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Chalfonts Community College BBC School Report

2008-03-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here ya go!

Will carbon dioxide be a problem in the future?

2008-03-13T06:07:00.000-07:00

Reported by Chelsea and Izzy

Carbon dioxide (co2) has always been a problem in the world, but will it affect us in the future with Showroom Tax?

In April next year the government are considering taxing drivers with the most polluting cars. The tax will be rising to around an astonishing £440 for those vehicles which emit more than 255g of carbon dioxide per kilometre driven. In the following year this price will increase and then decrease in the second year.

Even though this is a huge increase in the tax it should prevent people from buying cars that produce the most amount of carbon dioxide (co2). This will hopefully help put a stop to global warming in the future because some people won’t want to pay the increased amount and will switch to a more environmentally friendly car.

However, will this measure really help to stop or slow global warming? Dr. Nottingham in Buckinghamshire thinks it will, he told us that “it may deter some people but some own so much money it won’t affect them.” The best way to stop global warming is to “move away from using fossil fuels and more towards energy.”

On the other hand there are negative opinions. Mr Michie from Buckinghamshire states, “I am not sure it would help but a lot of people are just going to see it as another tax like road tax. Therefore, I am not sure it would convince people to change their car.” If the government really want global warming to stop then they need to take action and “give people incentives such as a reduction in their income tax to encourage them to be more active in recycling.”

If everyone thinks global warming is an important issue then why aren’t we all doing more to stop it. Until there is agreement as to how to deal with this issue then as Mr Michie states, “the future is very bleak because the government is never going to take enough action that is drastic enough to have a significant impact.”

Underage Drinking

2008-03-13T05:50:00.000-07:00

Underage Drinking

Reported by Adil and Kat

An increasing problem in the UK is under age drinking. Teenagers have grown increasingly addicted to the ‘drug’ and some say this has led to an increase in crime. Boys as young as eleven have been dragged into an increasingly popular but harmful habit. The average alcohol intake for eleven to thirteen year olds has risen from 3.6 units to 8.6 units. This is a shocking 5.1 units above the daily limit for a grown man.

So, how much damage has this problem inflicted? Drinking in huge amounts can cause many health problems. However, young teenagers still continue drinking.

A major issue is the source of the alcohol. Why is it becoming such a problem? We interviewed a shopkeeper called Jamie who has informed us, of around ten teenagers a week, lying about their age to gain access to alcohol. Shopkeepers have signs displaying that ID will be asked for and there are tight restrictions on acceptable forms of ID. However, this also presents problems for ordinary shopkeepers. Jamie told us that when asked underage teenagers can get “very abusive and swear when we refuse to sell them alcohol.”

For the local community this is also a problem. Sergeant Slee from Thames Valley Police is concerned about the issue but thinks it is manageable at the moment in Chalfont.

To stop this the government has increased the price of alcohol. This has been introduced in Alistair Darling’s first Budget. There has also been a new measure introduced which is the two strike law, where off licences get two strikes if they are caught selling alcohol to teenagers under the legal age, they will have their licenses confiscated.

There is help for these types of problems like young teenagers can talk to Frank by phone at 08000 77 66 00.

Welcome

2008-03-13T03:42:00.000-07:00

Hello. Welcome to the Chalfonts Community College BBC School Report website. Today we're taking part in School Report with schools across the United Kingdom. We're going to be covering the news - today's news and the stories that are of interest to us.

We are a group of 11 very enthusiastic Year 8 students ably assisted by Lara, Emma and Caroline from Year 13 and co-ordinated by Miss Armstrong and Mr Michie. We are also delighted to have our BBC mentor, Joanne Watson from BBC Radio.

We hope you enjoy our news reports.