A Triple Bottom Line Analysis of Malta Essay

1.Introduction The Republic of Malta is located in the Mediterranean Sea. It is an independent country, which includes the islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino, covering an area of 316 square kilometres. The Republic of Malta has a population of 417,617 (National Statistics, Demographic Review 2010) most of who live on the island of Malta. Appendix 1 shows that tourism in Malta started to grow in the late 1960’s with visitor numbers increasing from 47,804 in 1965 to 334,519 by 1975. By 1980 visitors numbers were up to 728,732, with the tourism industry aimed at attracting the mass market. (Lockhart, 1997) The latest tourist numbers stand at 1.3 million. (National Statistics, Tourist Departures, 2010) As with many Mediterranean islands Malta’s tourism has been historically focused on mass tourism, sun, sea and sand package holidays resulting in the neglect of historical cultural and environmental impacts. (Dodds, 2007) The rapid development of tourism in Malta combined with the high number of seasonal visitors has lead to number of impacts. These impacts can be accessed using the triple bottom line approach developed by John Elkington in reference to the economic, social and environmental impacts. (Elkington, 1997) 2.Issues When identifying the issues that Malta is facing, the principles of the Cape Town Declaration, Agenda 21 and the context of Responsible Tourism have been used as point of reference as well as a number of official reports, including the State of the Environment Reports (2002, 1998 and 2005 and Malta’s National Report to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (2002). On the basis of this research the following issues have been identified. 2.1Economic Issues 2.1.1Pressure on the island infrastructure The rapid development of the tourism industry in Malta has resulted in insufficient consideration and planning being given to the country’s infrastructure. Malta is a small island, yet its infrastructure, as previously mentioned now has to support its own population and the 1.3 million tourists. Despite the growing numbers of tourists, inadequate investment into the country’s infrastructure is still not in place. This is a common issue in many resorts; infrastructures are unable to cope with the intensity of tourist visitation at peak periods of the year (Mathieson and Wall 1982) Malta’s roads are of poor condition. With congestion, noise and air pollution being an issue. The water supply, waste management, beaches and visitor attractions are stretched to capacity in the summer months each year when visitor numbers are at their peak. 2.1.2Seasonality of visitors Tourism in Malta is very seasonal, with the majority of incoming tourists arriving in the May to October period. In 2005, 68.4% of tourists arrived during these months, with 47.8% arriving during the months of July and September. (Appendix 2 shows Malta’s Tourist Departures 2001-2005) This shows that tourist densities in Malta are very high during the peak season. In recent years the total number of tourists amounted to almost three times as much as the resident population. (Briguglio and Briguglio, 1996) 2.2Social Issues 2.2.1Employment Malta’s tourism industry operates 12 months of the year; the seasonality causes issues for the Maltese citizens as employment within the tourism sector in not full time. High tourist densities As previously mentioned, Malta has a densely populated country. The influx of visitors who arrive during the busy peak season, cause overcrowding and congestion, putting increased pressure on the already strained infrastructure. This creates discomfort for the local residents. (Briguglio and Briguglio, 1996) as they are unable to use the local transport, visit places of interest or go to the beach. Damage to historical places is caused through frequent visitor numbers with many of the important locations being in a state of decay 2.3Environmental Issues 2.3.1Rapid increase in building work Building of tourist accommodation in Malta has increased at a very rapid rate as a result of intensive development in certain areas (Briguglio and Briguglio, 1996). High rise concrete hotels have replaced the traditional Maltese houses, losing local culture and character. The increased construction work and development of the tourism industry as had a negative impact on the environment, as not enough commitment has been shown to the protection of the important habitats. The quarrying itself has an environmental impact, land degradation and dust pollution. The waste products left after construction, such as rubble, are not currently recycled, and are often dumped. (A Sustainable Development Strategy for the Maltese Islands, 2006) Also most of the buildings are not energy efficient, causing wasted energy and increased co2. Renewable energy has not been incorporated into many of the properties. 2.3.2Waste The sewage network in Malta is heavily taxed by the native population alone. (Briguglio and Briguglio, 1996). The high number of tourists increases this problem. This has had several knock-on effects including foul smells; bays having to be closed for swimming due to sewage pollution, degradation of flora and fauna as well as damage to the coastal and marine life. Certain areas of Malta remain characterised by high levels of littering and dumping. (www.mepa.org.mt/ter08-resources+waste). 2.3.3Water Freshwater remains a scare national resource in Malta, particularly during the peak summer months due to the increased population density and arid climate. (www.mepa.org.mt/ter08-freshwater). Hotels use large amounts of water for swimming pools and watering gardens, which adds further pressure to the limited supply. Malta has a high dependence on desalinated water, which is expensive to produce both from an economic and environmental point of view. Leakages from the distribution network are a problem as is the quality of the drinking water. 3Priorities The main issues identified by the triple bottom line analysis of Malta are with the rapid development of the mass tourism sun, sea and sand market, consideration was not given to the country’s infrastructure. Future planning had not been put in place as to how the country would deal with high numbers of visitors during the summer months, and what environmental effects this would have on the country. The priorities focus on the issues which need to be addressed. 3.1 Investment in infrastructure Tourism is important to Malta’s economy, it is therefore of the upmost importance that the infrastructure is improved, so that it is able to handle growing visitor numbers. Upgrade of the roads is necessary; if the roads were in improved, it would reduce the congestion and noise problem, making the visitor experience better as well as being a much needed improvement for the local people. 3.2 Development of tourism product during the off peak season Malta currently depends heavily on the summer mass-tourism sun, sea and sand market. During the summer its visitor numbers are reaching capacity. Attention needs to be given to reducing seasonality through further development, education and marketing of the other facilities and attractions that Malta have to offer, encouraging existing summer visitors and potential new visitors to stay during off-peak season. This would benefit the local economy and the local people through full time employment, if the visitor numbers are spread throughout the year, local people would also not have the issue with overcrowding of local attractions. Finally the natural resources would also be better off if demand during the summer was less. 3.3 Water and waste improvements Water supply and waste management systems need to be addressed The sewerage system needs to be addressed, currently most of effluents into the marine environment, which continues to have a detrimental effect on the environment as well as health threats to people using the sea. Littering, noise, clean water, lack of greenery and open spaces are among the factors that have an impact of Malta’s natural heritage and negatively influence the competitiveness of the overall Maltese product. If these matters are improved the experience for the tourist would be enhanced and the quality of life of the Maltese people would be enriched.  Both are essential to sustain the current tourism industry, and looking forward, these systems need to be invested in, if the tourism industry is to continue to grow. 4.Conclusion Mass tourism cannot continue in Malta, as it has in other Mediterranean destinations, who have more space and resources to support such visitor numbers. Maltese Tourism must find a balance between increased tourism numbers with the needs of the local residents and the environment, so going forward it becomes more sustainable. Creating better places for people to live in and for people to visit. (The Cape Town Declaration, 2002).

You Are Never Too Old to Do Anything

You are never too old to do anything People that think that elderly people are too old to do the things which the younger generation are quite capable to do are guilty of both; lack of conviction and uncertainty. Long-standing people are just as capable as we are of fulfilling their dreams and living the way that they want to live due to them being more experienced than us in life for which they know more than the younger generation. Undoubtedly, there will be differing opinions from their family members and from the people that care about them about this issue.However, taking the movie Rocky as an example, it was is clearly obvious how outstandingly well talented boxer he was for which he returned in the ring and became a role model for the younger generation looking up to him. Do you think that elderly people are too old to do anything? Furthermore, aged people are not to be doubted on as they have worked harder than us at our age to achieve what they have achieved. This portrays t he determination that elderly people have to achieve their targets and that if they are given a chance they can do unexpected things with their will power.Conversely, it could be bad for their health as well due to their age, as they are getting older their health is becoming a very essential factor because old people’s bones and functions in the body are becoming weaker day by day. As well as that, as you get older your body takes time to respond to new things differently and takes time to adapt. Therefore, there are positive and negative sides to old people doing things that people think that is harmful for them.Moreover, Fauja Singh for example is known as a veteran because he is 101 years old and is continuously participating in marathons and getting past the finish line in 6 hours which he wants to beat to break the record. This portrays the commitment and determination old aged people have when they set themselves a target, in addition, it also demonstrates that when ol d aged men keep fit they can achieve anything they want. In July 2012, Fauja Singh carried the Olympic torch which is a great achievement for a very old man; aged people need a sense of accomplishment to keep them going and also to keep them occupied rather than sitting at home.Obviously, there would have been downfalls to earn this achievement but the accomplishment in the end outweighs the downfalls. On the other hand, other people may be against old people trying to achieve unthinkable goals because they want to give the younger generation a chance. When old people do unthinkable things they are all over the news for doing it due to which the younger generations will get less popularity, they are then compared to veterans. However, when old people return from retirement to do what they want to do, they enjoy doing it for which they maintain a good health and sound mind to improve furthermore.A living example right now for this is a famous football player called Paul Scholes. Neve rtheless, there are some others who might be against this because they think that elderly people are not capable of doing what they want to do anymore therefore they try keep them away from it so that they don’t get harmed or get a critical illness which is very likely as you get old. Caring for your elders is a very superior thing to do and it is understandable but if you really worry about your elders then you should encourage them to do what they want to do.Then again, if older people get a long term injury in doing what they want to do then it will cause a lot of pain not only for the aged person but also to his/her family. After all he/she has responsibilities to fulfil as well, therefore, it is really hard for the old aged people to return doing what they love doing because of their everyday jobs and their family which they now have to look after whether it’s a male or a female they both share equal responsibilities. As a result, if a long term injury occurs then all of these factors can’t be put aside.Alternatively, injuries happen to everyone whether the person is young or old so you can’t stop doing something just because of the risks it has for the reason that everything has risks. To conclude, old people need to motivated and encouraged to do what they want to do because an elder doing something, even just participating, gives them a sense of accomplishment which is better than sitting at home depressed. I am aware of the risks of physical injuries and internal damages that may occur but no one should give up on doing something before trying.These elders can inspire the younger generation at the end of the day, therfore; I think elderly people should be motivated in doing what they want to do. 6 5 4 3 2 1 To conclude, old people need to motivated and encouraged to do what they want to do because an elder doing something, even just participating, gives them a sense of accomplishment which is better than sitting at home dep ressed. I am aware of the risks of physical injuries and internal damages that may occur but no one should give up on doing something before trying.These elders can inspire the younger generation at the end of the day, therefore; I think elderly people should be motivated in doing what they want to do. Then again, if older people get a long term injury in doing what they want to do then it will cause a lot of pain not only for the aged person but also to his/her family. After all he/she has responsibilities to fulfil as well, therefore, it is really hard for the old aged people to return doing what they love doing because of their everyday jobs and their family which they now have to look after whether it’s a male or a female they both share equal responsibilities.As a result, if a long term injury occurs then all of these factors can’t be put aside. Alternatively, injuries happen to everyone whether the person is young or old so you can’t stop doing something j ust because of the risks it has for the reason that everything has risks. On the other hand, other people may be against old people trying to achieve unthinkable goals because they want to give the younger generation a chance. When old people do unthinkable things they are all over the news for doing it due to which the younger generations will get less popularity, they are then compared to veterans.However, when old people return from retirement to do what they want to do, they enjoy doing it for which they maintain a good health and sound mind to improve furthermore. A living example right now for this is a famous football player called Paul Scholes. Nevertheless, there are some others who might be against this because they think that elderly people are not capable of doing what they want to do anymore therefore they try keep them away from it so that they don’t get harmed or get a critical illness which is very likely as you get old.Caring for your elders is a very superio r thing to do and it is understandable but if you really worry about your elders then you should encourage them to do what they want to do. Furthermore, aged people are not to be doubted on as they have worked harder than us at our age to achieve what they have achieved. This portrays the determination that elderly people have to achieve their targets and that if they are given a chance they can do unexpected things with their will power.Conversely, it could be bad for their health as well due to their age, as they are getting older their health is becoming a very essential factor because old people’s bones and functions in the body are becoming weaker day by day. As well as that, as you get older your body takes time to respond to new things differently and takes time to adapt. Therefore, there are positive and negative sides to old people doing things that people think that is harmful for them.People that think that elderly people are too old to do the things which the youn ger generation are quite capable to do are guilty of both; lack of conviction and uncertainty. Long-standing people are just as capable as we are of fulfilling their dreams and living the way that they want to live due to them being more experienced than us in life for which they know more than the younger generation. Undoubtedly, there will be differing opinions from their family members and from the people that care about them about this issue.However, taking the movie Rocky as an example, it was is clearly obvious how outstandingly well talented boxer he was for which he returned in the ring and became a role model for the younger generation looking up to him. Do you think that elderly people are too old to do anything? Moreover, Fauja Singh for example is known as a veteran because he is 101 years old and is continuously participating in marathons and getting past the finish line in 6 hours which he wants to beat to break the record.This portrays the commitment and determination old aged people have when they set themselves a target, in addition, it also demonstrates that when old aged men keep fit they can achieve anything they want. In July 2012, Fauja Singh carried the Olympic torch which is a great achievement for a very old man, aged people need a sense of accomplishment to keep them going and also to keep them occupied rather than sitting at home. Obviously, there would have been downfalls to earn this achievement but the accomplishment in the end outweighs the downfalls.

In What Ways Has the United Nations Organisation Influenced the Essay

In What Ways Has the United Nations Organisation Influenced the Conduct of Diplomacy - Essay Example Attitudes toward the UN are based on having governmental and international interference. This affiliation makes it easier for the government to work toward a resolution while national involvement with the conflict becomes secondary (Ernst, 1037: 2008). Actions of the UN The United Nations has not only suggested and become involved with resolving conflict at earlier stages. There are also initiatives that have been propagated and organized by the UN which serve individuals in various countries. An approach which has been taken is multilateralism. This strategy is based on diplomats of several countries working together to provide solutions to foreign affairs. Often, larger states work unilaterally to create a different approach to solving problems. Foreign policies, interference from governments working together and the development of councils in various countries to enhance the security of a nation are some of the outcomes of this approach. The security enhancement and other policies that have been implemented as a result can work to take proactive measures against conflict while ensuring that individuals have the capacity of overcoming challenges now emerging at a global and national level. Peacekeeping operations, government diplomacy, economic recovery, assistance with health programs and climate negotiations are some of the several programs that have developed as a result of this concept (Plenum, 2011). The concept of multilateralism works to overcoming challenges and to move into a higher sense of diplomacy. The UN has the ability to intervene and provide changes with the governance offered with the associations between nations. Intergovernmental organizations are able to work with finding solutions while offering higher security. If... This paper approves that the concept of foreign policy and the soft power of the UN are furthered by the overall sense of political barriers that naturally form within nations. The use of foreign policies and the need to have legalities within a specific nation is one that causes most who are in nations to be forced to take sides. The main view that is seen always has an opposing view, even when there is a common purpose. The conflict then comes from tensions that can’t be resolved by those in the UN or other regions and builds a sense of ideological interests that continue with the conflicts of various nations. This report makes a conclusion that the concept of diplomacy is one that is continuously being altered and re-defined. The United Nations organization has used various measures to change this particular outcome and to influence the way in which diplomacy works. The association with diplomacy is one that is regulated by education, suggestions and the overall ideologies that the UN has created. This is combined with the legal implications that the UN can reinforce and the agendas that are carried out by NGOs and other non – governmental organizations. These are all able to work by changing the influence within the UN. However, there is often the inability to create influence because of foreign policies and the nature of various governments. While the UN is able to spread specific levels of diplomacy through mediation and education, the limitations rely on national governments and the main approaches used to creating a sense of peace resolution and diplomacy within the region.

Chapter 1 only Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Social Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Social Topic - Essay Example Of all of the diseases which are passed along socially, HIV and AIDS are the most feared and misunderstood. The purpose of this paper is to examine and research the social disease known as HIV and AIDS. When talking about any disease, even sexually transmitted diseases, it is important to know that diseases are not prejudice. Yes, there is genetically inherited diseases which take place with respect to an individual’s genotype and there are social diseases that result from certain cases of being exposed or from people’s behavior, like unsafe sex. Diseases however are a medical problem and are without human prejudice. Diseases, whether bacterial in nature or viral in nature, are opportunists and will take over and infect any available living thing that meets their needs. In other words, a viral infection does not simply take over in those with a type of orientation or religion. It happens when host is available. When the first reports of HIV and AIDS came into view in the 1980’s, a sexual revolution had ended and then it came a deadly STD where before that, only menacing STD’s were around. Because of the medical scare attached to HIV and AIDS, people responded as they have for millennia with a need to find blame. The 1980’s also brought in the beginning of a socially acceptable alternative to the strait life style. For many, this meant an easy scapegoat. The many gay men just gaining a sense of social acceptance were quickly labeled as carriers and/or spreaders of HIV and AIDS. The truth of the matter however, is that HIV is a virus which is spread through certain ways. This in actuality, has nothing to do with whether a person is gay or straight but rather whether the person has had unprotected sex or has been infected with HIV positive blood. To better understand how HIV is spread, it is important to mention that HIV is categorized as a ‘retro virus’. A r etro virus is a virus that can be contracted but can then lay inactive for a

Globalisation , the World Economy and MNE's mini essay - 3

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Handgun control laws Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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