Sunday, January 26, 2020

The Demand Of Petroleum Products In Ghana Economics Essay

The Demand Of Petroleum Products In Ghana Economics Essay Over decades, there has been no commodity price that has received so much attention predictions and speculations than crude oil price. However, intellectuals always fail in their predictions to produce the expected results. Crude oil in its original state has no value to the consumer until it is transformed into useable products such as Liquefied petroleum Gas (LPG), Kerosene, Gasoline, Diesel and other petrochemicals.  [1]  In most countries, motor fuels (Gasoline and Diesel) are always dominant than other petrochemicals. But Liquefied Petroleum Gas and other natural gas are becoming more visible in todays global oil and gas industry.  [2]  Like any other commodity in the market, the prices of these products as well as their demand, keep responding to changes in crude oil price and other market conditions. This movement in fuel prices causes worry among pundits, politicians and everyone who uses these products. Petroleum products get to the final consumer or to the market th rough different channels. The sales of these products also vary from one market or geographical location to another. Refiners either sell to wholesalers or sell to company-owned or company franchised retail sites.  [3]  For example, in the United States of America, the open market dominates and has a greater share of the market. However, in countries such as Malaysia, Mexico and most developing countries National Oil Company (NOC) own retail outlets and hypermarkets control majority share of the petroleum product market. In most West African countries one can even see by the roadside, these products filled in bottles and jars for sale.  [4]   This shows how important these products are in the day to day activities of consumers. Ghana imports crude needs from other countries to meet almost all of its crude needs and as such face the consequences of price volatilities. Ghana like most other developing countries is faced with the problem of a pricing scheme of petroleum products that will be acceptable to the population but which will not also cripple the economy. This is because the government of the day always subsidise the prices of these products as a way of reducing the impact on the ordinary Ghanaian consumer  [5]  . Since 2000, there has been a consistent rise in the consumption level of petroleum products even though the prices of these products keep increasing  [6]  . Many have tried to analyse the effect of changes in the price of these products on the final demand and on the welfare of the consumer in other countries. But, there seems to be little literature on that of Ghana. This study therefore seeks to analyse the effect of changes in crude oil price on the demand of petroleum products in Ghana. The underlying assumption is that, any change in crude oil price manifest itself in the prices of the derived products such as petrol, diesel, LPG, kerosene and other petrochemicals. The study employed an econometric method as a way of examining and analysing the effect of changes in price of the various products on the total demand of petroleum products (petrol, diesel, LPG and Kerosene) in Ghana from 2000 up to 2011. This study is organised into four chapters. Chapter one covered the Introduction. The background as well as the demand for petroleum and the theoretical framework are captured in chapter two. Chapter three contained the analysis and discussions of the findings. Chapter four is the concluding chapter. It also captures some recommendations. CHAPTER TWO 2.0 BACKGROUND 2.1 Global Demand for Petroleum Products The oil and Gas industry is one of the largest and complex global industries which touch almost every part of the human life with products such as gasoline, kerosene, gasoil, lubricants and thousands of petrochemicals products. The demand for crude oil is derived demand  [7]  . As indicated earlier on, crude oil in its original state has no value to the consumer until it is transformed into useable products such as Liquefied petroleum Gas (LPG), kerosene, Gasoline, Diesel and other petrochemicals  [8]  . The demand for these products over the past decade has been increasing in both industrial and developing economies  [9]  . There is no product price that has received so much predictions and speculations than crude oil price. But these predictions in most cases failed to produce the expected results. Like any other commodity in the market, the prices of these products as well as their demand, keep responding to changes in crude oil price and other market conditions  [10 ]  . According to Suleiman 2009, consumption of petroleum products in Indonesia has grown significantly and as a result, by 2004, Indonesia had become a net-importer of both crude oil and refined products  [11]  . 2.2 Demand for Petroleum Products in Ghana The Ghanaian economy depends solely on import for its petroleum needs. The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) is the only refinery in the country charged with the responsibility of refining crude oil to produce petroleum products for domestic demand  [12]  . But, its inability to carry out this mandate effectively and efficiently has given rise to importation of some petroleum products from neighbouring country  [13]  . Approximately, 70% of the demand is met with products are produced by TOR and the remaining 30% from imports. The country imported its entire crude oil requirement as at December 2010, which is refined at TOR. However, this is looking to change as the country now produces oil in commercial quantities. The petroleum products marketed in Ghana are Premium Gasoline, Kerosene, Residual Fuel oil, Gas oil, LPG and Premix  [14]  . Bulk supply of these products is reliable and is done through an extensive infrastructural network comprising of storage depots located at strategic parts of the country, pipelines for the movement of petroleum products, Bulk Road Vehicles (BRVs) and also barges located on the Volta Lake  [15]  . The actual supplies however improved compared to the previous year and for that matter shortage of LPG and diesel were not as serious as in 2010. There are a number of factors influencing the consumption of petroleum products in the country. Among these factors are prices of the various products, real income of the consumer, changes in the number of consumers as well as the availability of these products. For instance, significant increases in retail prices of LPG for vehicular fuel have helped in reducing its consumption and on the other hand increased consump tion of gasoline and invariably the sales of the latter  [16]  . Inability to raise the required and adequate funds for the required LPG import due to cross-subsidisation enjoyed by the product might have also contributed to moderate LPG consumption compared to the Energy Commissions forecast during the year  [17]  . It was projected that the requirements for the major petroleum products-gasoline, kerosene, gas oil and LPG will increase significantly from 1.62 million tons in 2005 to 2.49 million tons by 2015 representing an annual growth rate of 5.3% over the period  [18]  . Access to petroleum products in Ghana is satisfactory, but has to be improved as the population grows. As at 2010 there were a total of 1700 petroleum products retail outlets of which 37% are Service Stations (SS), 20% are Filling Stations (FS) and 43% are Reseller Outlets (RO)  [19]  . The total number of retail outlets represents an access ratio of 71 retail outlets per 1,000,000 people  [20]  . There are also vendors who sell mainly kerosene in rural communities, thereby increasing the accessibility of petroleum products in most part of the country. The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) is a statutory agency responsible for regulating, overseeing and monitoring the petroleum downstream industry in Ghana to ensure efficiency, growth and consumer satisfaction  [21]  . It is also charged with the responsibility of monitoring and regulating petroleum prices in accordance with the prescribed pricing formula. With strong economic growth and steady population growth over the past years, Ghanas total energy demand for petroleum products has grown substantially. Table 1 show the total demand for the various petroleum products in the country. It also included the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Ghana from 2000 to 2011. Figure 1 shows the trend of movement for the same period under study. TABLE 1: PETROLEUM PRODUCT CONSUMPTION AND GDP YEAR PETROLEUM PRODUCT CONSUMPTION GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP) 2000 5,536.30 4,977.50 2001 5,895.20 5,176.60 2002 6,109.00 5,409.50 2003 6,048.20 5,690.80 2004 6,338.10 6,009.50 2005 6,505.10 6,364.10 2006 7,131.70 6,771.40 2007 7,407.60 7,208.80 2008 7,526.30 7,816.50 2009 8,160.40 8,180.60 2010 8,349.90 8,722.20 2011 8,877.10 9,890.90 SOURCE: National Energy Statistics 2000-2011 From the table above, the total energy demand for petroleum products 5,536.30 kilotonnes in 2000. This increased to about 8,877.10 by the end of 2011. It shows an average annual increase of 4.01% in energy demand. GDP which shows the real income of the country was US$4,977.50 billion as at 2000 and increased to US$ 9,890.90 billion by the close of 2011. This also shows an average annual growth rate of 4.5% within the same period understudied. This is a clear indication that, as the real income of the country increases, more petroleum products are demanded even though price of crude oil was on the increase as indicated in table 2 below. FIGURE 1: TREND IN GDP AND TOTAL PETROLEUM PRODUCT DEMAND From figure1 above, it is clear that, there is a strong correlation between petroleum product demand and the GDP of Ghana. The trend shows that as GDP grows, demand for petroleum products grows as well. Its further shows that as the real income of consumers increase, they tend to demand more of these products and hence movement of the two curves in the same direction. TABLE 2: PRICES OF CRUDE OIL AND SOME PETROLEUM PRODUCTS YEAR CRUDE OIL (Brent price US$) DIESEL PRICE (US$/l) PETROL PRICE (US$/l) KEROSENE PRICE (US$/l) LPG PRICE (US$/kg) 2000 28.5 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.5 2001 24.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 2002 25 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 2003 28.8 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.5 2004 38.3 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 2005 54.5 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.6 2006 65.1 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.8 2007 72.4 0.98 0.9 0.8 0.9 2008 97.3 1 1.1 1 0.9 2009 61.7 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.5 2010 79.5 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.6 2011 111.3 1.1 1 0.6 0.7 SOURCE: National Petroleum Authority From Table 2 also, it can be seen that crude oil price has been volatile, but generally on the rising side from 2000 up to 2011. The price of crude oil was US$ 28.5 in 2000 which decrease to about US$ 25 in 2002. It picked up again in 2003 and rose continuously to a high of US$ 111.3 by the end of 2011. Also prices of the various petroleum products responded accordingly to changes in the price of crude oil as indicated in table 2 above. In 2000, diesel was sold at US$ 0.4 per litre, petrol US$ 0.3 per litre, LPG US$ 0.5 per kg and kerosene was US$ 0.3 per litre. However, as crude price increases, the prices of diesel, petrol and kerosene also increased to US$ 1.1, US$1.0 and US$0.6 per litre respectively by the end of 2011. LPG also increased to US$ 0.7 per kg over the same period. FIGURE 2: TREND OF PRICES OF CRUDE OIL AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTS From Figure 2 above, it is also clear that, the prices of the various petroleum products respond positively and directly to changes in crude oil prices. This can be explained by the fact that, these products are derived from crude oil and hence, any change in its price or quantity will have corresponding effects on its products. 2.3 Theoretical framework The price of crude oil has been characterised by major swings especially in the 1970s and 2008 and has always impacted on the demand for petroleum products. This has increase the interest of many economists and other intellectuals and has since led to a number of studies that seek to investigate the relationships between real income, real prices and the consumption of petroleum products  [22]  . Dahl (1994) conducted a survey of petroleum demand in developing countries  [23]  . The result showed that the average price elasticity of demand of petroleum products for developing countries was -0.36, and income elasticity was 2.20. This suggested that, the demand for petroleum products is more responsive to changes in income than changes in real prices. Suleiman S.2009, used selection criteria from various models as way of cointegration approach to estimate the price and income elasticities of demand for total petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel in Indonesia. The results suggested that both total products and gasoline share estimates are more responsive to changes in income than changes in the real price of petroleum products. Based on this, he suggested that policy makers may need to use market-based pricing policies and other policies such as public enlightenment in addition to regulations like minimum energy efficiency standards to promote efficiency and conserv ation and curb the rising consumption of petroleum products in Indonesia.  [24]   Akin et al 2009 conducted empirical studies which sort to estimate the demand elasticities of petroleum products in Nigeria. The study employed a multivariate cointegration approach to estimate both the short-run and long-run price and income elasticities. The result showed that, energy consumption responds positively to changes in GDP and negatively to changes in energy prices. The study concluded that both price and income elastticities are inelastic even though the elasticities of demand vary according to product type.  [25]   Maria et al 2011 employed an econometric method developed by Deaton to calculate the price and income elasticities of demand for domestic energy in Mozambique. The calculations were done for all households at the national level, differentiating urban household from that of rural folks. The result showed that the responsiveness to changes in both price and income were higher for high-grade energy sources such as gasoline, diesel and LPG and lower for low-grade sources such as charcoal and fire-wood. They concluded by indicating that, the potential for energy transition in the domestic context is not directly visible from the price and income elasticities.  [26]   2.4 Methodology From the theoretical framework above, Dahl (1994), Suleiman S. (2001) and Akin et al all employed the cointegration approach in analysing the relationship between demand of petroleum products and changes in price. Maria et al (2011) applied an econometric method developed by Deaton in their study  [27]  . This study follows the approach adopted by Maria et al (2011). It is advantageous because it uses unit values as the prices of goods and hence provides the opportunity for the use of individual fuel prices. However, the usage of these unit values can lead to biased elasticity estimates  [28]  . The total demand for petroleum products (share of gasoline, Diesel Kerosene and LPG) can be specified as a function of real per capita GDP and real prices of Gasoline, Diesel, Kerosene and LPG. This can be modelled as follows: ED= f (GDP per capita, Price of Petrol, price of Diesel, price of Kerosene and price of LPG)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (1) Forming a linear regression equation from the function gives; Ed= a0 + b0GPD/p + c0pP + d0pD + e0pK + f0pLPG + u0à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (2) Both the dependent variable and the independent variables are transformed to natural logarithms and hence double log estimation equation. This is written as follows lnEd= a0 + b0lnGPD/p + c0lnpP + d0lnpD + e0lnpK + f0lnpLPG + u0à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (3) Edà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Demand for petroleum products GDP/pà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Gross Domestic Product per capita pPà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..price of petrol pDà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..price of Diesel pKà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ price of Kerosene pLPGà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas a0à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..constant term u0à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..stochastic term CHAPTER THREE: 3.0 ANALYSIS AND OUTCOMES Using the double log estimation equation as; lnEd= a0 + b0lnGDP/p + c0lnpP + d0lnpD + e0lnpK + f0lnpLPG + u0à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Where, Edà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Demand for petroleum products GDP/pà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. .Gross Domestic Product per capita pPà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. price of petrol pDà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. price of Diesel pKà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..price of Kerosene pLPGà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas a0à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦constant term u0à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦stochastic term TABLE 3: REGRESSION ANALYSIS lnGDP/p lnpP lnpD lnpK lnpLGP coefficients 1.017487 0.081134 -0.0214456 0.049237 -0.11419 p- values 0.022904 0.822455 0.925098 0.732547 0.276798 R Square 97.8% Confidence interval 95% Standard error 0.029936 Source: Arthurs construct 3.1 Discussion of outcomes 3.1.1 Gross Domestic Product per capita From the analysis summarised in table 3, GDP per capita as a variable shows a positive sign in its coefficient against demand for petroleum products. This implies that, as real per capita income of consumers increases, their demand for petroleum products increase as well. Its p-value of 0.022904 is also below the significant level of 0.05 (95% confidence) which is an indication that, the effect of changes in GDP per capita on the demand for petroleum products is statistically significant. 3.1.2 Petrol In terms of elasticities, a coefficient of 0.081134 for petrol shows that, the demand for it is inelastic. This implies that changes in the price of petrol leads to less than proportionate change in demand. The positive sign however does not follow the a priori expectation. But it shows that, over the period under study, there is a direct relationship between demands and price of petrol. Thus, any increase in the price petrol leads to an increase in its demand. The p- value however confirms that, this direct effect is not significant at 0.05 significance level since the value 0.822455 is greater than 0.05 (significance level). 3.1.3 Diesel From the table, the coefficient of diesel is quite revealing as it follows the a priori expectations in it demand. It has the expected negative sign which confirms that any increase in it price will result in decrease in it demand and hence decreasing the level of total demand for petroleum products in Ghana. But this is not significant at 95% confidence interval as the p-value of 0.925098 is greater than 0.05. 3.1.4 LGP Also from the table, the coefficient of LPG revealed the a priori expectations in it demand. It has the expected negative sign which confirms that any increase in it price will result in decrease in it demand. This is an indication that, decrease in the level of total demand for petroleum products in Ghana can be the result of increases in the price of LPG. But this is also not statistically significant at 95% confidence interval as the p-value of 0.276798 is greater than 0.05. Thus, inelastic demand for LPG. 3.1.5 Kerosene The variable price of kerosene shows a positive sign. This sign again does not follow the a priori expectation. This result implies that, there is a direct relationship between demands of kerosene and its price and hence, any increase in the price kerosene leads to an increase in its demand. But this is not the case or the expectation as the demand for kerosene decrease due to increases in it price. However, the p- value shows that, this direct effect is not significant at 0.05 significance level since the value of 0.732547 is greater than 0.05. The R2 of the analysis is measures the overall goodness of fit of the regression. The test result indicates that, the R2 =0.978 = 97.8%. It shows that the independent variables (GDP per capita, price of petrol, price of diesel, price of LPG and price of kerosene) explain the dependent (demand for petroleum products) variable to the tune of 97.8%. CHAPTER FOUR: 4.0 Conclusion This study analysed the effect of oil price change on the demand for petroleum products. This effect is analysed through the changes in the various prices of the major petroleum products (petrol, diesel, LPG and kerosene) consumed in Ghana from 2000 to 2011. The study employed a double log equation in its analysis. It included the Gross Domestic Product per capita as a measure of the real income of consumers. The results show that aggregate demand for petroleum products in Ghana follows with the a priori expectations of negative price elasticity and positive income elasticity. The results also showed that, the demand for petroleum products in Ghana has been on the increase from 2000 to 2011 and future still promise to show more increment if the economy maintain its strong growth pattern. The analysis of the results show that the real income of the consumer measured by GDP per capita has a positive sign which indicates that, as real per capita income of consumers increases, their demand for petroleum products increase as well. Its p-value of 0.022904 is also below the significant level of 0.05 (95% confidence) which shows that, the effect of changes in GDP per capita on the demand for petroleum products is statistically significant. The test result also shows that, for the period under consideration, the demand for the major petroleum products (petrol diesel LPG and kerosene) is inelastic even though their individual coefficients vary. Their prices continue to increase throughout the period under consideration as oil price increases. Total demand for these products increase as well. Notwithstanding the values of the study, it should be noted that energy demand might assume different implications in different economic sectors. Different sectors of the economy have different consumption behaviours and as such, have different optimal demand decisions under the same constraints and do not necessarily demand the same services from the various energy forms. Sectoral analyses of the demand for petroleum products will therefore, offer an in-depth analysis in future research works. 4.1 Recommendation In terms of policy implications, the study recommend that policy makers should design policy frameworks that will promote energy efficiency and conservation. These policies can be market-based pricing and taxation policies, policy that can ensure minimum energy efficiency standards and has the tendency of informing the public the consequences of the present trend in consumption and importation. Otherwise, the consumption of petroleum products is likely to continue to grow at a significant rate as long as per capita income continues to grow.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Brilliant piece of artwork Essay

This artwork, Moonrise Hernandez, will be critiqued based on the elements and principles of art to determine its meaning. The author, Ansel Adams, created this piece in 1941 in southern Mexico. Here, Adams used black and white film to make an original gelatin silver 16 by 20 photograph. The artwork consists of a moonlit dark sky above a small camp with mountains in the background. The sky appears stormy because the clouds stand out, while the half moon shines well above. The town looks really boring and poor. Plus, the mountains in the background are very tall and appear to be touching the sky. All of these factors contribute to a wonderful photograph. In this piece both elements and principles of art are prominent. The color of the sky is pitch black, which creates emphasis on the clouds, which are bright white. Also, the sky takes up a lot of space in the photograph and it towers over everything. This creates an uneven proportion throughout the piece. Finally, the texture of the clouds appears smooth, while the foreground is very rough. This creates variety throughout the photo. In all, this piece portrays many of the elements and principles of art. The mood in this photograph is depressing because almost half of this picture is black. See above paragraph. The moon against the dark sky in the picture is a symbol of the constant battle against evil that all of us face. The story it tells is that there will be bad times for the town because they’re about to get rained on. In conclusion, this artwork employs mostly emotionalism. This is because it makes the viewer feel sad and lonely. In all, I think this is a brilliant piece of artwork.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Charles Darwins Theory Of Evolution - 1151 Words

In January of 1925, the State of Tennessee passed a law called The Butler Bill that prohibited any teacher within the State of Tennessee to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man and that man descended from a lower order of animals.†1 Fundamentalism was the basis of The Butler Bill. Fundamentalism is the belief in the literal interpretation of religious texts. In June, a Tennessee high school substitute teacher named John Scopes was accused of teaching Charles Darwin s theory of evolution to students. The theory of evolution was a hypothesis that species survived through natural selection, meaning the adaption of species evolving to better themselves to a changing and threatening environment and that man evolved from apes. His theory that Scopes taught was completely against the Butler law. Even though Scopes’ teaching of evolution violated the Butler Law, he should have had the right to teach Darwin s theory because religion should not have had any involvement with the education system. The Scope Monkey Trial July 10, 1925, the trial of John Scopes began. The case attracted a lot of attention that it broadcasted throughout the United States via radio. In Scopes defense, The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), together with Clarence Darrow, a famous attorney from Chicago, came to Scopes’ defense for the trial. . For the prosecution, Tennessee acquired the attention of William Jennings Bryan, a three-time Democratic presidentialShow MoreRelatedCharles Darwins Scientific Theory of Evolution1284 Words   |  6 Pages Charles Darwin is well-known for his groundbreaking work on evolutionary biology. Among his many contributions, The Origin of Species is the most associated with his name. He introduces the scientific theory of evolution and suggests that species have evolved over a period of many generations through a process called natural selection. Darwins theories have created much controversy among his colleagues and led to great amounts of debate. However, the massive amount of criticism directed at DarwinRead MoreCharles Darwins Theory of Evolution Essay1311 Words   |  6 PagesBefore the theory of evolution was a widespread theory in the world of science, Greek and Roman philosophers had their own theories about how life came to its present state and where it was going from there. One theory at the time was that all organisms are reflections of a â€Å"perfect† form and were coming closer to it all the time, although this was the less accepted theory even though it was closer to th e truth proven hundreds of years after, while another was that all things were simply placesRead MoreCharles Darwins Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection Essay1027 Words   |  5 PagesDarwin is considered by other people as the creator of Evolution. Darwin was not the only man to arrive at the theory of evolution. Darwin came to his theory of evolution at the same time as an another man who goes by the name of Alfred Russell Wallace came to the same conclusion. Wallace being relatively unknown was not respected for having the same conclusion because the fact that people were so apt to listen to the theory’s of Charles Darwin. After time Darwin published a book On the OriginRead MoreCharles Darwins Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection Essay1832 Words   |  8 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other than Mendellson and his studies with genetics, Darwin has by far contributed the most to our modern science. From his theories on variation of species to his explanation of natural selection Charles Darwin has shocked the world by proving the world older than previously thought and creatures not immutable. In this present day these theories are as common belief as a simple mathematical equation such as two plus two equals four; but in the year eighteen hundred and fifty nine DarwinRead MoreEssay on Charles Darwins Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection529 Words   |  3 Pages Charles Darwins theory of evolution centres on the idea that species compete to survive, and favorable characteristics are passed on from one generation to the next. Darwin said that evolution took place by a process of natural selection or survival of the fittest. This meant that the animals and plants best suited to their surroundings survived and were able to pass on their genes to their offspring. The ones that werent best suited died off and didnt get theRead MoreCharles Darwins Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection Essay1306 Words   |  6 Pagesexplorers have made attempts to try to answer this question. Charles Darwin was one of these people. Darwin led a full life of exploration, and during these adventures, he accumulated much information about evolution. He met many explorers that had various ideas of their own about how man evolved. In discussion with these people, he figured out if what they were telling him was fact or fiction. This helped him to formulate his own theory. Curiosity was aroused in Darwin at a very young ageRead More Argument Against Charles Darwins Theory of Evolution Essay1192 Words   |  5 Pages Charles Darwin proposed the theory of evolution to explain the origin, diversity and complexity of life. I will will disprove evolution by showing that natural selection only explains small evolutionary changes, collectively known as microevolution. Natural selection cannot drive large evolutionary changes, macroevolution. I will also show that the primordial soup, in which life supposedly evolved, did not exist. Neo-Darwinism incorporates the discoveries of modern science into Darwins originalRead MoreCharles Darwins Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection Essay1286 Words   |  6 Pages When the name Charles Darwin is uttered, an immediate association brings about the concept of Evolution. Although he was not the first to discover this phenomenon, he was the first to explain it. In his book, The Origin of Species, Darwin discusses evolution- through variation, why it occurs, the struggle for existence, natural selection, the geological record, and several other topics. This book brought him great recognition as well as many violent attacks. It was written inRead MoreCharles Darwins Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection Essay1986 Words   |  8 Pagesgenerations after the publication of his chief work, quot;The Origin of Speciesquot;, Charles Darwin may still be considered the most controversial scientist in the world. His name is synonymous with the debate that continues to swirl around the theory of evolution, a theory that deeply shook the Western view of humanity and its place in the world. We tend to speak simply of the theory of evolution, leaving off the explanatory phrase, quot;through natural selection.quot; At most, perhapsRead MoreCharles Darwins Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection Essay1793 Words   |  8 Pageswas Charles Darwin. Darwin was the most accomplished of these men because he was able to put forth a logical conjecture that was based upon facts and observations. This theory, for a short time, was able to end the feud among educated men because many now put their trust in this new â€Å"theory of evolution†. Unfortunately, this revolutionary new theory threatened the religious beliefs about creation and soon a new rivalry emerged between the creationists and evolutionists. According to Charles Darwin

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

For On Est Allé, Agreement is Optional

Mistakes will always be made in French, and now you can learn from them. When you want to say we went or   they went in French, you dont have to use the French subject pronouns nous or ils/elles.  You can choose to use the indefinite subject pronoun on. Its always conjugated in the third person singular, and it may or may not agree with the subject it replaces or any adjectives present. Using on as an informal replacement for these plural subject pronouns, there are actually two options: Either the past participle allà © agrees in gender and number with the plural masculine pronoun that on replaces, or it doesnt. Actually, you can choose either. Agreement is optional. Both forms are correct Both on est allà © AND on est allà ©s are correct.  Its your choice. The French pronoun on is a little strange. It literally translates to the indefinite one as in one shouldnt do that, but it can also mean we, you, they, or people in general. One often hesitates over agreement when on replaces a plural. Since on has to take the third person singular form of the verb, it might seem as though agreement should also be singular. In other words, no agreement. In fact, agreement with whatever subject on replaces is optional. Either way is correct.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Nous sommes allà ©s au cinà ©ma. / On est allà © au cinà ©ma. / On est allà ©s au cinà ©ma.  These all mean: We went to the movies. They are all correct.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sont-elles prà ªtes ? / Est-on prà ªt ? / Est-on prà ªtes ? These all mean: Are they ready? They are all correct. What Is On? 1. On  (listen) is the indefinite pronoun and literally means one. Its often equivalent to the English  passive voice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  On ne devrait pas poser cette question.  Ã‚  Ã‚  One shouldnt ask that question.   Ã‚  Ã‚  On demande : caissier.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cashier wanted.      On ne dit pas à §a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  That isnt said.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ici on parle franà §ais.  Ã‚  Ã‚  French is spoken here. 2. On  is also an informal replacement for we, you, they, someone, or people in general.   Ã‚  Ã‚  On va sortir ce soir.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Were going out tonight.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Alors les enfants, que veut-on faire  ?  Ã‚  Ã‚  OK kids, what do you want to do?   Ã‚  Ã‚  On dit que ce resto est bon.  Ã‚  Ã‚  They say that this restaurant is good.   Ã‚  Ã‚  On a trouvà © mon portefeuille.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Someone found my wallet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  On est fou !  Ã‚  Ã‚  People are crazy!   Ã‚  Ã‚  On ne sait jamais.  Ã‚  Ã‚  You never know. Agreement With On There are two related debates about whether  agreement  is required with the subject implied by  on: 1.  Adjectives: In  on est content  (we/they are happy OR someone is happy), should the adjective agree?  Ã‚  Ã‚  feminine:  On est contente.  Ã‚  Ã‚  plural:  On est contents.  Ã‚  Ã‚  feminine plural:  On est contentes.2.  ÃƒÅ tre verbs: In  on est tombà ©Ã‚  (we/they/someone fell), should the past participle agree?  Ã‚  Ã‚  feminine:  On est tombà ©e.  Ã‚  Ã‚  plural:  On est tombà ©s.  Ã‚  Ã‚  feminine plural:  On est tombà ©es. There is no real consensus, so heres my opinion:  On  is a neuter singular pronoun, so there shouldnt be agreement, but its really up to you...or your French teacher.   Additional Resources On:  indefinite subject pronounOn vs. lonAgreement