Ozone Depletion Regime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Ozone Depletion Regime - Essay Example According to them, when the compound Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) reaches the atmosphere, it can be broken down by ultraviolet radiation which in turn would result to a release of chlorine atoms. The chlorine atoms would then destroy large amounts of ozone molecules (O3), aggregately called as the ozone layer. Molina and Rowland further contended that since ozone layer absorbs most of the ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation from the sun, the depletion of the ozone layer would have dangerous health, environmental and economical implications. The study, which was published on the journal Nature on June 28, 1974, paved way to further studies of the subject and in 1976, the National Academy of Sciences finally confirmed the Rowland- Molina hypothesis. By early 1980's some countries, including the United States and Canada are already exerting their efforts to mitigate the use of the CFC including imposing ban on the non- essential uses of the compound. National efforts however are not enough in that the utilization of ozone depleting chemicals is on a global scale, and it entails a global effort to reduce the use of the ozone depleting substances. To attain this objective, an agreed international effort became necessary. In 1981, The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), acted on behalf of a proposal to conduct a global convention on the issue. There was a long deadlock as to the international negotiations to phase out ozone-depleting substances because of such issues as the lack of understanding about the extent of the threat and the presumed unavailability of a technological capacity to respond to the challenge (The Montreal Protocol: History 2001). Finally in March 1985, the Vienna Convention on the Protection of the Ozone Layer was signed. The Vienna Convention on the Protection of the Ozone Layer, though reflects international agreements to address the ozone depletion issue, does not contain legally binding control to reduce production and consumption of ozone depleting substances. A need for stronger measures is deemed necessary especially with the advent of reports of an ozone hole over Antarctica and a generated public fear of a possible ozone effected global disaster. Thus resulted th e Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, "the first concrete international measure to control ozone-depleting chemicals" (Parson 2001). The Objectives of the Regime The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer has a generally broad objective in that it merely requires its parties to "take appropriate measures" to protect "human health and the environment from ozone depletion". The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer moved on further from these general goals by imposing stricter measures and by specifying concrete objectives of limiting and regulating the use of the ozone depleting substances. The initial objectives of the Montreal Prot

Sociology research term paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sociology research term paper - Essay Example Some academics believe that stratification is the difference between equality and inequality, elitism and non elitism. Stratification introduces the idea of "hierarchy" into society. Social hierarchy can be based on the possession of different qualities in different communities, and some societies are more equal than others, but none can ever be completely unstratified as there will always be inequalities in certain areas, due to individual differences. However, in contradiction to this anthropologists have confirmed that social stratification is not as universal as once thought. Non-stratified egalitarian societies exist which have little or no concept of social hierarchy, political or economic status, class, or even permanent leadership. Also known as acephalous (or "headless") societies, the best examples of egalitarian cultures all have hunter-gatherer economies, although not all hunter-gatherers can be considered egalitarian. In modern western society such as in the US, UK and Europe we live within a stratification system. David Grunsky describes a stratification system as; " the constellation of social institutions that generate observed inequalities." (523) The "observed inequalities" referred to generally points towards the unequally distributed resources in our society; privileged families receiving a disproportionate level of power, prestige and other valued resources. A common place saying that "money goes to money" perhaps therefore actually derives from an accepted creditable sociological theory / observation. Grunsky highlights that the three key components of a stratification system are: 1. Institutional processes that define certain types of goals as valuable and desirable. 2. The rules of allocation that distribute those goals across various occupations. 3. The mechanisms of mobility that link individuals to positions and generate inequalities. Inequality is thus produced by 'matching' systems; of occupation and social role to reward packages of unequal value and then the allocation of positions to individual society members to the defined positions and rewarded accordingly (Grunsky, 523) The stratification system is very complex and multidimensional. Many types of reward can be attached to certain social roles and different sociologist theorist would advocate differing factors / rewards as being pivotal in creating social stratification. Factors which can be used to create a social hierarchy / stratified group include economic, political, cultural, social honorific, civil and human factors. There are different types of stratification systems, each dependant on a differing factor. Examples include: Tribalism within a hunting and gathering society, created by human factors such as hunting and magic skills. Slavery within a horticultural and agrarian society, created by economic factors (human property). A Caste society created by honorific and cultural factors (Hinduism) And, most relevant in Western industrial society: A Class system created by economic factors and supported by Classical and Liberalism ideology. Socialism created by political factors and supported by Marxism and Leninism ideology. (Meyer, 523) In modern industrialised society there is a class system in operation, as a stratification system it is generally acknowledged as a system of inequality. The class system of stratification is the source of