The Effects Of Alcohol On The Health - 2192 Words

Alcohol is one of the most popular and socially acceptable consumed drug around the world. It is consumed for several different reasons for example to relax or socialize. It affects the health of people in many ways which is usually depended on how much alcohol is consumed over a period of time. The term ‘health’ has different meanings to different people, depending on what situations they are in. However, according to the World Health Organisation (1948), the definition of health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not just the absence of disease, which encapsulates the idea of the term health status. Taking this definition of health into consideration, this essay will be looking at how alcohol affects a person physically, mentally and socially and how that affects their overall health status. Alcohol consumption, when consumed moderately, is not always a problem and a risk to health. However, when alcohol consumption starts to get out of hand and people start to misuse alcohol, it is then, that it becomes a major problem. Some of these problems could be physiological while others could be more social or economic related. A report published by public health England (2014) stated that the annual cost to the NHS as a result of alcohol misuse, is  £3.5 billion and the overall cost to society is  £21 billion each year. There are many theories which try to explain what the cause of alcohol misuse may be but none of these are backed by clearShow MoreRelatedEffects Of Alcohol On Human Health1699 Words   |  7 PagesAlcohol, what is it and why is it used? Alcohol in the sense of drinkable beverages are, drinks that contain substantial amounts of ethanol (which is the intoxication agent found in alcoholic beverages). Ethanol is known to be a central nervous system depressant and has certain effects on the human body when consumed. Ethanol is also considered a psychoactive drug because of its ability to alter human interaction both physically and mentally. Ethanol plays a major role in Alcohol Consumption becauseRead MoreEffects Of Alcohol On Health Care Essay1797 Words   |  8 PagesTaddesse PUBH Word Count: Introduction: Alcohol impacts people and societies in many ways and it is determined by the volume of alcohol consumed, the pattern of drinking, and, on rare occasions, the quality of alcohol consumed. In 2012, about 3.3 million deaths, or 5.9 % of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption (WHO.int, 2016). Alcohol consumption is a public health issue that affects populations globally as stated by the World Health Organization and high levels of consumptionRead MoreThe Effects of Alcohol on Peoples Health2287 Words   |  9 Pagescarried out research on the effects of alcohol on people’s health, on people’s attention to different activities and their general well-being. The following are some of the researches that have been carried out by different researchers on factors that affect people’s social attention that may be of importance in carrying out this research. According to Roberts, W., Miller, M. A., Weafer, J., Fillmore, M. T. (2014), these researchers carried out a research on how alcohol inhibits one’s attention controlRead MoreEffects Of Alcohol On A Public Health Perspective3443 Words   |  14 Pagesmore than the recommended daily limits, and as recorded in 2012 there were 6,490 alcohol related deaths (NHS, 2012), a 19% increase compared to those recorded statistics in 2001 (NHS, 2012). This shows a major cause for concern within England to date, driving the promotion of the Drinkaware campaign to tackle the problem. Statistics show that alcohol composes of 10% of the UK burden of disease and death, making alcohol one of the three biggest lifestyle risk factors for disease and death in the UKRead MoreThe Effects Of Alcohol On The Health Care System Essay1934 Words   |  8 PagesAlcohol is a substance that should be consumed in moderation, and should be used responsibly. Similar to any substance, there are consequences that come with the irresponsible and abusive use of it. Not only the drinker is affected by alcohol abuse. People around them including family, friends, potential offspring and even Canada’s Health Care System are affected too. Specific to the health care system, there is a burden placed on it in regards to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorder (FASD) a varietyRead MoreThe Effects Of Alcohol On The Public Health Responsibility Deal1325 Words   |  6 Pagesis the pledge to secure the support of the alcohol industry in tackling irresponsible drinking, by building on the Public He alth Responsibility Deal (RD) (Home Office, 2012). The RD was introduced in 2011, just before the Government’s Alcohol Strategy was published, and secured 4 main pledges from the alcohol industry which are as follows: firstly to ensure accurate and informative labeling of alcohol; secondly to deal with the issue of underage alcohol sales; thirdly to advertise and market in aRead MoreEffects Of Alcohol On The Health Risks Of The United States2237 Words   |  9 Pagesdependent on alcohol (â€Å"Drug Addiction Statistics – Alcoholism Statistics and Data Sources†), and 219 million people are overweight or obese (â€Å"Overweight and Obesity Statistics†). Worldwide, these statistics triple, double, and nonuple respectively. However, at least in the United States, cigarettes and alcohol are both regulated by age, so the numbers of adolescent smokers and alcoholics are limited. Sugar, on the other hand, is not controlled nearly as strictly as cigarettes and al cohol. ConsequentlyRead MoreHealth And Performance Effects Of Alcohol Use By Intercollegiate / Varsity Athletes1232 Words   |  5 PagesWhat are the health and performance effects of alcohol use by intercollegiate / Varsity athletes? Alcohol is the most commonly used recreational drug globally and its consumption, often in large volume, is deeply embedded in many aspects of Western society . It is used by members of all societies in countries around the world, either consumed moderately or in excess. University is a place in one’s life when those who have just finished secondary school go to experience a higher quality of educationRead MoreThe Effects Of Alcohol On Social Influences Within Health And Well Being1317 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: Harmful use of alcohol contributes 3.3 million deaths every year according to WHO (2015), which is representative of 5.9% of all deaths across the globe. Despite governmental law of putting the drinking age to be 18 and over (UK and Ireland), Many studies reported that within the last ten years that have examined the drinking habits of young people, results show that UK teenagers are characterized by high levels of intoxication and binge drinking. (Binge drinking is defined by the NHSRead MoreThe Effects Of Alcohol Related Deaths On Aboriginal People s Health1941 Words   |  8 Pagesinjustices which have negatively affected their overall health and well-being. These injustices include items such as assimilation, oppression, segregation, and racism. While all of these injustices have resulted in poor socioeconomic and health related issues, this student feels that the introduction of alcohol has greatly added to the deterioration of Aboriginal people’s health and well-being. In fact, â€Å"75 percent of all [Aboriginal] residents feel alcohol use is a problem in their community† (Khan, 2014

Reflection on Action free essay sample

Reflection on action Introduction Reflection now a days is very important in health practises as it allows the practitioners to gain understandings from their professional and personal experiences . It has proven to be an essential utensil for development in their area. Reflection is seen as an influential resource of seeing accustomed events as fresh and inspiring. It is a way for critical thinking and learning. Thinkers have warned of the dangers of a life spent without reflection, but what creates reflective inquiry and why its necessary in our lives ? ( Nona Lyons, 2010). Reflection on action signifies the information one gathers through personal or professional experiences and converting them into knowledge to use it in their practical experiences, which enhance their skills. Likewise there is a part of us that is known to others and not to us which is an important aspect of reflection, where they give feedbacks of our practice and suggestions for improvement. Reflection discusses the urgency for skillful support, high quality mentoring and the necessity for good support networks. The reflective diary I have made is not alike other related works. I have done this essay on the model outlines by Gibbs (Gibbs model of reflection-1988). It is applied here in order to enable serious thoughts and relating the theories to my practices I had got. I have tried to discuss my reflection skills and recognize my capability to reveal what I have gained for personal and professional improvement. Understanding of facts frequently arises from practices. So it is essential to permit the experiences to occur first and reflect upon them. Description This essay is aiming to address an incident happened early in my professional life. In the first stage of Gibbs model of reflection the descriptions of events happens. It was the time when I was working as staff nurse in Cochin hospital in my home country, India. I was working in the ICU ,CCU and NICU at that time. Intensive Care Unit is a very intense area and can create a great deal of tension and stress for the patient and medical practitioners(Maureen Welker-2007). There I had observed the clinical skill of others and on a variety of occasions. As I am in a habit of watching what others did, I used to observe senior nurses on how they handled critical occasions? I was on duty with other two nurses in the unit when the incident happened. This happened in the case of a patient who had undergone a cardiac bypass surgery and was in the ventilator for three days, before getting shifted to the ICU,when he was found getting recovered. The work load was very high on that day that I felt like disappointed. I had not got an accountable practice during those days. . Nearly every one of the nurses would be willing to receive training in progressive cardiac life care( J R Coll Physicians Lond. 994, talks about Knowledge and attitude of nurses on medical wards to defibrillation). I may have felt that because of being new to the practice Appropriate training (and retraining) of nursing staff should improve the outcome of resuscitation efforts on medical wards. Appropriate training of nursing staff should improve the result of revival energies in medical wards. The day the patient was in the ICU ward he found to be little unconscious. And his speech was not clear during that time. It was observed that the patient had caught ICU psychosis. As there were other five patients in the ward, with not similar situations and deficiency of nurses ,it was not possible to give care to each and every patient individually all the time. He was connected with ECG led on his body to the monitor. He seemed to be violent in the abnormal situations often. My guide used to explain me the procedures step by step and informed me that I should be very cautious during the night time, as the number of staffs were less to attend the patients. The second stage of reflection is a discussion about the thoughts and feelings . I was feeling disappointed or nervous during the night shift on that day in hospital Procedure started as usual on that day too . It rather made me panic and depressed that I had to run around with other two senior staffs to all the patients. I could not concentrate on the work I was doing as some feelings were running in my mind. The patient I was talking about was in his silent stage during the night that we left him unnoticed. It was read in British journal of nursing that nurses need to be proactive in a critical care setting but this requires expert knowledge. Eventhough the expert knowledge was given to me frequently, I was not able to be that much cautious. It was during this time when the patient got up from his bed and started throwing the ECG led and pulling the cables of the monitors. If I hadn’t reached there in a few seconds, the whole unit would have been damaged. I initially got nailed by my mentor to a great extent that I felt like crying. The third stage of Gibbs model of reflection talks about the reflector being awareness of the event ,what is good or bad?. This incident has happened due to some negligence or some sort of problem with my attitude. I understood the situation and made up my mind, that I was able to understand the fault. A nurse not being cautious inn the critical ward can be dangerous that one may lose his life . The helpful side of this event was that, after swotting the condition I became conscious of my responsibilities and was able to be truthful with the help of my mentor and others. The fourth stage of Gibbs model of reflection talks about analysis. He encourages the reflector to make logic of the situation. With the event happened ,and after evaluation of what had happened, I converted my confidence to be positive to do the duties in ICU and other wards , and cultured to see how to work self-reliantly. I accomplished to switch my moods and work determinedly in emergency circumstances, which in turn matured my profession. The shoddier side of the event was that if I could not manage things accurately I may have harmed the life of the patient and others who were admitted there in the ICU . It might have been a bad mark in my career and could have even spoiled that. Through the evaluation of the event, I became more aware of the different practises and responsibilities concerning the work in different wards. Rather I developed my own skills through that experience. I understood why my mentor asked me to be always cautious while I work in intensive and critical care units. I have learned here from experience and through experience(Barnard – 2002). Conclusion This is the fifth stage if Gibbs model of reflection. In this stage as I have travelled around the issue from diverse approaches. I believe, I have got enough evidence to base my judgement. I think the method of reflection makes a real difference to practise than any other means for self-improvement for the prosperity of ones profession. Encircling the issues and factors mentioned above it brought me to the conclusion based on my experience that the attitude and determination of the caregivers in hospital must not be mixed with their other issues that they got interrupted. Or in the simple sense the attitude of the nurses in care wards should not be a adverse effect on the care given to patients. The best available care should be given to the patients by Nurses and other medical practitioners(Ann et al 1964). A study of relationship between the knowledge of the usefulness of the nursing care plan and the attitude of nurses toward the plan/care planning process(Marcia McCarthy-1991),is very much important in the present scenario. Action plan Inside my action plan, I designed working more assuredly and teaching my juniors or giving valuable advice to them. I planned to do more studies in patient care on augmenting good attitudes. Managing critical situations more efficiently even with the scarcity of partners. To learn from good superiors about the nursing practice techniques and to deliver that in a professional way. By using the Gibbs (1988) model of reflection, it made me realise that my learning is something which I must be active in. Previous experiences are tomorrow’s guidelines. I definitely consider reflection as one of the important learning tool my current and future practice and for the whole medical professional fields.

Bach, Holborne Haydn Comparison free essay sample

Bach had more In common with Hellebore than he did with Haydn. Discuss using studied pieces. Despite all coming from different periods, Bachs piece does have a lot In common with Hellebores Paean and Gaillardia. For one thing, they both mainly have a contrapuntal texture and are for few instruments, whilst Heydays Symphony is, obviously, for a symphony orchestra. Both the Bach and the Hellebore were Intended to be played at home, whilst the Haydn would have been intended to be played in a concert hall.Hellebore lived in a time when it was rare to state which instruments were being written for so the Bach and the Haydn are both written a lot more idiomatically, and they both used musical directions and dynamics, although in Bachs case they were few. Haydn used melody-dominated homophony and Hellebore used five-part polyphony that is mainly contrapuntal, whilst Bach used a variety of different textures. We will write a custom essay sample on Bach, Holborne Haydn Comparison or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For most of the serenade he uses a two-part texture, as well as using monophonic, and choral passages, for example in bar one, and the segue mainly has a fugal texture.As all three are different It Is difficult to compare which composer of Hellebore and Haydn has more in common with Bach. This also true when studying the structures of the pieces, in that they are all different, but Heydays sonata form Is fairly similar to Bachs binary form, In that binary form In two repeated sections, and sonata form is two contrasting sections with a repetition of the first section. Both pieces revolve around the tonic and the dominant key. The Hellebore paean Is In D major and the Gaillardia Is In D minor; neither of which modulate.In modern times it is common to pick out the top line as the melody, but it was unlikely that Hellebore intended for this to happen, as his Paean and Gaillardia are both contrapuntal. This means that there Is no obvious melody to listen out for, whereas the Bach and the Haydn both have one. Bach wrote his piece at a closer time to Haydn than he did to Hellebore, and this affected the similarity between the places_ Considering the differences between the three pieces. I disagree with the statement that Bach had more is common with Hellebore than he did with Haydn.

Free Essays on Similarities And Differences Between Two Heroes

Similarities and Differences between Two Heroes Although epic and medieval heroes are very different, they are also very similar. Both Beowulf, the epic hero from Beowulf and Sir Gawain , the medieval hero from â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† are examples that contain these similarities and differences. Skill is one example that is shown with both Beowulf and Sir Gawain. Beowulf shows skill with his strength. He is able to defeat Grendel with this characteristic. Sir Gawain, on the other hand, shows skill in a different way, by being able to encourage the Green Knight not to kill him. â€Å"Stop, green man! Don’t swing again.† Another similarity between a medieval and epic hero is the involvement of a challenge. Beowulf is involved with the challenge of defeating Grendel. â€Å"Grendel came, hoping to kill (line 365).† Sir Gawain, however, is involved with the challenge of staying alive. â€Å"He (Green Knight) swung his weapon swiftly up, and down, the blade toward the bare flesh (150-153). Among the two similarities mentioned and other similarities as well, there are many differences. In Beowulf, paganism takes place, meaning that many Gods are believed in. â€Å"Raise upwards for their lords, warm with love, when their shield and protector leaves his body behind, sends his soul on high (565-568).† â€Å"Lords† is plural meaning many were believed in. In contrast, Christianity is the religion that takes place during the medieval age. For example, Gawain is calling to Christ because he does not want to be killed, â€Å"A kind of greeting by Christ I’ll greet him better (47-48).† By that quote the reader can get an idea of how Christianity is involved. Finally, women as a temptation is a big difference between the epic and medieval hero. There is absolutely no sign of temptation in Beowulf, only the queen is portrayed. However, in â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight†, Sir Gawain accepts a magic green girdle... Free Essays on Similarities And Differences Between Two Heroes Free Essays on Similarities And Differences Between Two Heroes Similarities and Differences between Two Heroes Although epic and medieval heroes are very different, they are also very similar. Both Beowulf, the epic hero from Beowulf and Sir Gawain , the medieval hero from â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† are examples that contain these similarities and differences. Skill is one example that is shown with both Beowulf and Sir Gawain. Beowulf shows skill with his strength. He is able to defeat Grendel with this characteristic. Sir Gawain, on the other hand, shows skill in a different way, by being able to encourage the Green Knight not to kill him. â€Å"Stop, green man! Don’t swing again.† Another similarity between a medieval and epic hero is the involvement of a challenge. Beowulf is involved with the challenge of defeating Grendel. â€Å"Grendel came, hoping to kill (line 365).† Sir Gawain, however, is involved with the challenge of staying alive. â€Å"He (Green Knight) swung his weapon swiftly up, and down, the blade toward the bare flesh (150-153). Among the two similarities mentioned and other similarities as well, there are many differences. In Beowulf, paganism takes place, meaning that many Gods are believed in. â€Å"Raise upwards for their lords, warm with love, when their shield and protector leaves his body behind, sends his soul on high (565-568).† â€Å"Lords† is plural meaning many were believed in. In contrast, Christianity is the religion that takes place during the medieval age. For example, Gawain is calling to Christ because he does not want to be killed, â€Å"A kind of greeting by Christ I’ll greet him better (47-48).† By that quote the reader can get an idea of how Christianity is involved. Finally, women as a temptation is a big difference between the epic and medieval hero. There is absolutely no sign of temptation in Beowulf, only the queen is portrayed. However, in â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight†, Sir Gawain accepts a magic green girdle...

Moneyball. Sabermetric-Based Player Evaluation by Beane Term Paper

Moneyball. Sabermetric-Based Player Evaluation by Beane - Term Paper Example Some of the major baseball teams in the world include the Pirates, Red sox, Yankees that play in the Major League Baseball, the American League, or the National league. Subject to the publicity, stiff competition, and economies of money involved in this sport, team managers adopt various strategies to win most games. Moneyball by Michael Lewis is a book that seeks to divulge information on how baseball teams should conduct their businesses in order to remain effective. However, a review article â€Å"Who’s on First?† by Thaler & Sunstein (2003) draws some criticism on the book. This paper will hence examine and evaluate the review article â€Å"Who’s on First?† by Thaler & Sunstein (2003). Sabermetric-Based Player Evaluation The sabermetric-based player evaluation used by Beane was a great shocker to other executives in baseball. In his evaluation, Beane took interest on how much a player was likely to contribute to his team's chances using scientific anal ysis (Thaler & Sunstein, 2003). In doing this, he relied on objective evidence rather than subjective evidence used by other executives. With the limits of human rationality and inefficient labor markets, Beane chose to ignore baseball's conventional wisdom in evaluating the performance of players to the surprise of other baseball executives. Indeed, in a conflicting situation between Beane and DePodesta's statistical methods of evaluation and other evaluation strategies by other baseball experts, statistical methods proved efficient to conventional statistics that were inefficient and often misleading (Thaler & Sunstein, 2003). As a result, Beane produced an amazing performance despite working on lower payrolls compared to other baseball teams. Indeed, Beane’s team, the Athletics was ranked eleventh in payroll(out of fourteen teams) and fifth in wins in the American League in 1999 but jumped to twelfth in payroll and first in wins in 2002 to the shock of other baseball execu tives. Ideally, Beane evaluation on players proved that players drafted out of high school are much less likely to succeed than players drafted out of college. Hence, against the practice of other executives, Beane did not recruit any talent from high school. Nevertheless, the new recruits that other teams neglected became great performers and other teams ended up buying them from Athletics thus improving its payroll. His ability to evaluate and recruit first-rate talent without a lot of money and using statistical methods to replace the lost players was also a great shock to other executives. In addition, the way Beane evaluated the performance of players in the field was also intriguing to other executives. He notes that the use of errors to evaluate the fielding ability of a player is so crude (Thaler & Sunstein, 2003). To this, he argues that a player may accumulate errors due to luck and thus in appropriation in evaluating his ability based on this. In addition, he notes that t here might be luck in batting many runs subject to playing in good teams or having many opportunities. All this was a negation to the conventional beliefs adopted by other executives. Most shockingly, is the fact that Beane’s statistical evaluation of players led to his team’s greater success on the American League although Athletics had a low pay roll. Subsequently, major teams in the league like Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays are now hiring general managers who adopt Bean’s mode of evaluation (Thaler & Sunstein, 2003). Why Beane is Much More Effective in His Success Beane was much more effective in his success as compared to other baseball executives. This was subject to his statistical evaluation of players, disregard of the conventional wisdom in baseball, and

Policies of Arab Socialist Regimes and their Successors Essay

Policies of Arab Socialist Regimes and their Successors - Essay Example The Arab socialism was led by President Gammel Abel Nasser while the success regime was led by Anwar Sadat and later the president Hosni Mubarak. Nasser ruled from his time of election in 1956 to his death in 1970. President Hosni Mubarak was elected after the death of his mentor Anwar Sadat. Comparison of the two regimes Mubarak was likened to Abel Nasser is some ways and was different in other factors that that made them different. For instance, Nasser used to make speeches that were scraping more thorns as Hosni did when he assumed the seat. Again, during the tutelage of Arab Socialism under Nasser, the cost of basic commodities was relatively low compared to the transitory regime of Hosni Mubarak. The Nasser and Mubarak regime were characterized by periods when the two leaders were not accepting bribes in the military army. The two leaders never showed any form of favoritism to anyone. At the time of President Nasser the nation was more secure one could walk along the streets without any fear, but at the time of Hosni the country was more insecure (Nordenman, 2012). President Nasser was much loved by the people of Egypt because of his friendly governance to the citizens. Nasser regime enjoyed the greater peace that was prevailing among the Arab nations, and people were much satisfied by political atmosphere of the time. During the time of Mubarak, the country was much insecure because it was a time when Muslim extremists from the army had assassinated the predecessor of President Hosni Mubarak.

Effectiveness of Fracking Regulations

Effectiveness of Fracking Regulations Overview of Report This report has been prepared by The MSSD for the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Governments. This report will be looking at the effectiveness of the regulatory framework of the fracking industry, it will assess the current framework, evaluating whether the framework is fit for purpose, and if not, propose alternatives considering that a lighter touch to regulation is the approach wanting to be taken. Because we are only at the exploratory phase of drilling in the UK, the main focus will be on pre-drilling regulations. What is Fracking? We will briefly look at what Fracking is and how it works, and looking at this will also allow us to be able to assess the most pressing environmental concerns and the controversies surrounding fracking. Fracking is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside.  Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the head of the well.  The process can be carried out vertically or, more commonly, by drilling horizontally to the rock layer and can create new pathways to release gas or can be used to extend existing channels. The term fracking refers to how the rock is fractured apart by the high-pressure mixture.[1] In the UK, drilling is only at an exploratory phase, however, there are plans for this to intensify as shale gas reserves have been identified across the UK. Impacts and Concerns Having looked at what Fracking is, we will identify it’s impacts on the environment and its most pressing concerns. The extraction of shale gas is a topic that is highly controversial in the United Kingdom, this is mainly because of the environmental concerns it raises. One of the major concerns is the water usage in the extraction, the volume of water that is needed. Vast amounts of water are required for the process and this must be transported to the fracking sites[2]. The water tends to be transported to the sites, which has its own environmental impacts, though some sites could use the local water resources and the volume of water that is required could place a strain on local water resources. In addition to the amounts of water, the water is mixed with chemicals, this mixture could escape and could spill or contaminate groundwater in the surrounding areas. Another concern is that fracking could lead to small earthquakes. This was the case in the town of Blackpool, where two tremors struck, one registered a magnitude 2.3 and the other 1.3. Both tremors occurred near the local drilling site. This caused the operation to suspended, the site operators, Cuadrilla, commissioned a report, which found that â€Å"Most likely, the repeated seismicity was induced by direct injection of fluid into the fault zone†[3] The report goes on to question whether further earthquakes are to be expected from fracking, it says â€Å"the earthquakes occurred because of a rare combination of circumstances: the fault was already under stress, was brittle enough to fracture and had space for large amounts of water that could lubricate it†. The report says â€Å"this is unlikely to happen again at the Preese Hall site.†[4] To reduce the risk of earthquakes, it has been proposed that seismic activity monitoring is introduced around fracking sites. Advantages and Disadvantages of Fracking The main advantages of fracking include, an increase in the production of natural gas, some could argue that this would ease the burden on finite resources such as fossil fuels, fracking would thus diversify our energy supplies. A further advantage is that this is a relatively clean energy source, providing environmental benefit. The gas produced emits less carbon per calorie of energy produced than other fossil fuels. It is easy to inject and it can be transported directly, shale gas requires very little infrastructure investment before it can be injected into the national gas grid, thus proving to be an economical benefit. Fracking is also the most natural way to pump gas from the ground. An abundant supply of natural gas makes prices relatively cheap to producers and consumers. The disadvantages of fracking include, Risk of groundwater pollution, Risk of localised earthquakes (probably not a huge risk when well-regulated in the UK), Localised noise and traffic congestion, Loss of amenities, when fracking wells are sited in areas of natural beauty and national parks, A high water demand for the â€Å"process water† needed by the fracking technology used, potentially entailing additional stress on water supplies, Planning blight on local properties, and suffering by those unfortunate enough to live near a proposed site for a fracking well. [5] Environmental Policy Context Fracking also poses wider questions about current thinking on sustainability and the environment. [6] John Allen writes, â€Å"the shale revolution has the potential to provide the UK with local, low cost, clean sources of energy and potential for local energy independence† [7] from a sustainable development viewpoint, this makes for positive reading. If fracking is low cost and a cleaner source of energy, it enables sustainable development. However, looking at the intricacies of fracking, this may not seem the case. For the process to take place, a vast number of resources are needed, and here you look at whether fracking, as an industry, is sustainable. The shale gas industry consumes materials such as water, sand, chemical treatments, drilling fluids, all of which require transport by road and rail. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is the use of water, the volume required is vast, and to sustain that, there must be an infrastructure in place and policies in place to ensure that whilst providing the water to sites, there is no inconvenience to the water flow in the local area and if being transported via tank to the site, this must be done in a way where the environment is put first. If we are looking at this from the standpoint â€Å"what is best for the environment†, surely the question would be, why does the policy not encourage the use of no oil and gas in the UK, because this would be the best policy for the environment. The answer to this would be several factors, mainly economical and convenience, the ecosystems we live with and in are so adept to using those resources, that to prohibiting use would mean that our systems would fail to exist. A middle ground has been established, whereby the environment is somewhat protected and that human needs are met, and this needs to be the case with fracking, whilst there are signs that there are benefits, economically the policy must promote sustainable development. â€Å"History shows us that whenever we can extract fossil fuels, short term gain, usually trumps long- term consequence. Much has been made, on both sides of the argument, of the US experience, but fracking has not found universal welcome. France, for instance, is in the process of banning it, and Poland is currently deciding whether to develop the industry, or concentrate on other forms of energy.† [8] John Allen If there is regulation and procedures in place to negate the downsides, surely a cleaner alternative is beneficial long term.      Regulation of Fracking Now we will be looking at the regulatory framework that is in place for the industry. This section will be split into three parts: 1) An overview of the regulatory framework, 2) Assess and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the frameworks, 3) Consider whether any improvements can be made to the framework, looking at different types of regulation.    Overview of Regulation The Environment Agency (EA) in England and Wales, and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are the environmental regulators who monitor the environmental aspects of shale gas fracking. The key regulation that governs how shale gas fracking operators comply with environmental laws is the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010.[9] Figure 2: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/about-shale-gas-and-hydraulic-fracturing-fracking/developing-shale-oil-and-gas-in-the-uk#regulation The framework that surrounds fracking is one that is quite complex. Companies wanting to explore must have permission from a number of regulatory bodies before they can proceed. In order to explore and produce shale gas, operators must pass rigorous health and safety, environmental and planning permission processes.[10] The first stage is obtaining a Petroleum Exploration and Development License, (PEDL), these are issued by the Oil and Gas Authority. The Oil and Gas Authority work closely with other regulatory partners to ensure that the exploration and development is safe and sustainable. [11] A PEDL obligates companies to follow its terms. Key PEDL terms include: conferral of the right to get petroleum, payment of fees in return, parameters of the field licensed to the operator, obligation to obtain written consent prior to drilling, operator’s obligation to work the licensed area in accordance with ‘good oilfield practice’ and termination and surrender provisions. PEDLS are licenses which grant exclusivity to operators in the license area, they do not give immediate consent for drilling an exploration well or any other operation. Briefing paper After a PEDL has been granted, the operator of the proposed site must then obtain local planning permission from the Minerals Planning Authority, as shale gas operations involve the extraction of minerals. The MPA involves local authorities including representatives from districts and county councils.[12]   Planning applications require the submission of a standard application form, supported by plans and drawings, certificates of ownership relating to the application site and design and access statements. An operator must also negotiate access with landowners. A PEDL and planning permission alone do not give operators consent to conduct their operations, access must be secured by the operator, this tends to be through a license or a lease to be taken that are conditional on the grant of satisfactory planning consent. When a decision is made on a planning application, only planning matters called â€Å"material considerations† can be taken into account. There is no exhaustive list of what constitutes a material planning consideration, although there are some â€Å"principal issues† for consideration, shown in Figure 3 [13] MPA’s are screened to determine whether any proposals require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the Environment Protection Agency an EIA describe this as â€Å"the process by which the anticipated effects on the environment of a proposed development or project are measured.  If the likely effects are unacceptable, design measures or other relevant mitigation measures can be taken to reduce or avoid those effects.†[14] This, however, is a contentious issue, as it’s not clear whether operators are obliged to conduct and EIA and submit an environmental statement under the EU’s EIA Directive[15] to accompany their application. Under the EU law, all projects require an environmental statement, though those under Annex 2 require a case-by-case examination, and considering certain criteria, it is determined that such a project is likely to have significant effects on the environment. Even if an EIA is not required, environmental and health impacts can be addresses through the conditions of planning permission. Mineral Planning Authorities are responsible for ensuring operators comply with these conditions. The MPA, in determining an application, will consider the advice of a variety of statutory consultees with regards to the protection of the environment and the public. Local planning conditions can address the aesthetic impacts, as well as contributions to local noise, traffic and air pollution. The density of local population may be considered in the local planning permission process. There will also be conditions for when operations finish, the operator would be responsible for safe abandonment of the well and for restoring the well-site to its previous state or a suitable condition for re-use. The authority which granted permission would require suitable restoration as a condition of the planning permission. [16] The next part of the regulatory process is that operators will probably require a number of environmental permits issued by the Environment Agency under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations to conduct onshore activities.   The environment agency takes a risk-based approach to regulating, thus the regulation of each site is bespoke to that site, as the they take into account local site characteristics and site specific environmental risks.   The Environment Agency  ensures that any shale gas operations are conducted in a way that protects people and the environment. The Environment Agency’s environmental permitting regulations cover: protecting water resources, including groundwater (aquifers) as well as assessing and approving the use of chemicals which form part of the hydraulic fracturing fluid, appropriate treatment and disposal of mining waste produced during the borehole drilling and hydraulic fracturing process, suitable treatment and management of any naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and disposal of waste gases through flaring.[17]   With regards to water, if operators are wishing to abstract more than 20 cubic meters per day for operational purposes, they will need to obtain a water abstraction license under section 24/24A of the Water Resources Act 1991[18] The licenses are issues by the Environment Agency. A factor to bear in mind here is the Environment Agency make it clear that water availability at site is not â€Å"guaranteed†, this links back to the planning permission stage, as if the operators are unable to have a pipeline, they will have to transport the water to the site, which is expensive, but also, with regards to the environment, transporting tanks of water would be something they would have to consider. Another element to be considered is the element of â€Å"induced seismicity†. The MPAs should consult the British Geological Survey (BGS) to advise on induced seismicity and help to identify suitable locations for well, drawing on a national and site-specific understanding of geology. [19] Under s.23 of the Mining Industry Act 1926[20] â€Å"firm sinking boreholes greater than 100ft (30m) deep must give written notification to the Natural Environmental Research Council. Operators are under several other continuing obligations, such as keeping records of their operations and retain specimen cores. Once the above has been completed, the operator must notify the Health and Safety Executive at least of 21 days in advance of any drilling operations, The Borehile and Operations Regulations 1995[21] require this. A coordinated regulatory effort is required to ensure that shale gas wells are designed, constructed and operated to standards that protect both people and the environment, it must be noted that it only protects those in proximity of sites. HSE monitors shale gas operations from a well integrity and site safety perspective. We oversee that safe working practices are adopted by onshore operators as required under the Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974, and regulations made under the Act. These specifically are: The Borehole Site and Operations Regulations 1995 (BSOR) applies to shale gas operations.   (These regulations are primarily concerned with the health and safety management of the site). The Offshore Installations and Wells (Design and Construction, etc.) Regulations 1996 (DCR)[22] apply to all wells drilled with a view to the extraction of petroleum regardless of whether they are onshore or offshore. (These regulations are primarily concerned with well integrity). HSE works closely with the Environment Agency (EA) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to share relevant information on such activities and to ensure that there are no material gaps between the safety, environmental protection and planning authorisation considerations, and that all material concerns are addressed. [23] Drilling operations must not be commenced unless a health and safety policy is prepared which demonstrates that adequate measure will be taken to safeguard the health and safety of the persons on the site. Once the HSE step is completed, we arrive at one of the final steps in the regulatory process. This is the Oil and Gas Authorities consent to drill. Operators are obliged to seek the OGAs written consent prior to the start of drilling operations. OGA consent is one of the final, and coordinating consents in the shale gas process. In considering whether to issue consent to drill, the OGA will have regard to the suite of regulatory controls discussed above, including ensuring that planning permission is in place, environmental permits and consents have been obtained, and that the HSE has received notice of intention to drill. Planning permission is one of the approvals required before any activity may start on a site. The planning authority decides whether the activity is acceptable at that particular location, after local communities and other interested people have had the opportunity to set out their view on the benefits and impacts of the proposal. On receipt of OGA’s consent to drill, and subject to the finalisation of a hydraulic fracturing plan and agreed method for monitoring induced seismicity (where fracking is going to be conducted), an operator has in place the requisite consents and may continue its operations. This concludes the pre-drilling regulatory framework, there is a duty in place whilst drilling takes place, and as mentioned, conditions are set out for after the drilling process has been completed. Strengths and Weaknesses One of the main strengths with the framework presented above, in my opinion, is that the process to start drilling is so rigorous. There are many steps an operator must take in order to start drilling, this has a lot of cost and time investment necessary, so these rigorous checks and procedures ensure that the operator is competent and ensuring the environmental protection necessary to offset any negative impacts of fracking in the main. Another strength with the framework is the fact that a condition of granting permission to drill, there must be plans in place on how the site will be restored to ensure that it becomes usable land again, showing that the regulation is offering a protection measure. However, it could be argued that there are more weaknesses with the regulation. One of the major ones that comes across with the regulation framework provided above, is one concerning Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). An operator may have to carry out an EIA, if the MPA deem necessary when screening the proposal presented, however, there is no obligation to do so, it only has to happen should the MPA feel it is a necessity in this case.   There isn’t a â€Å"one size all fits† approach here, it’s bespoke. Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) has become best practice in non-shale gas industries[24], however like the EIA, an ERA is not mandatory, an ERA, unlike an EIA would assess not only the impacts of hazards, but also their likelihood. In their report, the Royal Society recommended[25], that to manage environmental risks, an Environmental Risk Assessment should be mandatory for all shale gas operations, involving the participation of local communities at the earliest possible opportunity. I would agree with this statement, an EIA and ERA should be a mandatory step, for all potential operators and cases of fracking, not just some, it should be a universal requirement when applying to drill for shale gas. In her Article, Emily Gosden writes that the Fracking Regulations may inadequate, with regards to climate change[26]. From the regulation mentioned above, it does not tackle issues such as climate change in much depth, whilst it looks at environmental factors, it seems that this isn’t the most pressing matter on the agenda. The article reports that Britain’s fracking regulations may be inadequate to prevent environmentally damaging methane leaks, and that the current regulatory regime fell short of the minimum necessary standards. [27] Prof Jim Skea, one of the report’s authors, said that the law instead gave â€Å"quite a lot of discretion† to the Environment Agency (EA) over what monitoring it would require of future shale gas production. Here, I would agree, the EA can often be quite vague when it comes to these matters, an example mentioned above would be the water abstraction licenses requirement, the EA are very vague when it comes to a definitive answer. This could be something that could be further considered. Another weakness in my opinion is that the current framework at present, isn’t very environment focused, and even if it is, a lot of the environmental factors aren’t factors that are mandatory for operators or regulators to take into account, as already mentioned, the EIA not being mandatory is one part. The regulation does not look at in enough detail issues such as climate change, air pollution, water pollution, and other means of contamination, these factors should be of more importance when coming to regulate the shale gas industry, yes, they may be considered, but even that at best is brief. Alternate Proposals The current framework that has been looked at in this report can be seen to be rigorous in the main, there are a number of steps an operator must take before being able to start the process. The current framework could be seen as being on the â€Å"heavier side† of regulation, and in the brief, a theory was posited that there be a lighter touch on regulation, in this section, we will look at whether this can be the case, and if so, how can it be the case.    With regards to regulation, there are two approaches that can be taken. There is Direct Regulation, which can often be referred to as â€Å"the command and control† regime, this is where standards are set, as are penalties for failing to meet them, there are often several ways of drafting direct regulation. [28] The other approach is Indirect Regulation. Whereas direct regulations focus on the polluting activity itself, indirect regulation tends to centre on economic instruments, the effect of which will be to impose higher burdens on higher polluters, there is also self-regulating, whereby you can apply methods such as voluntary environmental agreements and codes of conducts to regulate. These systems tend to have vague standards and are flexible and non-interventionist in their nature. We will look at whether we stay with a command and control approach adopted, or would a self-regulating approach be more effective in this situation. Before we start that, we will briefly look at whether the current framework we have looked at is effective in its purpose, however looking at the effectiveness of the framework is an area where one struggles as in the UK, we are not at the stages where there is mass production of shale gas, we are merely at the early exploratory stages of the process. The only real working example is the Cuadrilla site as mentioned at the start of this report. Though some regulation, such as the induced seismicity was introduced because of that site. Self-regulating such an industry seems impractical considering the disadvantages mentioned earlier in the report. Simon Sneddon writes that this method of regulation is more flexible than the traditional command and control methods, and this method is non-interventionist in nature and that these methods are criticised for having vague standards and for being unaccountable, and there is no realistic enforcement system. This, as a regulation method would not work with an industry such as fracking. An industry where there are many impacts both environmental and economic and as such a framework of command and control would be better suited, there is a set of rules, or steps put in place and there are penalties and fines for operators should they fail to abide. This is very similar to the current framework in place. The risks that fracking entails, it would be a uncertain approach to have a light touch to regulation. However, when there is more data to analyse once further fracking takes place, it may be the case that we could adopt a self-regulating framework or one that is lighter than the one in place, but until then, the current â€Å"command and control† framework is one that is effective and sufficient for use. Conclusion The regulation in place at present is several steps that an operator must take before they are able to drill for shale gas. The procedure is one that is described as rigorous and upon evaluation this seems to be the case, though as mentioned when looking at alternatives, there is no way of knowing how effective the regulation is in the UK, until there are more working examples of fracking. [i] [1] Bbccouk,  What is fracking and why is it controversial?   (BBC News,  16 December 2015)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [2] Bgs,  Potential environmental considerations associated with shale gas  (Bgsacuk,  0)  accessed 10 May 2017 [3] Michael Marshall,  How fracking caused earthquakes in the UK  (New Scientist,  2 November 2011)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [4] Ibid 3 [5] Steve Last,  The pros and cons of fracking in the UK and why you need to know about them  (Lowimpactorg,  14 October 2016)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [6] DrGareth Evans,  Fracking: Truly Sustainable?  (Sustainablebuildcouk,  16 Dec 2016)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [7] Allen John,  Fracking: believe the hype for a sustainable UK energy market  (The Guardian,  22 January 2014 )  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [8] Ibid 6 [9] Hsegovuk,  The regulation of onshore unconventional oil and gas exploration (shale gas)  (Hsegovuk,  0)  accessed 10 May 2017 [10] Govuk,  Guidance on Fracking: Developing shale gas in the UK  (Wwwgovuk,  13 January 2017)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [11] Govuk,  Guidance on Fracking: Developing shale gas in the UK  (Wwwgovuk,  13 January 2017)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [12] Society, T. (2012).  Shale gas extraction in the UK: A review of hydraulic fracturing. [13] Briefing Paper Number 6073 on Shale Gas and Fracking – House of Commons Library [14] Wwwepaie,  Environmental Impact Assessment   (Wwwepaie,  0)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [15] Directive 2011/92/EU [16] Department of Energy and Climate Change – Fracking UK Shale: Regulation and Monitoring – February 2014 [17] Govuk,  Guidance on Fracking: Developing shale gas in the UK  (Wwwgovuk,  13 January 2017)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 [18] Water Resources Act 1991 [19] Ibid 7 [20] Mining Industry Act 1926 [21] Borehile and Operations Regulations 1995 [22] The Offshore Installations and Wells (Design and Constructions, etc.) Regulations 1996 [23] Hsegovuk,  The regulation of onshore unconventional oil and gas exploration (shale gas)  (Hsegovuk,  0)  accessed 10 May 2017 [24] Contribution from Professor Simon Pollard, Head of Department, Environmental Science and Technology, Cranfield University [25] Society, T. (2012).  Shale gas extraction in the UK: A review of hydraulic fracturing. [26] E Gosden, ‘Fracking regulations inadequate’ The Telegraph (7 July 2016) accessed 10 May 2017 [27] ibid 20 [28] Simon Sneddon,  Environmental Law  (2ND edn,  Pearson  2015)  54-61 [i] Bibliography Websites http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14432401 http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/energy/shaleGas/environmentalImpacts.html https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21120-how-fracking-caused-earthquakes-in-the-uk/ http://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/unconventional-gas.htm https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/about-shale-gas-and-hydraulic-fracturing-fracking/developing-shale-oil-and-gas-in-the-uk#regulation https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/about-shale-gas-and-hydraulic-fracturing-fracking/developing-shale-oil-and-gas-in-the-uk#regulation http://www.epa.ie/monitoringassessment/assessment/eia/ http://www.hse.gov.uk/offshore/unconventional-gas.htm Steve Last,  The pros and cons of fracking in the UK and why you need to know about them  (Lowimpactorg,  14 October 2016)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 DrGareth Evans,  Fracking: Truly Sustainable?  (Sustainablebuildcouk,  16 Dec 2016)  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 Allen John,  Fracking: believe the hype for a sustainable UK energy market  (The Guardian,  22 January 2014 )  Ã‚  accessed 10 May 2017 Directives Directive 2011/92/EU Reports Society, T. (2012).  Shale gas extraction in the UK: A review of hydraulic fracturing. Contribution from Professor Simon Pollard, Head of Department, Environmental Science and Technology, Cranfield University E Gosden, ‘Fracking regulations inadequate’ The Telegraph (7 July 2016) accessed 10 May 2017 Department of Energy and Climate Change – Fracking UK Shale: Regulation and Monitoring – February 2014 Briefing Paper Number 6073 on Shale Gas and Fracking – House of Commons Library Acts Water Resources Act 1991 Mining Industry Act 1926 Borehile and Operations Regulations 1995 The Offshore Installations and Wells (Design and Constructions, etc.) Regulations 1996 Books Simon Sneddon,  Environmental Law  (2ND edn,  Pearson  2015)  54-61 Misc. PowerPoints and Notes from Lectures.