Summary:
The risks of flooding have increased over the years because of the impact of climate change. That is why urgent and fundamental changes are needed in the way that the country is adapting to this problem. Sir Michael Pitt wrote a report on the June and July floods of last year. In this report he wrote a plan of action to improve the country’s flood resilience over the next two years.
Mr. Pitt made 92 recommendations in his 400-page report. These recommendations included:
- There should be a committee that will tackle the risk of flooding.
- The Environment Agency and the Met Office should work together to improve the weather
forecasts and provide warnings.
- There is more work to be done to protect critical infrastructure against flooding.
- The public should have a flood kit, which includes personal documents, insurance policy, a
mobile phone, a first-aid kit, blankets etc.
He said that four-fifths of the recommendations could be placed under existing budgets.
Opinion:
Flood can cause a lot of damage. That is why it is good to think ahead and start making a plan on what to do when a flood occurs. If you have a good plan, less people will get hurt in times of trouble. In Holland the people know a lot about flooding. Because the country is below sea level, the risk of flooding is greater they have taken a lot of precautions to prevent as much flooding as possible. When a flood does occur, the authorities know exactly what to do. The British authorities should look at the Dutch emergency plan for floods. Then they would not have to re-invent the wheel.
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
Flood report: Urgent action needed to prevent further disaster
Wednesday, 4 June 2008
Big Ben sculpture marks recycling
BBC News
Summary:
A sculpture of Big Ben has been unveiled in London’s South Bank. The sculpture is 6 metres tall and is made out of Coca-Cola cans. The artwork, made by Robert Bradford, was commissioned to mark the beginning of Recycling Week. The Big Ben is one out of four sculptures made to inspire more people to recycle. A replica of the Angel of the North can be seen in Gateshead. The two other sculptures, which are models of Bristol’s Clifton Suspension Bridge and the Birmingham Bull, will be unveiled on Monday. Hopefully the miniatures of these capital landmarks will encourage everyone to recycle more.
Opinion:
It is a great idea to make sculptures out of tin cans. It is original and people will probably want to see them. But will it really help encourage people to recycle more? Maybe people will think of recycling when they look at the sculptures, but they probably will have forgotten all about it in an hour. If you really want to encourage people to recycle more of their waste you need to make it easier for them to do so. A better way to encourage people is to give everyone a bin where they can trough there cans in. If you collect these bins when you collect the garbage, it will be easier for everyone to actually separate the cans from the rest of the garbage.
Summary:
A sculpture of Big Ben has been unveiled in London’s South Bank. The sculpture is 6 metres tall and is made out of Coca-Cola cans. The artwork, made by Robert Bradford, was commissioned to mark the beginning of Recycling Week. The Big Ben is one out of four sculptures made to inspire more people to recycle. A replica of the Angel of the North can be seen in Gateshead. The two other sculptures, which are models of Bristol’s Clifton Suspension Bridge and the Birmingham Bull, will be unveiled on Monday. Hopefully the miniatures of these capital landmarks will encourage everyone to recycle more.
Opinion:
It is a great idea to make sculptures out of tin cans. It is original and people will probably want to see them. But will it really help encourage people to recycle more? Maybe people will think of recycling when they look at the sculptures, but they probably will have forgotten all about it in an hour. If you really want to encourage people to recycle more of their waste you need to make it easier for them to do so. A better way to encourage people is to give everyone a bin where they can trough there cans in. If you collect these bins when you collect the garbage, it will be easier for everyone to actually separate the cans from the rest of the garbage.
Drunken children will be forced to undergo rehab
The Independent
Summary
The ministers announced today that when the police runs in to a child that is drunk regularly, they will order this child to go into rehabilitation. This will help stir them away from alcohol. These children will undergo compulsory treatment sessions with counsellors who will inform them on the health risks en how they can stop drinking. This program is based on successful adult programmes that helped cut drink-related crime in half.
Teenagers that are caught abusing alcohol will be given Asbos. This means that they will have curfews and alcohol bans, or will be put on acceptable behaviour contracts. Their parents could be required to follow parenting courses or they can even be prosecuted. The Youth Alcohol Action Plan will create a new criminal offence for under-18s who are caught drinking in public. But a spokesman for Alcohol Concern said that he believes that these young people with drink problems need support and advice, not a criminal record.
Opinion
I think that the spokesman for Alcohol Concern is right when he says that children with a drink problem need support and advise, not a criminal record. A criminal record is not the answer in this case. These children just need to know what the dangers of alcohol abuse are. They need structure and rules that will help them to stay away from alcohol.
The rehabilitation is a good idea. There the children can get the support they need. It is just the part of the criminal record that concerns me. Children are still learning how the world works; they are experimenting with everything that life has to offer. They should not be punished for making a bad decision. They should be told that making a bad decision is not going to determent who they are going to be for the rest of their lives. And that they two can make things right again.
Summary
The ministers announced today that when the police runs in to a child that is drunk regularly, they will order this child to go into rehabilitation. This will help stir them away from alcohol. These children will undergo compulsory treatment sessions with counsellors who will inform them on the health risks en how they can stop drinking. This program is based on successful adult programmes that helped cut drink-related crime in half.
Teenagers that are caught abusing alcohol will be given Asbos. This means that they will have curfews and alcohol bans, or will be put on acceptable behaviour contracts. Their parents could be required to follow parenting courses or they can even be prosecuted. The Youth Alcohol Action Plan will create a new criminal offence for under-18s who are caught drinking in public. But a spokesman for Alcohol Concern said that he believes that these young people with drink problems need support and advice, not a criminal record.
Opinion
I think that the spokesman for Alcohol Concern is right when he says that children with a drink problem need support and advise, not a criminal record. A criminal record is not the answer in this case. These children just need to know what the dangers of alcohol abuse are. They need structure and rules that will help them to stay away from alcohol.
The rehabilitation is a good idea. There the children can get the support they need. It is just the part of the criminal record that concerns me. Children are still learning how the world works; they are experimenting with everything that life has to offer. They should not be punished for making a bad decision. They should be told that making a bad decision is not going to determent who they are going to be for the rest of their lives. And that they two can make things right again.
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