The Role of Beyond Zero Emissions, Its Values, and Interests - Case Study Example

BEYOND ZERO EMISSIONS Name Institution Professor Course Date Executive Summary Economic growth and technology development generate a better quality of life for people and society. However, disproportionate misuse of natural resources ensuing from industrialisation has instigated environmental degradation instances. Among diverse environmental concerns include global warming. A major contributor to global warming is emission of greenhouse gases that prompts unpredictable climate shifts that are destructive to people across the globe. Given that a rise in emissions of carbon affects the planet, being proactive to stop or slow down the global warming procedure is crucial. Beyond Zero Emissions Inc strives to lower and control emission of greenhouse gas in Australia. This report explores the role of Beyond Zero Emissions, its values and interests, its advocacy stance and its application of science. 1.0 Introduction Climate change is a grave risk in reduction of poverty and it threatens development efforts in most nations. The adverse effects of climate change include natural disasters that are more devastating and frequent. Climate change is a core concern in Australia. The country faces great economic and environmental effects from climate shift across numerous sectors such as agriculture, water security, infrastructure and coastal communities. Prominent scientists in Australia advise that change in climate will trigger rises in intensity and frequency of tremendous weather events. Increasing sea levels cause a great danger to coastal communities. As a result, climate change has become the biggest economic, social and ecological challenge in Australia thereby prompting establishment of several organisations that use science to advocate for a safe environment. Beyond Zero Emissions assist in facilitating a timely change to a zero greenhouse emission future where atmospheric greenhouse gases are lowered to a secure threshold. The group centres in education, research and dissemination of scientifically-established technology and policy solutions to attain the transition to a Zero carbon panorama. 2.0 Beyond Zero Emission Inc Beyond Zero Emissions Inc is a non-profit education and research firm recognised for its role in designing and executing a zero carbon emissions nation. The organisation was established in 2006 by Adrian Whitehead and Matthew Wright. Whitehead was a professional forest activist while Matthew was an IT Specialist for Reuters (Lucas 2012, p.136). Whitehead and Wright established the firm because they felt that the conventional environmental movement was not promoting the climate action level requisite by science. From a humble beginning, Beyond Zero Emissions at present hold numerous offices in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. The organisation has dynamic volunteers in Cairns, Townsville, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle and Canberra (Lucas 2012, p.136). The objective of the organisation is to change Australia from a nineteenth century emissions intensive nation to a twenty-first century nation powered by clean technology and renewable energy. 2.1 The Connection between the Values and Interests of BZE The interests of the organisations is to ensure a beyond zero emission Australia with the vast majority of Australia energy needs attained through application of renewable energy. BZE interests are to develop comprehensive schemes for executing solutions to anthropogenic change in climate. The organisation wants to alter the Australia’s society from a nation founded on misuse of fossil fuels and unsustainable utilisation of natural resources to nation aimed at a sustainable environment. BZE operates to lower or stop emissions of greenhouse gas to Zero and below (BZE 2014). The firm strives to develop completely costed change for propelling the nation to Zero emissions with 10 years through application of obtainable technology. The interests of the firm is to see a beyond zero carbon emissions Australia through executing structural shifts to transport, stationary energy, housing, logging and building via executing energy effective measures. BZE pledges to the perspective that atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are at a risk level but development and attainment of zero emissions goals carbon dioxide atmospheric concentrations will still require to be lowered to a secure threshold. The principle or values of the organisation is to attain zero carbon emissions and lower its emission beyond zero. The organisation deems that these efforts are attainable via techniques such as large-scale execution of concerted solar power plants. According to Hamilton (2014, p.24), strengths in technology and innovation can offset any global warming. The group main principle is to lower anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases to Zero and beneath and its interests is to execute structural shifts to transport, land used, industrial processes, coal exports and buildings. BZE want to execute its ground-breaking project to the nation’s ability to zero carbon emissions. The firm maintains that a secure climate is a crucial natural resource and it is a condition necessary for productive economy. The agricultural, transport, building and industrial sectors must be barred from putting at risk the steadiness of the climate system through their functions. BZE comprehends that change in climate hold major ability to change for life in Australia and the present conditions are connected to anthropogenic global warming. 2.2 BZE Advocacy Position and Use of Science Beyond Zero Emissions organisation focuses on establishing comprehensive plans for executing solutions to anthropogenic climate shift. Beyond Zero Emissions centres on transforming the society of Australia from an economy established principally on exploiting fossil fuels and untenable application of natural resources to a nation headed towards sustainable application of natural and human resources through use of renewable energy. The organisation’s 2020 Zero Carbon Australia research is intended to establishing climate shift policy resolutions consistent with the newest climate science (Lucas 2012, p.136). The organisation resort to the work of committed volunteers with specialized skills in engineering, social and physical sciences, journalism and media, humanities and arts and people working in the business sector. The organisation has a small executive group that coordinates the actions of a huge group of volunteers. The group of executive also works together with a small team of University researchers based in University of Melbourne’s Energy Research Institute. BZE is non-partisan organisation that receives no funding from the government, but depends on donations from its publications’ sale and the public to finance its activities (Lucas 2012, p.136). The firm is active in the global and national media. BZE trains members to support its practises via public speaking occasions. Beyond Zero Emissions in involved in research, education, transition planning, corporate education, network building and solutions development. The organisations accept findings from the latest science which demonstrate that the society has permitted changes in climate to go beyond the expected. The firm support findings that show that the society must act with immediate effect to lower greenhouse gases emissions to beyond zero. Through the ZCA (Zero Carbon Australia) research plan, Beyond Zero Emission promotes climate change policy that corresponds with the newest science. Through sharing research with numerous Australians through the firm’s public involvement programs, Beyond Zero Emissions, educates, inspires and engages the community with real resolutions to change in climate. In collaboration with the Energy Institute at University of Melbourne, Beyond Zero Emissions has issued the stationary energy scheme. This plan is a completely costed change plan for getting the country to zero greenhouse gas emissions in 10 years via commercially accessible technology. The ongoing research conducted by the firm takes in export industries, industrial processes, land utilisation for carbon storage, high speed rail transportation and buildings that supports zero carbon emissions (BZE 2014). According to Lucas (2012, p.136), the ZCA 2020 research plan covers six portfolio regions of building, transport, energy, coal exports and land use. The land used, transport and buildings are at present nearing completions. Given that the stationary energy region is the greatest contributor of Australian greenhouse gas emissions, Beyond Zero Emissions major focus has been on how to establish the correct mix of energy effectiveness course and commercially verified renewable energy technology aimed at helping the country to develop a zero emission energy zone within 10 years. The firm’s Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan is a major publication because it is a technically, completely costed scheme for transforming a developed nation to a hundred percent renewable energy with 10 years via application of commercially accessible technology. The plan was produced via collaboration of over forty volunteer researchers. The ZCA 2020 plan has received supports from academics, politicians, business people, policy-makers and scientists. The ZCASEP apparently shows that Australia can attain the cosmic majority of its energy needs through application of renewable energy technologies. At an approximated cost of 370 billion dollars for over 10 years, the plan highlights how a mix of geologically spread wind power and concerted solar thermal energy with salt storage integrated with rigorous but attainable energy efficiency measures can accomplish the requirements of a surging populace and completely reinstate the use of fossil fuel ( Lucas 2012, p.137). Australia being one of the premier polluting countries and a leading fossil fuels export, the science actually shows that Australia requires to swiftly lowering its emissions of greenhouse gases to zero. Beyond Zero Emissions uses the latest science that shows that the society has permitted change in climate to move too far. The organisation uses scientific analysis of environmental problems and solutions. However, some scientists acknowledge how failure to understand facts from facts and fallaciousness of the fact characterize a barrier for understanding the suitability of their advocacy for a carbon free society (Nelson & Vucetich 2009, p.7). Change in climate has become focal point of a considerable deal of scientific assessment. It is perceptible that inconsistent weather patterns, annihilation of scores of species and other major world-scale occurrences are directly linked to climate change. For Beyond Zero Emission to comprehend the long and short term effects and causes of climate change, the firm focuses on the past and current circumstances that affect the climate including anthropogenic and natural shifts in landscape, greenhouse gases, world’s oceans and polar ice acidity and temperature. Beyond Zero Emissions promotes the establishment and preservation of closed loop construction cycles (BZE 2014). The organisation constantly establishes zero carbon plans for land use, transport, industrial sector and buildings and requires the Australian society to transform to lower the nation’s environmental footprint. BZE promotes a society that is comfortable and efficient and through launching the energy freedom, the organisation brings together businesses and households to change Australian homes into net energy producers and zero carbon emissions. 3.0 Supporting the BZE Views I partially support the opinions of BZE. This is because changing Australia’s energy-demanding society to renewable energy use will be too expensive for the nation. In addition the use of wind and solar power are at present impossible problems. In fact, the Australian government does not view the proposal provided by Beyond Zero Emissions project cost effective or attainable (Lucas 2012, p.137). In my view, the most effective manner to tackle change in climate and lower carbon emission in Australia is to adapt a carbon price. While the beyond zero carbon emission plan may lower emissions of carbon from facilities that generate energy, this plan will not succeed in stopping the extractive attack on the nature-society metabolism. In addition, Beyond Zero Emissions acknowledges that in the twenty-first century economy, certain raw products cannot be attained from post-consumer waste streams. As a result, such products will call for prolongation of mining practices, hence continuation of greenhouse gas emissions. However, the firm promotes the global best-practice site remediation and mine managements besides constant development and research on options to non-renewable resource mining (Chiu, Lin & Lee 2011, p.653). The research conducted by the firms is premised on neoliberal /neoclassical economic standards. This is because the organisations efforts are channelled on lowering energy and resource use and production of toxic wastes and materials. On the other hand, Beyond Zero strategy seems to be embracing technology as the only solution to climate change through proposing plans that are logistically possible economically affordable and technologically practical. The organisation believes that technological shift will solve the problem of anthropogenic change in climate. However political and cultural shifts are also crucial (Lucas 2012, p.142). 4.0 Conclusion Economic growth and technology development establishes an improved quality of life for society. While carbon emission is a major issue in Australia, lowering greenhouse gases emission is a global issue besides a collective effort. Given that the emission allowances quantity is connected to economic growth, how to balance emissions with economic growth is significant both nationally and internationally. Organisations such as Beyond Zero Emissions strive to lower or stop emission of greenhouse gases. Beyond Zero Emissions focuses on transforming Australian society from an economy established on misuse of fossil fuels and unsustainable utilisation of natural resources. The organisation upholds that a secure climate is a crucial natural resource and it is a condition necessary for productive economy. BZE operates under the principal that climate change holds the ability for life in Australia and the current conditions are connected to anthropogenic global warming. The firm is interested in ensuring a beyond zero emission Australia where majority of Australia energy needs will be attained through application of renewable energy and the latest science. The advocacy position of BZE is founded on the actuality that climate change is focal point of a considerable deal of scientific assessment s and Australia can attain the celestial mainstream of its energy needs through application of renewable energy technologies. While the organisations strategies to ensure Zero and below greenhouse gases emissions through the use of renewable energy that is commercially accessible are feasible, consideration of political, social and economical factors are necessary. 5.0 Reference List Beyond Zero Emissions 2014, Available from http://bze.org.au/ (18 October 2014). Chiu, Y, Lin, J & Lee, J 2011, ‘ Carbon emission allowances of efficiency analysis: Application of super ZSG-DEA model’, Pollution Journal of Environmental Studies, Vol.22, no.3, pp.653-666. Hamilton, C 2014, ‘Geoengineering and the politics of science’, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Vol.7, no.3, pp.17-26. Lucas, A 2012, ‘The role beyond zero emissions in the Australian climate debate’, Journal of Australian Political Economy, Vol.69, no.69, pp.134-148. Nelson, M & Vucetich, J 2009, ‘ On advocacy by environment scientist: What, whether, why, and how’, Conservation Biology, vol.23, no.5, pp.1-12. Read More