As 2011 gets underway, experts are looking at the growing influence of environmental events, policies on energy and transportation, among other issues, are being shaped by environmental developments. As the global financial crisis takes hold and awareness of climate change increases, more nations and companies are trying to invest in alternatives.
In pollution hotspots such as London, air particles could be cutting vulnerable people's lives short by nine years, says the committee. Fifty-thousand people a year may be dying prematurely because of air pollution, a influential committee of MPs has reported after a six-month investigation. Car models that are all electric or plug in hybrids will hit the market this year. This is the forward thinking that we need, to be both environmentally friendly to stop the polluting and to avoid the rising fuel prices.
We are now recovering from the the recession slowly with the Gross domestic product being predicted to increase by 2.5pc in 2011. Living in a society where we are bailing out our own banks with the threat of UK banks may need a government-funded bailout in 2011 due to an emerging funding gap of £25bn a month, the New Economics Foundation warns.
The UK today is multicultural and this is having an effect on our own culture, with households in the West are increasingly multi-ethnic. This is creating all kinds of cultural tensions and reactions that are not always consistent.
In 2011 there is many subcultures that are well none, such as Chavs, Goths and Emos, that are predominately outlined by their fashion. But now their are subcultures emerging that are created by our behavior such as the “ladette” subculture which has come from a combination of socially accepted heavy weekend binge drinking and uninhibited sex. Is this a subculture we want to be apart of?
Technology is continuing to jump leaps and bounds, particularly communication platforms, the intensive use of the web as a discussion medium through blogs and other forums, neither companies nor individuals can control what is written about them, will this become an escalating problem?
As the baby-boomers reach retirement age, there will be a boom in the percentage of pensioners. A trend may emerge which will see the senior generation increasingly deciding to stay or return to the workplace, either because they want to or because they need to.
Today’s government is adapting to the people of now by creating the Big Society this is the flagship mission statement of the coalition government. The aim is to empower local people and communities to solve local problems for themselves, taking power away from politicians and giving it to the people.
This year has already seen the turn of some major events, the royal wedding has created good economy for many business. Obama has successes the killing Osama bin Laden who has been his top counter-terrorism priority since he took office. The Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi looses control of his country as protests break out, tearing the country apart.
Eligible voters will be asked if they would like to change the method of electing MPs from the First Past the Post System to the Alternative Vote System. Under the AV system voters rank candidates in order of preference and a 50 per cent majority is required in order for a candidate to be elected. If Britain selects AV their will be 'extra expense of counting votes'. Is this the way forward?
What changes are we going to see, will the predictions for this year be correct?
Angela Monaghan, The Telegraph, 18 Jan 2010, Available at URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/recession/7016551/UKs-recession-has-ended-but-growth-in-2010-will-be-anaemic-Item-Club-forecasts.html (Assessed: 27/04/2011).
The Observer, Sunday 27 December 2009, Available at URL:http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/dec/27/the-hotlist-2010 (Assessed: 29/04/2011).
Hilary White, Family Life Intonational, August 24, 2010, Available at URL: http://www.flionline.org/index.php/publication/article/151-uks-hard-drinking-ladette-subculture-40-per-cent-more-likely-to-abort.html(Assessed: 29/04/2011).
Nikolai, Darkademic, 2011, Available at URL: http://www.darkademic.co.uk/articles/british-youth-subcultures(Assessed: 29/04/2011)
Anup Shah, Global Issues, March 6th 2011, Available at URL: http://www.globalissues.org/article/595/energy-security (Assessed: 29/04/2011).
Politics UK, BBC World Service, Sat 8 Jan 2011, Available at URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00ctvsz(Assessed: 29/04/2011).
James Kirkup, The Telegraph,1st may 2011, Available at URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/(Assessed: 02/05/2011).
The Telegraph, 1st May 2011, Available at URL: http://swampland.time.com/2011/05/02/political-vindacation-in-obamas-bin-laden-speech/(Assessed: 02/05/2011).
Izabella Scott, The Telegraph, 04 October 2010, Available at URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/8041168/UK-banks-could-need-2011-bail-out-warns-New-Economics-Foundation.html (Assessed: 02/05/2011).
Michael Grunwald, The Swampland, 2nd May 2011, Available at URL:http://swampland.time.com/2011/05/02/political-vindication-in-obamas-bin-laden-speech/(Assessed: 02/05/2011).
John Vidal, Guardian, 22nd March 2011, Available at URL:http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/22/air-pollution-deaths (Assessed: 02/05/2011).
Daily Mail Reporter, Daily Mail, 22nd March 2010, Available at URL:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1259592/UK-air-pollution-killing-50-000-people-year-warn-MPs.html(Assessed: 02/05/2011).
