The economic situation over the last few years has had a major impact on British society. But what impact has it had on charities and charitable donations? Have people been giving less to charity? With people having become employed, and others with reduced or unchanged incomes, many people have less disposable income so they don't have as much they are able to give away. This article investigates the impact of the economy on different aspect of charity.
The government have made cuts to many areas of spending, something that is set to continue. One area in which money is being saved is by charity funding being reduced. Some have lost around half of their funding while others have lost it all. Many rely on this funding as well as individual charitable donations. More than 2,000 charities are being forced to close services and it is particularly having an impact on smaller charities.
Compared to pre-recession figures, the total amount of charitable donations by individuals has dropped by around £700 million a year. Fewer people are giving money to charity and those who are giving are tending to give less.
Cash charitable donations makes up a higher percentage of giving that any other type of donation, 50% of the total. This is an area that is impacted by people's personal circumstances. With the financial situation of many people very different to a few years ago this means a lot of people are unable to give as often as they would have previously. This is the area of charity that suffers most in an economic downturn.
People giving to charity in connection with natural disasters has been impacted less. Donations for those affected by disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan have been as high as would normally be expected. These are more emotional decisions, for example based on seeing the devastation on television and being compelled to help out. In these circumstances people often give without thinking about their finances so much.
One area where the news has been good has been with charity shops. For one thing, more people are looking to work in charity shops. More people are unemployed so are free to volunteer their time or work for low wages. They would rather be doing some work or earning a little than be at home earning nothing. The most significant thing about charity shops in an economic downturn, though, is the number of people buying from them. With people having less disposable income it means they are less able to afford to shop at more expensive outlets. This is driving them to charity shops. It can be a great way of giving to charity for people struggling financially. Rather than spending more money by giving to charity, people are spending less money while still giving to charity.
Although the news is good with regard to charity shops, overall charities have been negatively impacted by the recession and its aftermath. Funding for charities is being reduced and people are donating less.
Fuel Economy Global Standards
In 1975 the U.S. Congress passed legislation which created the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Regulations also known as CAFE. The standards require automobile and light truck manufacturers to offer vehicles which meet or exceed a fuel efficiency standard set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Environmental Protection Agency was assigned the task of calculating the average fuel economy of each manufacturer.
Since then the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has set new fuel economy standards for certain years. The standards set goals that the fleets have to meet through the years up to a specific target year.
In March of last year the Obama Administration set new fuel economy standards for 2016. CAFE required manufacturers to offer automobiles that achieve an average of 34.1 miles per gallon by the 2016 model year. Companies that don't reach the standards can be fined. Since 1983, manufacturers have paid more than $500 million in civil penalties for not making standards.
As a result of these standards and the automakers' ability to step up to the challenge, we have hybrid and electric vehicles today. Moreover, gas engine cars have been improved to provide miles per gallon numbers that were considered impossible in 1974. Auto manufacturers are not afraid of CAFE regulations today because they have developed the technology which assists them in achieving the standards.
Of course, achieving new CAFE standards cost money for the manufacturers, and they have passed on those additional costs to the consumer. For example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration forecasts that automakers will spend $51.5 billion during the next five years in order to get their 2016 model year fleet to meet the standard. As a result the agency expects the cost of new cars to increase by $985 by 2016. Still, the better fuel efficiency will result in a savings of $3,000 for the car owner due to fuel savings and improvements to the vehicle.
Automakers are confident that many of the cars they already make will meet the 2016 CAFE standard. In 2010 when the new standard was announced cars that exceeded the standard of 34.1 miles per gallon were actually achieving 35.5 mpg. These included the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the Mercury Milan Hybrid, the Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid and the Mercedes-Benz Smart.
Car companies have been able to meet and exceed even the newest standard because of new technology developments. For example, Ford now has the EcoBoost engine. The engine, which features dual direct fuel injection and a lot of aluminum parts, was first introduced as a six cylinder in 2009. The engine performs like an eight cylinder and improves fuel efficiency by 20 percent and reduces CO2 emissions by 15 percent. The company has since come out with a four-cylinder EcoBoost engine that is said to perform like a six-cylinder and the company plans to offer a 1.0 liter, three cylinder engine.
Manufacturers have come up with other tricks that improve fuel economy. They have improved the vehicle's silhouette to assure better co-efficiency. They have come up with ways to turn off cylinders when not needed, thus saving on fuel. They have come up with Start-Stop technology on hybrid cars that turns off the engine when the car is stopped in city traffic and then restarts the engine when the driver steps on the brake or the throttle. Moreover, some car companies have a shutter behind the front grille that closes to assure better co-efficiency when the car exceeds a certain speed.
Since then the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has set new fuel economy standards for certain years. The standards set goals that the fleets have to meet through the years up to a specific target year.
In March of last year the Obama Administration set new fuel economy standards for 2016. CAFE required manufacturers to offer automobiles that achieve an average of 34.1 miles per gallon by the 2016 model year. Companies that don't reach the standards can be fined. Since 1983, manufacturers have paid more than $500 million in civil penalties for not making standards.
As a result of these standards and the automakers' ability to step up to the challenge, we have hybrid and electric vehicles today. Moreover, gas engine cars have been improved to provide miles per gallon numbers that were considered impossible in 1974. Auto manufacturers are not afraid of CAFE regulations today because they have developed the technology which assists them in achieving the standards.
Of course, achieving new CAFE standards cost money for the manufacturers, and they have passed on those additional costs to the consumer. For example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration forecasts that automakers will spend $51.5 billion during the next five years in order to get their 2016 model year fleet to meet the standard. As a result the agency expects the cost of new cars to increase by $985 by 2016. Still, the better fuel efficiency will result in a savings of $3,000 for the car owner due to fuel savings and improvements to the vehicle.
Automakers are confident that many of the cars they already make will meet the 2016 CAFE standard. In 2010 when the new standard was announced cars that exceeded the standard of 34.1 miles per gallon were actually achieving 35.5 mpg. These included the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the Mercury Milan Hybrid, the Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight, Honda Civic Hybrid and the Mercedes-Benz Smart.
Car companies have been able to meet and exceed even the newest standard because of new technology developments. For example, Ford now has the EcoBoost engine. The engine, which features dual direct fuel injection and a lot of aluminum parts, was first introduced as a six cylinder in 2009. The engine performs like an eight cylinder and improves fuel efficiency by 20 percent and reduces CO2 emissions by 15 percent. The company has since come out with a four-cylinder EcoBoost engine that is said to perform like a six-cylinder and the company plans to offer a 1.0 liter, three cylinder engine.
Manufacturers have come up with other tricks that improve fuel economy. They have improved the vehicle's silhouette to assure better co-efficiency. They have come up with ways to turn off cylinders when not needed, thus saving on fuel. They have come up with Start-Stop technology on hybrid cars that turns off the engine when the car is stopped in city traffic and then restarts the engine when the driver steps on the brake or the throttle. Moreover, some car companies have a shutter behind the front grille that closes to assure better co-efficiency when the car exceeds a certain speed.
Written by Jacqueline Star Huntington Beach Ford offers great deals on trucks in Orange County.
Huntington Beach Ford Edge offers extensive information about this particular vehicle.
Huntington Beach Ford Edge offers extensive information about this particular vehicle.
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