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THE GLA AND MAYOR ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
THE GLA AND MAYOR ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
Introduction
London as a city globally is famous for its entrepreneurship, style, dynamism and diversity. The Greatest London Authority or GLA is an important body for administration enacted in 2000 through a referendum in Greater London. The body has an administrative Mayor directly nominated by 25 members, having a staff of approximately 700 individuals in addition, to their inspection powers.
The regulatory bodies within the city get most of their powers from the GLA acts namely the 1999 and 2007 acts (Greater London Authority, 2006). These administrative privileges extend to several sectors that include the policing, transport, economic development policing and the emergency and fire planning aspects of the great city.
For efficiency within the GLA, four active bodies were created to offer the above-mentioned areas support. These sectors include the London transport sector, London fire and emergency planning authority, London development agency and the London metropolitan police authority. The government, aside from the cash, attained through tax, funds this body in terms of resources.
Duties of the Mayor and GLA
As initially stated Internationally, London is considered as a great city, therefore, for the wellbeing of its people to be observed, GLA under the directives of the Mayor was given various roles, which could guarantee the smooth running of things within the city.
In a broader perspective, the GLA has a central administrative role for the whole city. More accurately, its main function is the coordination of the city’s administrative body. In addition, similar local powers that are given to the thirty-two London council’s boroughs and the City of London Corporation are found within the administrative body (Greater London Authority, 2007).
The mayor has powers and is tasked with the responsibility of devising strategic plans that affect all areas of the greater city. To be more exact, the Mayor has about five main roles. He prepares and presents the budget to the Assembly for discussion; he also settles the London strategic directives by formulating policies and strategies for the whole city. He also represents the city both internationally and locally. He is still responsible for making appointments to organs that he governs. Lastly, he controls the actions during implementation and planning with other GLA related group (Dow, 2009).
Recently enacted environmental strategies
London, according to the Mayor aims to be seen as one of the best cities both abroad and locally mainly in terms of improving the environment. He plans to achieve this objective by effectively controlling pollution, mitigating impact of climate change, implementing strategies that foresee less consumption of resources and creating an economy that embraces low carbon emission (Andrew, Duncan, Jessica & James, 2008)
To achieve this, the Mayor has proposed various strategies or policies to handle the above-environmental challenges. Enacting policies that mitigate the greenhouse emissions within the greater city mostly make up the first aspects of the plan. In a 2009 survey done by Dow, an approximate 75 percent of the global energy is used within cities and in addition, an estimate 80.5 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions globally happen within these cities. In the UK, London alone contributes to up to 79.9 percent, which accounts for about 44 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide. Key factors that are predicted to skyrocket this figure include the population increase and the economic growth over the coming years.
Therefore, emission of the Carbon Dioxide reduction is a top priority for the city’s management team. Within the city of London, Carbon Dioxide emission by 2025 is predicted to have reduced by an approximate 65 percent. This is achievable mainly through improving energy efficiency, increase of supply efficiency and renewable energy resources development (Greater London Authority, 2010).
The London climate change strategy is the second initiative (Greater London Authority, 2010). This initiative centralizes among three areas: what and who are currently at risk within the city. How the climate alterations will influence the risks of flood, drought and heat wave and lastly the action explanations that are relevant to manage the problem and those responsible for it. Scientists claim that England would be experiencing drier, hotter summers as well as winters that are wetter. London is thus, expected to experience floods, as well as droughts in the near future.
In this effect, policies have been enacted mainly as a precaution measure to handle the problem. The Drain London Forum, for example, is tasked with the role of recognizing areas at risk as well as initiatives of handling such issues. Many scholars agree that this is a visionary plan, and it will help the city with the strategies implementation in case of need because environmental conditions are changing fast. These climatic effects, in fact, are already being felt in some parts of the world; therefore, in this regard London in the near future is expected to experience floods and droughts. To this effect, the city’s management teams have implemented policies as mitigation measures for the problems.
In relation to the environment, the Mayor passed the waste recycling policy, according to the 2008 study by Andrew, Duncan, Jessica and James, these plans yearly are expected to save about 90 pounds for the city, mainly through the recently enacted waste reduction measures. Study points out that, in London an approximate fifty-five tonnes of waste are produced daily and annually an estimated twenty tones.
The city has two main ways of reducing its waste that is through the municipal waste management, policy implementation and the business waste strategy (Greater London Authority, 2010). Towards this, objective foundations are already established. For example, policies in the London plan have ascertained that the waste reduction within the city is achieved under the stipulated durations. Some of the goals described within the plan include view of London’s waste management as attainable, promotion initiatives aimed at waste management, which would lead to attaining the possible environmental benefits in terms of determining new compositing and repressing objectives. Through such programs, it is believed that London will be better for its citizens by reducing the cost of managing waste and waste reduction within the country.
The mayor of London also has environmental plans that touch on the city’s air quality. He tries to make the city clean as well as incorporates green cleaning within the place. The bold initiatives mainly center on ensuring air pollution is of quality within the city environs. Some of these initiatives affect policies that influence transport sectors, which significantly share of air pollution within the city. These will include funds investments to guarantee the success of the strategies. One such policy aimed at enhancing air quality is the London fleet bus cleaning to confirm the Euro Iv emission standards for NOx and PM10(Dow, 2009).
Lastly, GLA has ranked water conservation as one of its main priorities in developing a suitable habitat for the city dwellers. In a speech, the Mayor once stated that in relation to water the creation of an environment, that meets the levels of protection and perseverance is a right for its citizens. In addition, he stated that this is achievable if the city water resources are protected. However, he agrees that, mainly due to increased population and the climatic effects attaining this initiative can be challenging for the city.
From this perspective, the first plan mainly focuses on the citizen’s use of water. Supply management according to the mayor is attainable through efficient water use, reducing water loss, development of water resources that least affect climate and use of reclaimed water. The second policy centralizes on encouraging the citizens to learn on how to store water efficiently for future use. Water disposal is at the core of the third mayoral policy. Wastewater according to the (2006) GLA guidelines should be disposed of on a combined or foul sewer respectively. Water usage within the city; have significantly been affected by the three policies. People have lately learnt on the relevance of water preservation, mainly thanks to the GLA based initiatives.
Review of the gap between different aspects of the policy
Noticeably the impacts of the recently enacted policies by the mayor are yet to be noticed. In an overview, there seems to be a distance between public policy, policy as well as general practices among the public. For a start for these initiatives to be fully initiated, there is a need for many resources. For example, to achieve carbon dioxide reduction by 60 percent by 2025, an approximate 60 million pounds in needed for the proposed policies implementation. The GLA believes the government will help by offering some form of financial aid, which will allow this administrative body to attain its initial objectives (Greater London Authority, 2009). It is not certain however that the central government will provide the extra help to progress the plan. This has been one of the key factors on why some of the strategies are yet to be started. Lack of enough public awareness on the environment is yet another reason that inhibits the policies. The body, therefore, has a lot to do if it aims to achieve the overall positive goals as stipulated. Through the awareness, the public will, inevitably be taught to be responsible for their actions in relation to their surroundings. As such, the lawmakers will have full backing of the public in conducting their work.
Technologically London is without a doubt one of the most advanced, however, in terms of implementing these policies a lot is still needed, and it will need a good amount f money pumped in to attain or rather achieve the required technology. For example, according to the mayor, electric vehicles will be made to mitigate emission of carbon dioxide; in addition, all new and already constructed homes within the city should be made to be water and energy efficient. Enough study should, therefore, be done to establish how effectively to implement the said policies based on the current available technology to reduce or mitigate costs that technology will incur.
Lastly, it is evident that in the recent years the living standards of the citizens within the city has improved, and it is expected to continue like that. However, it should be pointed out that there are still discrepancies in many sectors of life that influence particular aspects of the citizen’s lives and there is a probability that the situation would continue.
Opinions concerning priorities and a particular policy
As far as the mayor’s city priorities are, concerned different people have given divergent versions. For example, some people concur that the actions are useful but other things should be prioritized as compared to implementation of some policies related to the environment. For example, of late, creations of more jobs have to be prioritized as the standards of living increase. It is believed that for the well-being and a better future for the people of the city, its development should go concurrently with the environments preservation. Environmental developments, therefore, should stress as compared to initiatives in other areas. For example, most people agree that environmental policies development should be prioritized in comparison to initiatives in other areas. For example, many people agree that air pollution is evidently one of the main environmental issues in the city. The strategies, therefore, has been taken by the mayor and his team to address this issue, it will have a major effect in the lives of the City residents.
The Mayor and GLA effectiveness on the environment issues
Despite the challenges and failures the Mayor and the GLA have experienced, it can be said that these body has been sufficient in its main objective of addressing key issues associated to the environment. For example, some of the strategies initially proposed are already implemented. For example, the London Sustainable Development Commission is already doing the making of London as an international point of reference by the year 2020. Even though the initiative to prevent the high pollution of vehicles within the city was extended in less than two years in 2010, some of the initiatives that will enable carbon emission reduction are already in effect.
Project-5-done
PROJECT 5
Visit the Center for Cave and Karst Studies (http://caveandkarst.wku.edu/). Discuss dye tracing. Discuss recent media reports of SINKHOLES in FLORDIA. Mention or briefly discuss the activities of the FLORDIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY pertinent to sinkholes in that state.
Dye tracing refers to trailing of numerous movements of liquids using dye added to liquid in question with the main reason of analyzing the flow of the liquid and delineate areas that do not contribute to springs and wells. Dye tracing will show the time a given porous fluid it will use to travel and can be estimated. The components with slower flow will be deposited near their contributing areas like springs, well Dye tracing can be qualitative in that it detects the presence and estimate of a particular flow; it’s also quantitative since the amount of the outlined dye is measured in special appliances.in recent years fluorescent tracers are being used due to new and enhanced systematic techniques and also because of high demand of generated data. Tracers are mainly used by government agencies, cavers, and also developers.
In recent years, sinkholes have posed a very serious threat to the residents of Florida. Since 2010 the media has reported more than 296 sinkholes in the area. We have some real life examples about the same. On February 2013 a sinkhole opened under the bedroom of Jeff Bush in Tampa, Florida and his body has never been recovered.
In august 2013 a 20 meter wide sinkhole made a resort near Disney to collapse geological survey say that more than 80 percent of sinkholes in the country are caused by man activities.in 2011 two people died while drilling water well. Geology survey shows that sinkholes form due to the dissolving of the carbonate bedrock which is beneath Florida .the bedrock under Florida is mainly carbonate according to geologist most of sinkholes are caused by human activities such as water well drilling and other mining activities.
Go to www.GEOLOGY.COM to research recent issues related to sinkholes in USA. In general, how do most or many HOME INSURANCE policies address sinkholes?
Sinkholes have come with several other issues which affect human life .One of the main issues is the contamination of ground water which has the supply of main drinking water. Some people have taken sinkholes to be storm drains or dumping site which contributes to making the drinking water unsafe for human consumption. Sinkholes might as well lead to flooding. Sinkholes lead to lose of life and damages property. Due to many claims for insurance coverage to households which are affected by sinkholes the insurance body does not have adequate resources to cover all the claims. Formation of sinkholes may lead to the change of course of rivers and streams due to changing topography.
Most of insurance policy covers damages caused by sinkholes. These insurance policies cover preventive measures to ensure that structures are not severely damaged by sinkholes
Briefly describe the two (2) major earth science programs of the each of following governmental agencies:
USGS: www.usgs.gov
Oceanology involves the study of all the things found in ocean environment. Ocean covers more than 70 percentage of earth surface. There are some new technologies that help us to study the depth of ocean.
Climatology is the study of weather patterns. It is also referred to meteorology.
Geology is a branch of earth science that deals with study of all solid matter which makes up the earth. This may include rock and minerals and other solid materials.
U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE): http://www.boemre.gov/
Oceanography
This is a branch of earth science that deals with the study of oceans including water composition ,living organisms and depths
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Coastal & Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL): http://chl.erdc.usace.army.mil/
Permafrost involves the study of a thick layer of soil below the earth’s surface that is frozen through the year which is mainly found on the polar region.
Planetary geology is the study of celestial bodies such as planets, moon, comets, meteorites and asteroids.
Project2
HW 2
UMUC CCJS 321
Insert Name
Insert DateWhat permissions/authorities should you have before you search Mr. Yourprop’s former Company work area, and how would you document that authority?
Despite Mr. Yourprop being a former employee and the fact that Mr. Yourprop did not sign the papers allowing for a personal search, his former work area would need authority before searching. As an Information specialist it would be important to recognize that all digital evidence collected to be admissible in a court of law must have the necessary court backing. In the book, “Electronic evidence and Discovery: What every Lawyer should know Now,” the authors indicate that standard procedure is that it is upon the court to determine whether there is reason enough for a search to be conducted and whether the search would give any insight (Lange & Nimsger, 2009). Thus, a warrant from a court to the technology consultants would be the necessary document to show the authority. The court through its search warrant order would be needed for there to be any legality to search Mr. Yourprop’s former area and use it in the same court of law.
(Looking at the photo of Mr. Yourprop’s work area, provided for Project 2 in the Course Content area) Identify three (3) potential items of digital evidence you see in the photo. For EACH item of digital evidence you identified, explain what potential use that item would be to your investigation
The Thumb Drive: The thumb drive would be a good source of digital evidence. For instance, the thumb drive may contain different types of data. For instance, the thumb drive may possess bookkeeping data such as QuickBooks. The presence of a QBW file extension in the thumb drive can saw if multiple set of books were maintained.
The Western Digital Hard disk could also serve as a source for digital evidence. Similar to the thumb drive, the Western Digital Hard disk could also be used to check for multiplicity in the set of data that was contained. According Casey (2002) in the article journal “Error, uncertainty and loss in digital evidence,” asserts that during the collection process, the external hard disk could be used to store any images on the may be obtained from the original hard disk. All the data in the hard disk needs to be extracted and saved under new folders such as the investigational file (Casey, 2002). The process of extraction of files from the hard disk can be undertaken through the disk swipe utility option. As part of the collection process from hard disk, there should be duplicity or imaging of the hard disk. Some software such as “Encase” would help in this process of duplicity. The only caution that should be taken is ensuring that the duplicity does not over write the original data.
The Voice recorder is the final piece of digital evidence. The voice recorder can contain audio data that could be evidence. Any set of voice data that was contained or obtained through the voice recorder can be decoded to prove for any violation by Mr. Yourprop. The evidence in the voice recorder should be collected in a manner that obeys the “best evidence rule” whereby an original is kept for accuracy and authentication.
Looking at the photo of Mr. Yourprop’s work area, provided for Project 2 in the Course Content area) Identify three (3) potential items of non-digital evidence you see in the photo. For EACH item of non-digital evidence you identified, explain what potential use that item would be to your investigation AND how you would collect that item as evidence.
The first non-digital evidence item is the “NASA notebook.” The notebook clearly belongs to Mr. Yourprop and maybe a clear indication of the wrong intentions. In the collection process, first is the taking of close up photographs of the book without touching the book. In case contact has to be made, it should be with the use of hand gloves that will not tamper with DNA or fingerprint evidence. After photos are taken, the book should be taken and place in an evidence sample bag and labeled clearly (Lange & Nimsger, 2009).
The sticky notes from the yellow loose pad are the other source of non-digital evidence. There are two sticky notes that may contain written data over the same. First, the sticky note contains information about the Blackberry forwarding service that could be a get-away plan for Mr. Yourprop. This would be excellent for the evidence team.
The other sticky note contains written data about how he would transfer the information from the source hard disk to the target hard disk. This is non-digital evidence that can be utilized by all in the investigation team. This sticky note contains the serial number of the hard disk that contains the information that is labeled as source and also the serial number of the target hard disk called the target. This is information to prove that information was meant to be transferred.
An interview with Maria would also be important as a non-digital evidence source. Since Maria is has been implicated by Mr. Yourprop in his notebook, an interview with Maria regarding digital evidence would be prudent. Mr. Yourprop was to inquire about “safe keeping” from Maria so it will prove to be vital information.
The challenge with non-digital evidence is the easy tendency to be destroyed without adequate backup. Digital evidence that may be sourced from the thumb drives and hard disks can be backed up and store in investigational files. However, non-digital evidence such as the note books cannot be backed up.
(Looking at the Evidence Custody Document and item photographs, provided for Project 2 in the Course Content area) Read the Evidence Custody Document prepared by one of your co-workers, in which he is attempting to seize the three items pictured in the accompanying photos. Did your co-worker adequately describe each item? What could you add to the descriptions, and for which items (based on what you see in the photos), to make them more complete and serve as an example to your co-worker of what they SHOULD look like?
On the evidence/property custody department there are some important parts that are missing as part of the description of the items.
On the Western Digital hard disk that is seized, there is missing information such as the serial number of the hard disk. The document only contains the name of the hard disk and the description. However, the information provided could apply for any hard disk from the company. The serial number is what would set apart the evidential hard disk from any other. The serial number is unique to each product manufactured (Kerr, 2005). There is also missing information about the perceived working condition of the hard disk and a general description of its state.
The Voice recorder too is missing vital information. There is only a description of its color and size. There is no indication of its state or working condition. Most importantly would be the inclusion of the serial number of the voice recorder. This information is also missing. Since the voice recorder contains a port for a memory card, it would be important to describe whether there was a memory card found or not. The exact model of the voice recorder is also not mentioned yet it would be important for the duty.
How should the items you collected as evidence be stored in your evidence room. Describe any environmental conditions or concerns for your evidence room (digital evidence can require some unique considerations!), as well any security procedures that should be in place.
Storage of digital evidence is very critical to any process. If poor storage of the digital evidence is undertaken, then the good collection techniques that were undertaken would be futile and useless. The first respondent is usually very important in the storage process. First should be adequate measures that ensure that digital evidence is properly documented in the inventory book. According to each collection agency, there is usually proper documentation of all digital evidence that is brought into their possession. Therefore, inventory management is the first important step (Lange & Nimsger, 2009).
The storage condition is the other critical step. It is important to store any digital evidence in a secure environment. A secure environment means that the environment should be free from theft and burglary. The most important environment is, however, the climatic conditions. No adverse climatic conditions should be placed on the digital evidence material due to the sensitivity of the data. The storage area should also be free from electromagnetic elements since they also adversely interfere with the data quality. Other material that may also interfere with data is moisture and dust.
References
Casey, E. (2002). Error, uncertainty, and loss in digital evidence. International Journal of Digital Evidence, 1(2), 1-45.
Kerr, O. (2005). Digital evidence and the new criminal procedure. L.Rev., 279.
Lange, M., & Nimsger, K. (2009). Electronic evidence and Discovery: What every Lawyer should know Now. Chicago: American Bar Association.