HC 758 - Legacy-Parliament 2010-15 PDF Download

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Science and Technology
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215070623
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
The Government is failing to clearly and effectively communicate climate science to the public. There is little evidence of co-ordination amongst Government, government agencies and public bodies on communicating climate science, despite various policies at national and regional level to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The mandate to act on climate can only be maintained if the electorate are convinced that the Government is acting on the basis of strong scientific evidence. Ministers therefore need to do more to demonstrate that is the case and consistently reflect the Government approach in all their communications, especially with the media. The report also criticises the BBC for its reporting on the issue. It points out that BBC News teams continue to make mistakes in their coverage of climate science by giving opinions and scientific fact the same weight. The BBC is called to develop clear editorial guidelines for all commentators and presenters on the facts of climate that should be used to challenge statements, from either side of the climate policy debate, that stray too far from the scientific facts. It is important that climate science is presented separately from any subsequent policy response. Government should work with the learned societies and national academies to develop a source of information on climate science that is discrete from policy delivery, comprehensible to the general public and responsive to both current developments and uncertainties in the science

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Science and Technology
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215084225
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 73

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Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Science and Technology
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215071840
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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Book Description
The Government launched its new horizon scanning programme last July, stating that 'in a tight economic climate, it is more important than ever to have the best possible understanding of the world around us, and how that world is changing'. However, as it stands, the new programme is little more than an echo chamber for Government views. The new bodies that have been created consist entirely of Civil Servants, effectively excluding the vast pool of expertise that exists outside of government. The new programme does not even have a dedicated web presence to keep interested parties informed. The programme's failings are partially attributed to a lack of ministerial oversight. The Government also needs to recognise the potential role to be played in the new programme by the Government Office for Science (GO-Science), specifically the Foresight Unit. The relative lack of impact that the Foresight Unit has historically had on policy is largely a result of its non-central location in government. GO-Science is located in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). In contrast, the new horizon scanning programme is located in the Cabinet Office. In choosing to situate the new horizon scanning programme in the Cabinet Office, the Government has recognised the importance of location and has thereby acknowledged the strength of this argument. GO-Science should be relocated from BIS to the Cabinet Office, where it can play a more central role in the new programme and more effectively fulfill its role of ensuring that the best scientific evidence is utilised across government

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Science and Technology
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 0215083849
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 53

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In its broadest sense, biometrics is the measurement and analysis of a biological characteristic (fingerprints, iris patterns, retinas, face or hand geometry) or a behavioural characteristic (voice, gait or signature). Biometric technologies use these characteristics to identify individuals automatically. Unlike identity documents or passwords, biometrics cannot be lost or forgotten since they are a part of the user and are always present at the time of identification. They are also difficult, though not impossible, to forge or share. Three future trends in the application of biometrics were identified during the inquiry: (i) the growth of unsupervised biometric systems, accessed via mobile devices, which verify identity; (ii) the proliferation of "second-generation" biometric technologies that can authenticate individuals covertly; (iii) and the linking of biometric data with other types of 'big data' as part of efforts to profile individuals. Each of these trends introduces risks and benefits to individuals, to the state and to society as a whole. They also raise important ethical and legal questions relating to privacy and autonomy. The Committee are not convinced that the Government has addressed these questions, nor are they satisfied that it has looked ahead and considered how the risks and benefits of biometrics will be managed and communicated to the public.

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215048387
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 442

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Book Description
On cover and title page: House, committees of the whole House, general committees and select committees

Author: M.C.R. Davies
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9781851666584
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Papers presented at the Third International Conference on Land Reclamation: An End to Dereliction?, held at the University of Wales College of Cardiff, Cardiff, UK 2-5 July 1991.

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780195531916
Category : Australia
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Great Britain
Languages : en
Pages : 412

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Author: R M Harrison
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
ISBN: 1782621520
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 270

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Book Description
It is generally accepted within the scientific community that anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are primarily responsible for a recent warming in global climate and that current trajectories of emissions may lead to potentially catastrophic changes in climate. While reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases, and particularly carbon dioxide, could lead to a stabilisation of global temperatures, this requires international agreements which have yet to be achieved. A possible alternative, which has been widely mooted is to use methods known as geoengineering as an alternative way of limiting increases in global temperature. Geoengineering techniques fall into two main categories of carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management; within each of these there are a number of options. Following on from “Carbon Capture” (volume 29 in this series), Geoengineering of the Climate System presents an overview of the technologies currently being considered as large scale solutions to climate change, and considers some of the possible benefits and disadvantages of each. Invited contributions have been received by many of the leading experts on these technologies, and the volume provides a comprehensive overview of both carbon dioxide reduction and solar radiation management methods. These give rise to important ethical and governance issues which are also explored. Written with active researchers, postgraduate students and policy-makers in mind, the latest addition to the Issues in Environmental Science & Technology series presents a balanced and informed view of this important field of research and is an essential addition to any environmental science library.

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environmental Audit Committee
Publisher: The Stationery Office
ISBN: 9780215050724
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Book Description
A Treasury led 'dash for gas' could make the UK's carbon targets under the Climate Change Act unachievable. The Committee is calling on the Government to restore investor confidence in the future direction of energy policy by setting a clear decarbonisation objective in the forthcoming Energy Bill to clean up the power sector by 2030. Ongoing policy uncertainty could mean that the UK loses out on millions of pounds of green investment. Global competition for green growth is fierce and the UK is competing with other countries to secure renewables investment. The Committee heard a variety of suggestions to boost take-up of energy efficiency measures in its inquiry on the Autumn Statement and received suggestions for new environmental taxes that could be implemented to help deliver the Coalition Agreement commitment to increase the proportion of tax revenues accounted for by environmental taxes