Water Scarcity Could Result in War Essay Example for Free

Water Scarcity Could Result in War Essay Water is a very important resource since no one can live without water. In many countries especially those enclosed by borders, water remains to be a scarce resource. Because of many factors such as pollution and climate change, water has become a greater issue and has been identified as a possible cause for war. It is of greater importance in comparison to oil since people can live without oil but not without water. Even as much of the earth is composed of water, only 2. 5 percent is not saline and two thirds of this 2. 5 percent is frozen in ice caps and glaciers. At least 20 percent of what remains are situated in areas away from civilization. Consequently, humans have access to only 0. 08 percent of the planet’s water not to mention a portion of this that is not potable because of pollutants. With a limited supply of potable water and a demand that is expected to increase by 40 percent in the next two decades, the world is facing a water crisis (Kirby). India is one country that is experiencing a water crisis and it is not expected that the level of precipitation in India would increase to make up for a relatively high rate of population increase. Another factor that affects the water supply in India is that much of its rivers are polluted. This urged the local government to act and clean all major rivers. Professor Klaus Topfer explains that the world population is increasing but the amount of drinking water available does not increase which results in conflict over the resource (Joshi). The water crisis in India could even spark war with China as the latter diverted the flow of the Brahmaputra River, coming from Tibet flowing into the mainland and into India, in order to bring water to water-scarce areas in the country. This has spawned tension between the already not-so-good relations between the two countries. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh talked to Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao about the issue when he visited Beijing but Jiabao argued that the move is critical to the country’s survival (Ramachandran). Numerous other countries have had conflicts regarding water supply. Turkey planned to build a dam on the Euphrates River. Syria accused Turkey of meddling with their water supply which almost triggered war between the two nations. Tension also existed between Botswana, Namibia and Angola because of the Okavango basin. Additionally, conflict has existed between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia because of water from the Nile River. Water scarcity was also a crucial factor in the Arab-Israeli war in 1967. Israel mainly controls the Jordan River which causes Jordan and Palestine to suffer from a limited water supply (Reid). Even states within the United States have engaged in conflict with each other because of the scarcity of drinking water. In October 2007, Alabama filed a complaint against the Engineer Corp for reducing the water released from Lake Allatoona which will have serious implications on the state’s water supply as well as the navigability of the Alabama River. Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue wanted to cut the release of water from Lake Lanier into Chattahoochee River which means taking water from Alabama as Georgia is suffering from a severe drought (Dille). According to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, â€Å"water scarcity threatens economic and social gains and is a potent fuel for wars and conflict. † Several environment experts in Great Britain also pointed in the same direction. They have identified 46 countries that are vulnerable to a water crisis arising from climate change and other crises that could result in violent conflict. These 46 countries are home to more than 2. 7 billion people (Trumpet). Various studies and models suggest that climate change will have a significant impact on the availability of freshwater resources, on water quality, and on the demand for water. Climate and regional hydrologic models suggest changes in the variability of storms, in the frequency, intensity, and area of tropical disturbances, and in the frequency of droughts and flooding in particular areas. (van der Molen Hildering 136) However, climate change may not be the real reason behind the water crisis, also considering that climate change whether it is true or not is still unproven. Even if the world’s water supply was not affected by climate change, the supply would still not be able to meet the demand. There needs to be 20 percent more potable water in order to satisfy the demand once world population reaches 8 billion in 2005 (Trumpet). In 2001, United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan said that war, instead of being triggered by the battle for oil, would be triggered by the scarcity of water resources. Probable sites of conflict are bodies of water such as rivers that are shared by a number of countries (AAP). It may be noted that conflict had always been caused by the battle for resources even as people are not aware of it. This is the natural law for survival (Mason). Water is a very important resource since it is critical for the survival of humans aside from its other uses. Many countries have already engaged in conflict with other countries because of water. Even US states have had quarrels with each other because of the scarcity of the resource. In the future, war would be fought for water instead of oil and this is hardly an exaggeration. The world is a game of survival and people need water to survive. If there is not enough of the resource, it can be expected that people would fight over it. Works Cited AAP. 2006. â€Å"Lack of water, energy could cause war. † Energy Refuge. December 18, 2008 http://www. energyrefuge. com/archives/energy_and_war. htm Dille, Shannon. 31 October 2007. â€Å"Drought Causes Water War Among Southern States. † Samford Crimson. December 18, 2008 http://media. www. samfordcrimson. com/media/storage/paper1166/news/2007/10/31/News/Drought. Causes. Water. War. Among. Southern. States-3068251. shtml Joshi, Yateendra. 26 February 2003. â€Å"Water: cause for war in the future. † Mumbai Central. December 18, 2008 http://www. mumbai-central. com/nukkad/feb2003/msg00891. html Kirby, Alex. 2 June 2000. â€Å"Dawn of a thirsty century. † British Broadcasting Corporation. December 18, 2008 http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/science/nature/755497. stm Mason, Betsy. 21 November 2008. â€Å"The Science of the Future of War. † Wired. December 18, 2008 http://blog. wired. com/wiredscience/2008/11/sex-and-war-exc. html Ramachandran, Sudha. 12 August 2008. â€Å"India quakes over China’s water plan. † War In Iraq. December 18, 2008 http://iraqwar. mirror-world. ru/article/183411 Reid, John. 28 February 2006. â€Å"Water Wars: Climate change may spark conflict. † Independent. December 18, 2008 http://www. independent. co. uk/environment/water-wars-climate-change-may-spark-conflict-467957. html â€Å"Water Scarcity: A Cause for War. † 6 December 2007. Trumpet. December 18, 2008 http://www. thetrumpet. com/index. php? q=4532. 2790. 0. 0 Van der Molen, Irna Hildering, Antoinette. â€Å"Water: cause for conflict or co-operation? † Journal on Science and World Affairs 1. 2005:136.

Breaking The Rules in Rostands Cyrano de Bergerac :: essays research papers

Cyrano de Bergerac, written by Edmond Rostand, is a play about a poetic swordsman with a bad temper, an attitude, and a hideously long nose. As one reads along in this drama, one will find that the people are different in the way they speak, dress, and socialize. With the characters in this book living in 17th century France, it is not a wonder that their customs are far removed from ours today. Cyrano de Bergerac has three cultural themes: attitude, social ranking, and dress. The attitude of this play is very interesting. Looking closely, one notices that most of the characters in Cyrano de Bergerac are very formal in the way they address others. They always seem to keep their opinions to themselves, or if they do share it, they do so in a very inoffensive way. Cyrano, however, is very loud and obnoxious. He likes attention and he wants to be the superior. He doesn’t care if other people think he is rude or boastful as long as they are afraid of him. In Cyrano’s first appearance, he frightened an actor off a stage. In Act One, a man asks Cyrano, â€Å"Why do you make so many enemies?† (24). The man starts naming some of them, and after a few, Cyrano replies, â€Å"Enough. I’m overjoyed.† Cyrano’s attitude, it seems, is quite different than that of his peers. Social ranking was extremely important during the 17th century. The musketeers, officers, tradesmen, and managers were highly respected. The poor, pickpockets, and common folk were not. Cyrano was egotistical and poor, which made some people despise him. He was also a poet and a swordsman, which made others intrigued by him. The ladies thought of him as a hero and a gentleman. The men were simply afraid of him. Obviously, Cyrano evoked mixed opinions. Style of dress was a significant factor in Cyrano de Bergerac. Men wore frills, ribbons, lace, and gloves. Women wore dresses with petticoats and jewels. Cyrano was a poor man, therefore, he didn’t have the fancy attire like the other men. In Act One, he claimed that he clothed himself in independence and security, and that what shining gems he owned, he wore inside (20). Breaking The Rules in Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac :: essays research papers Cyrano de Bergerac, written by Edmond Rostand, is a play about a poetic swordsman with a bad temper, an attitude, and a hideously long nose. As one reads along in this drama, one will find that the people are different in the way they speak, dress, and socialize. With the characters in this book living in 17th century France, it is not a wonder that their customs are far removed from ours today. Cyrano de Bergerac has three cultural themes: attitude, social ranking, and dress. The attitude of this play is very interesting. Looking closely, one notices that most of the characters in Cyrano de Bergerac are very formal in the way they address others. They always seem to keep their opinions to themselves, or if they do share it, they do so in a very inoffensive way. Cyrano, however, is very loud and obnoxious. He likes attention and he wants to be the superior. He doesn’t care if other people think he is rude or boastful as long as they are afraid of him. In Cyrano’s first appearance, he frightened an actor off a stage. In Act One, a man asks Cyrano, â€Å"Why do you make so many enemies?† (24). The man starts naming some of them, and after a few, Cyrano replies, â€Å"Enough. I’m overjoyed.† Cyrano’s attitude, it seems, is quite different than that of his peers. Social ranking was extremely important during the 17th century. The musketeers, officers, tradesmen, and managers were highly respected. The poor, pickpockets, and common folk were not. Cyrano was egotistical and poor, which made some people despise him. He was also a poet and a swordsman, which made others intrigued by him. The ladies thought of him as a hero and a gentleman. The men were simply afraid of him. Obviously, Cyrano evoked mixed opinions. Style of dress was a significant factor in Cyrano de Bergerac. Men wore frills, ribbons, lace, and gloves. Women wore dresses with petticoats and jewels. Cyrano was a poor man, therefore, he didn’t have the fancy attire like the other men. In Act One, he claimed that he clothed himself in independence and security, and that what shining gems he owned, he wore inside (20).

Approaches to Organizational Behaviour

Organizational behavior, relates to the relationship between employees and the employers in an organization. Both are working towards the realization of the goals and objectives of any organization, and a close and fruitful coordination between the two is one of the major factors towards this realization. Organizational behavior approaches are a result of the research done by experts in this field. These experts studied and attempted to quantify research done about actions and reactions of employees, with regard to their work environments.It is a field that has begun developing only recently and new approaches and results are being expounded everyday, as more and more data comes to the forefront. There are various aspects of these theories, since each one deals with complex human behavior. The most important ones are the approaches about motivation. All of them are aimed towards motivating the members of the organization into optimizing their performance and thereby resulting in bett er and more improved performances. There are mainly six approaches to organizational behaviour.They are: 1) Human resources approach ) Contingency approach 3) Productivity approach 4) Systems approach 5) Interdisciplinary Approach 6) Scientific Management Approach * Human Resources Approach The human resources approach is concerned with the growth and development of people towards higher levels of competency, creativity and fulfillment, because people are the central resource in any organization. This approach help employees become better in terms of work and responsibility and then it tries to create a climate in which they can contribute to the best of their improved abilities.Work satisfaction will be a direct result when employees make fuller use of their capabilities. Essentially, the human resources approach means that better people achieve better results. This approach is also known as ‘supportive approach' because the manager's primary role changes from control of empl oyees to providing an active support for their growth and performance. * A Contingency Approach Situations are much more complex than first perceived and the different variables may require different behavior which means that different environments required different behavior for effectiveness.Each situation much be analyzed carefully to determine the significant variables that exist in order to establish the kinds of practices that will be more effective. Therefore a contingency approach to organizational behaviour implies that different situations require different behavioral practices for effectiveness instead of following a traditional approach for all situations. Each situation must be analyzed carefully to determine the significant variables that exist in order to establish the more effective practices.The strength of this approach is that it encourages analysis of each situation prior to action. Thus, it helps to use all the current knowledge about people in the organization in the most appropriate manner. * Productivity Approach Productivity is a ratio that compares units of output with units of input. It is often measured in terms of economic inputs and outputs. Productivity is considered to be improved, if more outputs can be produced from the same amount of inputs. It helps in measuring the organizations effectiveness, it also reveals the managers efficiency in optimizing the resources.Higher the numerical value of this ratio greater the efficiency. But besides economic inputs and outputs, human and social inputs and outputs also arc important. * Systems Approach A system is an interrelated part of an organization or a society that interacts with everyone related to that organization or society and functions as a whole. Within the organization ‘people' employ ‘technology' in performing the ‘task' that they are responsible for, while the ‘structure' of the organization serves as a basis for co-ordinating all their different ac tivities.The systems view emphasizes the interdependence of each of these elements within the organization, if the organization as a whole is to function effectively. The other key aspect of the systems view of organization is its emphasis on the interaction between the organization and its broader environment,, which consists of social, economic, cultural and political environment within which they operate. Organizations arc dependent upon their surrounding environment in two main ways: First, the organization requires ‘inputs' from the environment in the form of raw material, people, money, ideas and so on.The organization itself can be thought of as performing certain ‘transformation' processes, on its inputs in order to create outputs in the form of products or services. Secondly, the organization depends on environment such as, public to accept its output. The systems view of organization thus emphasizes on the key interdependencies that organizations must manage. W ithin themselves the organizations must trade off the interdependencies among people, tasks, technology and structure in order to perform their transformation processes effectively and efficiently.Organizations must also recognize their interdependence with the broader environments within which they exist. * An Interdisciplinary Approach It is integrating many disciplines. It integrates social sciences and other disciplines that can contribute to the Organizational Behavior. It draws from these disciplines any ideas that will improve the between people and organization. Its interdisciplinary nature is similar to that of medicine, which applies physical, biological and social science into a workable medical practice.Organizations must have people, and people working toward goals must have organizations, so it is desirable to treat the two as a working unit. * Scientific Management Approach The fundamental concern of the scientific management school was to increase the efficiency of t he worker basically through good job design and appropriate training of the workers. Taylor is the father of the scientific management movement and he developed many ides to increase organizational efficiency.Taylor showed that through proper job design, worker selection, employee training and incentives, productivity can be increased. The scientific management school advocated that efficiency can be attainted by finding the right methods to get the job done, through specialization on the job, by planning and scheduling, by using standard operating mechanisms, establishing standard times to do the job, by proper selection and training of personnel and through wage incentives.

Analysis Of Robert Nozick s Experience Machine - 2339 Words

â€Å"Thank you so much for having me on your show Ellen! Yes, it is true that I started selling my art for millions at the age of sixteen. Yes . . . oh my gosh, all these chocolates are for me?! I was seriously just craving chocolate! No, solving child hunger really wasn’t very hard. After all it was for the children, I just put my mind to it and the rest was easy! That is correct, for the year 2016 I will be running for president. I actually just surpassed all the other candidates running in the poll this morning! Can you believe it? I’m ecstatic! Oh thank you, you are too sweet Ellen. It was such a pleasure being here on your show with —.† My eyes open up and I am back in a world of reality, stepping out of Robert Nozick’s experience machine. While in this device, wires are connected to an individual’s brain which triggers pleasure while their body is being nourished in a giant reservoir. This unique machine allows one to fulfill his/her a ppetite of all desires no matter how insane or simple, existing only in his/her mind. Of course this machine doesn’t actually exist, but it represents a perfect example of what life would be like if we could experience all of the pleasures we could possibly desire. Contrary to what a tyrant would believe, although pleasure is significant in leading a good life, pleasure is not the most essential good. First of all, it is impossible to discern pleasure without hardship, leading you to be doomed into the life of a tyrant. Another reason notShow MoreRelatedGame Theory and Economic Analyst83847 Words   |  336 PagesGame Theory and Economic Analysis Game Theory and Economic Analysis presents the wide range of current contributions of game theory to economics. The chapters fall broadly into two categories. Some lay out in a jargon-free manner a particular branch of the theory, the evolution of one of its concepts, or a problem that runs through its development. Others are original pieces of work that are signiï ¬ cant to game theory as a whole. After taking the reader through a concise history of game