe in the work environment. Recruitment and Hiring Once those in a company’s personnel administration team know how to organize workers and their projects, they begin to recruit and hire employees actively. They post notices about positions available, organize or take part in events such as job fairs, and conduct initial interviews to find the most qualified and experienced candidates. They then pass on information about the final candidates to department managers, who often conduct the last interviews and make the call about whom to hire. Training Employees who are new to a company do not always know the business’ policies and procedures, even if they have incredible experience and skill sets. Training is almost always necessary to remedy this. Members of the HR department may develop the training events and documentation needed to get employees working efficiently. They also put together and oversee additional training, such as that needed to advance to a different position in the company. In some instances, they partner with various educational  institutions to develop programs that will allow employees to get certifications or degrees related to the industry. Assessment Most companies want to know that their employees are performing at a certain level. They also want to know that the workers are following policies and procedures well. One duty of the personnel administration team, therefore, is to develop techniques and tools that managers can use for assessment purposes. A common example is a standardized form for an employee performance review. HR workers use the data collected through these items to analyze the activity within the company and to make decisions such as whether to increase pay. Conflict Resolution An advantage of using people over machines is that individuals can be innovative and display logical thought processes based on experience, but people do not always get along as they strive to do this. The HR department is responsible for resolving conflicts that may arise in the company, especially those between different levels of management. They also work to resolve conflicts that are not interpersonal, such as a new employee feeling out of place in his work environment. Keeping detailed records related to these activities is a must, as some conflicts eventually lead to disciplinary action or termination that, if not properly executed, can lead to lawsuits. Personnel management workers generally have an easier time resolving conflicts when they have a solid framework of clear policies and procedures to fall back on. The policies and procedures let the personnel department employees remain objective as they try to find viable solutions. They also ensure that any solutions proposed are in line with company objectives. The HR team works closely with members of management to put together policy and procedure documentation for this reason. Legal Compliance Members of the HR team look at policies and regulations not just for their company, but for their jurisdiction. They ensure that employees fill out the proper tax forms, for example, and any other government required paperwork. This task is challenging because new legislation is passed regularly, requiring the personnel administration workers to adjust the activities and documentation within the business. It is critical because failure to comply  with even one regulation can put the reputation and operation of the company at risk. Personnel Administration The scope of personnel administration is quite wide. It includes all activities which help the management in getting the work done by the labour force in the best manner possible to accomplish the organizational objectives. The main objective in any organization is the optimum utilization of available resources. Personnel administration is primarily concerned with the organization of men; therefore, the main objective may be summarized as to utilize the available human resources in a a way so as to get the work done effectively to the maximum satisfaction of the individual worker to seek their cooperation in accomplishing the general goals of the organization. The objectives of personnel administration can be classified into General objectives and specific objectives. General objectives 1. Maximum individual development – the employer should always be careful in developing the personality of each individual. If an act of the employer can adversely affect the personality of the individual, he should avoid it. Employer should establish and support such human values that may have social recognition and importance. They should always be regarded as partners and given due importance. The objective of Personnel administration as a bridge between the management and the employees is to keep the management apprised of positive accomplishments and warning signals in the personnel practices. If the human assets of an organization are being misused in the process of profit maximization, it is definitely a short term achievement, because in the long run, the adverse effects felt by the work force will translate into lesser profits for the organization. 2. Desirable working relationship between employer and employee – it is the major objective of personnel administration to achieve a desirable working relationship between the employer and the employees so that they may cooperate with the management. Both of them must rely on each other. The personnel administrator should get it realized to the top management that personnel should be given fair and equitable treatment and on the other hand, convey to the workers that they  should cooperate in achieving the goals of the management. The basic responsibility for the personnel lies with the supervisors although the administrator supplies tools such as policy, record keeping, control and advice. His objective is therefore to ensure that the line supervisor is aware of his personnel responsibilities and carries them out responsibly. Simultaneously he should also ensure ethical conduct amongst all personnel and on the part of each supervisor towards each employee for whom he is res ponsible. 3. Specialized services – The administrator provides the tools such as record keeping, policy making, controlling and advising. Although not directly responsible for the personnel, who lie with the line supervisor, he may examine causes for non-efficiency or non-effectiveness, suggest remedial measure, perform research into proposed personnel procedures, handle negotiations with a government agency, etc. The basic objective here is to provide assistance to the line supervisor whilst simultaneously ensuring that the line supervisor meets his responsibilities to the personnel. 4. Molding of human resources – Human beings is the most important resource and the only active factor which engages all other factors of production. Therefore, the administrator should emphasize the effective utilization of human resources as compared to physical resources so that production and productivity is optimized. Other factors of production will be ineffective without effective molding of human resources. Specific objectives 1. Selection of the right type and number of persons 2. Proper orientation and introduction of new employees to their jobs 3. Organisation of suitable training facilities 4. Provision of better working conditions and facilities. 5. Provision of sound, fair and effective wage and salary administration and incentives. 6. Good industrial relations with representative trade unions 7. Personnel research Duties of Personnel Staff In a dynamic working environment, the boundaries of any role cannot be clearly defined. However, the duties of Personnel staff may be described as under:- 1. As a Service Provider – providing information on market statistics of personnel availability, pay rates, etc. Interpret the complex  laws and legislations. Employment and placement programs, employee compensation programs, training and development programs, labour relations could be stated to be the duty as a service provider. It must be noted that there will often be an overlap between the different roles that a Personnel staff may assume 2. As a facilitator – advises the supervisors on employee problems, facilitates training and development, and when performance appraisals are done. One of the responsibilities of Personnel staff is also to ensure that other managers who undertake such activities are well equipped to do so. 3. as a consultant – to help the supervisors resolve problems due to lack of motiv ation, lack of training, grievances, etc. 4. As an auditor – to ensure that all members of the management perform their respective roles, to determine whether personnel policies and procedures are being administered uniformly by supervisors.

White Privilege And Black Privilege Essay - 2193 Words

When I think about white privilege, I see it as something I must understand to truly feel a relation to my own privileges with race. â€Å"As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something which puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage.† (McIntosh 1988) When comparing other privileges McIntosh sees that her life is more influenced by her skin color than class, religion, ethnic status, or geographical location. Tim Wise explains â€Å"even though there is more than one type of privilege, they can never fully eradicate white privilege.† â€Å"Understanding the persistence of privilege requires recognizing the sleight of mind that occurs on the subject of individuals as members of groups† (Wildman 2005). Early work done by African American sociologist W.E.B. DuBois (1868-1963) showed that studies with white workers over time came to see themselve s as white unlike the developing working class with recently freed black slaves. DuBois was one of the first people to initiate the concept of white privilege. Although white privilege is an existent term many white people choose to ignore that they embody it because of the way society covers white privilege. Some examples of societal norms include â€Å"nude† colored crayons or â€Å"flesh colored bandages.† â€Å"Those with privilege can afford to look away from mistreatment that does not affect them personally. The conflation of privilegeShow MoreRelatedWhite Privilege And Black Privilege1389 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"White privilege refers to the fact that in many societies, â€Å"white† people have access to greater power, authority, and privileges, than non-white people† (Robbins et al. 2013:81). It goes beyond letting white people get away with more than other races; it also discriminates against them. This is well illustrated by the history of white privilege in America and how it changed over time (Nkomo Ariss 2013) and how white privilege is used to benefit white people (Blum n.d). Without white privilegeRead MoreWhite Privilege And Black Privilege Essay1837 Words   |  8 PagesThis paper examines how white privilege continues to be constructed today within schools and how teachers have a large role in it. In today’s society, many can go through their lives without understanding what it is or how it effects other people. White privilege is how a person’s lighter skin color benefits them directly from birth and that person doesn’t have to do anything in order to gain these privileges. These privileges are good and usually don’t have any negative consequences for the personRead MoreWhite Privilege And Black Privilege1578 Words   |  7 PagesWhite privilege is the ability for whites to maintain an elevated status in society that masks racial inequality. It is also considered a system of ad vantage based on race, as well as societal privileges that benefit white people. It is usually known as the â€Å"other†, or the opposite side of discrimination. Some people in society, typically people of color, feel as though people with white skin have benefits over people of color, just because they’re white. White privilege is sometimes seen as a higherRead MoreWhite Privilege : Black Privilege1296 Words   |  6 PagesWhite Privilege in America Whit privilege is still a problem in America. Through history, white privilege has been a major civil conflict in American societies. It is still prevalent today. What most people want to know is if there is a way to prevent the continuation of white privilege. By knowing the history, and the various types of white privilege, there might be a way to overcome and eventually prevent it. To fully understand what white privilege is, one must first understand the origin ofRead MoreWhite Privilege And Black Privilege1593 Words   |  7 PagesWhite Privilege Dick Hebdige in â€Å"From Culture to Hegemony; Subculture: The Unnatural Break† states â€Å"All human societies reproduce themselves in this way through a process of ‘naturalization’. It is through this process- a kind of inevitable reflex of all social life- that particular sets of social relations, particular ways of organizing the world appear to us as if they were universal and timeless,† (142). Hebdige speaks to the fact that the way society is structured and the way people interactRead MoreWhite Privilege And Black Privilege1732 Words   |  7 PagesWhite privilege is an advantage in society that is unmerited. Though it is practiced in every day life (whether it’s subtle or not), the majority views it as â€Å"absurd† and â€Å"non-existent†. It is a taboo that creates feelings of guilt, hostility and anger, but it must be addressed and understood in order to be eradicated. It is necessary for white people to acknowledge their part in maintaining and benefiting from a society that has thrived on racial hierarchy and white supremacy for centuries. WhiteRead MoreWhite Privilege And Black Privilege1340 Words   |  6 PagesThe term â€Å"privilege† is when a person has the right or confused with having the right to do something. For example, for someone to advance their education is not a privilege perhaps it is a right. In some cases during cer tain situation person can be granted the privilege. White privilege is a word greatly used in social rights that advantage individuals to be acknowledged as white in Western countries, afar what is frequently proficient by non-white individuals in the same social, political, orRead MoreWhite Privilege And Black Privilege2557 Words   |  11 PagesWhite Privilege in America Privilege affects everyone, regardless of if they are affected positively or negatively. Being the majority of majorities in America, white males bear an automatic stamp of privilege on their foreheads, although they would care very strongly not to admit it. On the surface, privilege does not seem like such a bad thing, but when you pay attention to the differentiation of struggles between white men and everyone else in America, you can see it is a very large issue. WhetherRead MoreWhite Privilege : The Black Privilege988 Words   |  4 PagesWhite Privilege Privilege is defined as â€Å"a special advantage or authority possessed by a particular person or group† in the Cambridge Dictionary. Globally, white individuals are often granted privileges than minority groups do not receive. While white privilege often goes unnoticed by white individuals, it causes many disadvantages for people of color and effects how they see themselves. Furthermore, Affirmative Action attempts to equal the playing field for minorities but is faced with contentionRead MoreWhite Privilege And Black Privilege1620 Words   |  7 PagesAt its core, white privilege is described to be an â€Å"invisible package of unearned assets† (McIntosh, 2002, p. 33) for white people. There are many layers explaining the manifestation of white privilege and even more explanations pertaining to its dominant presence in today’s world. This essay will address key aspects of white privilege and pick the two most important aspects with explanations signifying the reasons for their choosing. An explicit aspect of white privilege is the fact that it is