Investigation into the Use of Science by an Environmental Advocacy Body - Essay Example

Investigation into the use of science by an environmental advocacy body (Beyond Zero Emissions) s Submitted by s: Overview Beyond Zero Emissions is a not-for-profit think-tank based that coordinates research and education that focusses on the need to decrease the greenhouse gases that are produced by humans to levels that are less than zero (Bze.org.au, 2014). It aims at decreasing the levels of these emissions through the implementation of structural changes to static energy, transportation, buildings, land usage as well as replacement of fossil fuel export revenues (Insights.net.au, 2014). The organization produced a report in mid-2010 that was an inquiry partnership that was done by Beyond Zero Emissions and the University Of Melbourne (Lancaster, 2012, p. 12). The report sought to provide a comprehensive and entirely practical ten year plan to exchange all the stationary energy requirements with one hundred percent renewable energy sources using proven technologies along with engineering. This deals with the common notion that the renewable energy cannot be used the replacement of fossil fuels, either as a result of under-development of the technology, or the concerns in regard to the costs associated with the technologies (Husher, 2009, p. 119). The group accepts pro-bono contributions from professionals such as engineers and scientists to take part in their projects in the same way open source software is produced and developed. The organization subscribes to the notion that the concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are at dangerous levels that keep increasing and that even when the objective of zero emissions in the worldwide economy is attained, the concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will still have to be decreased to a safer threshold. According to Beyond Zero Emissions, 350 ppm was the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere at which the fragmentation of the ice in the Arctic Sea started (Coghill, Sampford and Smith, 2011, p. 129). An amount in the area around 280 and 325 ppm is seen as the permissible amount and decreasing the levels in the atmosphere to this amount is appropriate and crucial. The organization believes that can be achieved through the implementation of concentrated plants that harvest solar. The Zero Carbon Australia 2020 Stationary Energy Plan The prevailing levels of greenhouse gases that are in the atmosphere are already considerably high to push the climatic system way past the tipping scales (Manahan, 2007, p.215). These levels are at an undesirable risk of dangerous and permanent changes to the climate of the globe, biodiversity, and by extension, human civilization (Shukla, 1997, p. 173). These changes have a direct impact on the food and water security of Australia while increasing the risk of instability in the region. Through a global carbon budget approach, it can be concluded that there is a more than sixty percent chance of maintaining global warming at less than two degrees above the temperatures that existed before the advent of industries. Consequently, the developed nations such as the US will have to work on decarbonizing their economies by 2020 (Roggenkamp, 2012, p. 296). There has been increasing agreement that the two degree threshold is higher than a safe boundary and that the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is supposed to be reduced from the prevailing levels of approximately 390 ppm to between 300 and 350 ppm (Baer, 2012, p. 280). For this particular reasons, a ten-year timeline is recommended as this is a practical timeframe in regard to planning as it needs immediate intervention where interventions that take more time or are less ambitious result in delays and half-responses. Through this decade period, resources that produce fossil fuels will be superannuated and newer renewable energy arrangements embraced and firmly incorporated as part of the system responsible for the supplies electricity (Byrne, Sipe and Dodson, 2014, p. 142). Individuals who are dedicated, and possess experience and skills in the respective energy industry sectors worked together to come up with the Zero Carbon Australia 2020 Stationary Energy Plan. The technologies that have been proven and considered in terms of cost will be incorporated into the plan where the two main technologies that will be employed will be wind power and concentrated solar thermal that has molten salt storage. These core energy sources are supported by a two percent yearly contribution from biomass that has been harvested from crop waste as well as hydroelectricity. In comparison to other countries, the renewable energy resources in Australia are among the best and the most promising to develop making them provide strategic benefits for all the Australians as they make preparations for competition in the future economy that is posed to be carbon constrained (Zahar, Peel and Godden, 2012, p. 312). Comprehensive modelling has been done too make sure that the supply of the new renewable energy will be able to meet the demand that has been forecasted in the plan throughout the day, seven days a week. The investment that is needed transition the stationary energy sector in Australia to renewables is a stimulus that corresponds to about three percent of the GDP over a decade, to create a zero emissions energy system that will remain in place for three or four decades. Technology and innovation The Stationary Energy Plan will take into consideration only the commercially available technologies that are already in existence. The zero emissions goal and speedy transition period that is supposed to take ten years leads up to the usage of transition fuels that include natural gases which are considered as a superfluous and unnecessary diversion of investments that may be more useful when directed at renewable energy. In the same manner, the methods that involve transition technologies like more effective cars that use fuel, are not included as they would divert funds and attention form the principal priorities like electrifying transport through a renewable energy grid (Newton, 2008, p. 32). The basis for inclusion or exclusion of varying energy sources in the plan include: the fact that wind, solar photovoltaic as well as concentrating solar thermal with storage are available commercial and have the ability to be scale up. Biomass together with hydro power have a restricted ability to be scaled up but remain valuable in the in regards to back up supply where wind and solar fail (Catalão, 2012, p. 1-4). Enhanced geothermal power and waves have not been established at a suitable level yet, while carbon capture and storage is also not adequately proven, therefore, they are not expected to be dependable before 2020. On the other hand, nuclear power is not yet available in Australia and there is very little likelihood that it can be implemented within the ten years that have been allocated for the project. The plan demonstrates what a new Australian electricity grid would resemble and entails a number of technological and infrastructural priorities (Wellman and Spiller, 2012, p. 165). These technologies include concentrated solar thermal power towers that contain molten heat storages that are meant to meet the sixty percent of the electricity demand in Australia, while the wind power is meant to substitute the remaining forty percent of the energy demands (Sharpsteen, 2011, p. 255). Crop waste biomass together with hydroelectricity will provide a back-up in case the supply does not meet the demand. A national energy grid will address the demand peaks and integrate renewable energy sources while providing a dependable power supply. In the 2020 energy set-up that the plan describes, the general energy demand is almost half the demands that typical projections for Australia, without any decrease in the provision of energy services. This can be attained by the use of energy efficient technology as well as fuel switching such as replacing oil based transportation, heating using gas and the use of fossil fuels in industries with electricity produced from renewable sources. In this set-up, the demand for electricity increases by more than forty percent based on the projected renewable energy infrastructure that is supposed to cater for the needs of the future. The plans gives conditions, suggested sites, costs as well as timelines for installations for its proposed renewable energy infrastructure along with explanations of enhancements to the transmission networks and comprehensive modelling that demonstrates the dependability of the improved national grid. It also elaborates the scale and the type of materials, and human resources that are needed while concluding the execution of its proposed technology mix may in fact attain a total renewable energy powered stationary energy distribution in Australia within ten years. Economics and finance The plan puts emphasis on the fundamental difference between energy that depends on fossil fuels and creating renewable projects of large scales. Compared to the latter, the former needs initial costs that are higher but the on-going costs associated with it are low. Even though it does not offer a demonstration of the best mechanisms for executing the transition, the plan refers to various varying options that support the deployment of renewable energy such as continuing subsidies or initial subsidies that include direct investment, loans from the government as well as credits from income tax. The full costs of the implementation of the plan is projected to be three hundred and seventy billion Australian dollars with an average of thirty seven billion Australian dollars every year for the period of ten years, which translates to almost three percent of the GDP of Australia. It has been acknowledged that this investment will provide considerable savings in the future especially when put against the typical costs of the key continuing investments needed for energy infrastructure and the escalating costs associated with fossil fuels. The plan demonstrates that the sales of the energy will reimburse the initial costs over time similar to any energy infrastructure project, and that investors and not the citizens of the country will cater for the initial costs (Singh, 2012, p. 58). As a result of cost reduction curves connected to the renewable energy technology that is contained in the plan, net present expenses over increased periods make the execution of the plan approximately the same as the typical business forecasts, even without the inclusion of savings in the costs of transportation (Mattoo and Subramanian, 2013, p. 62). The plan does not provide and evaluate the probable funding instruments but provides primary examination of one set-up that involves the project being funded simply through the revenue realized from retail in electricity that presents as purely a valuable suggestion of the impending cost repercussion for the consumers. This modelling recommended an increase in the prices of electricity that is equivalent to the one that is already forecasted for the country’s electricity market in the usual business energy supply of approximately eight Australia dollars for each household every week by 2020. Social equity The maintenance or enhancement of social equity in the process of transition towards zero emissions is among the predominant philosophies that guide the plan. It entreats inter and intra-generational equity objectives, considering it seeks to provide fair access to energy to all the Australians presently while simultaneously making sure that costs are not being postponed and burdened on the generations of the future. Adopting a ten-year plan transition towards emissions that are almost zero in the national economy is in harmony with Australia’s acceptance of its responsibilities as a wealthy country high emissions per capita, while giving the developing countries more time to develop and decrease emissions in regard to the worldwide carbon budget. Governance The plan does not encompass considerable feature on governance, provided that the attention is on the technical and financial attributes of the transition. Even though it is not inflexible concerning the particular policy settings that are needed for implementation of the plan, it is clear that the execution would be depended on the strong leadership, harmonized top-down planning, as well as investments that come from the public and private sectors. Social and political variation The political and communal factors associated with a transition of this magnitude and measure, are within the scope of the plan. Nonetheless, it is clear that its operation is dependent on considerable political and social support systems, as well as the need for pivotal leadership particularly from policymakers. Subliminally, there is acceptance that extensive approval of the technical and financial possibility of a transition to a zero economy is among the important requirements that are needed to take steps towards this kind of transition. Barriers that are associated with the society and politics somewhat vary from the technical barriers and Beyond Zero Emissions aims at establishing the technical and financial practicality of implementing an energy system in Australia that is one hundred percent renewable over the next decade. The organization does not dwell at length on the political and social inhibitions that are associated with beginning the plan. Beyond Zero Emissions seeks to conclude the debate concerning renewable energy and its capability to keep the operations of industries in motion in order to facilitate political and social changes that will affect the transition (Loewenstein and Sparrow, 2012, p. 11). Bibliography Baer, H. 2012, Global capitalism and climate change, 1st ed. AltaMira Press, Lanham. Byrne, J., Sipe, N. and Dodson, J. 2014, Australian Environmental Planning, 1st ed. Taylor and Francis, Hoboken. Bze.org.au, 2014, Beyond Zero Emissions, [online] Available at: http://bze.org.au/ [Accessed 15 Oct. 2014]. Catalão, J. 2012, Electric power systems, 1st ed, CRC Press, Boca Raton. Coghill, K., Sampford, C. and Smith, T. 2011, Fiduciary duty and the atmospheric trust, 1st ed. Ashgate Pub. Company, Farnham, Surrey, England. Husher, J. 2009, Crises of the 21st century, 1st ed. [S.l.]: Iuniverse Inc. Insights.net.au, 2014, Beyond Zero Emissions | Media Insights, [online] Available at: http://www.insights.net.au/clients/beyond-zero-emissions [Accessed 15 Oct. 2014]. Lancaster, S. 2012, Green Australia, 1st ed. Wakefield Press, Kent Town, S. Aust. Loewenstein, A. and Sparrow, J. 2012, Left turn, 1st ed. Melbourne University Publishing, Carlton, Vic. Manahan, S. 2007, Environmental science and technology, 1st ed. CRC/Tayor & Francis, Boca Raton. Mattoo, A. and Subramanian, A. 2013, Greenprint, 1st ed. Center for Global Development, Washington, D.C. Newton, P. 2008, Transitions, 1st ed. CSIRO Pub, Collingwood, VIC. Roggenkamp, M. 2012, Energy networks and the law, 1st ed. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Sharpsteen, B. 2011, The docks, 1st ed. University of California Press, Berkeley. Shukla, P. 1997, Energy strategies and greenhouse gas mitigation, 1st ed. Allied Publishers, New Delhi. Singh, S. 2012, New mega trends, 1st ed. Palgrave Macmillan, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire. Wellman, K. and Spiller, M. 2012, Urban infrastructure, 1st ed. Wiley, Chichester. Zahar, A., Peel, J. and Godden, L. 2012, Australian climate law in global context, 1st ed. Port Melbourne, Vic, Cambridge, England. Read More