Energy Pollution

Limiting emissions requires broad-based action across many sectors of the global economy. Australia’s air temperature has risen 0.9°C since 1910, illustrating the Global Warming due to the emissions of greenhouse gases. Australia has numerous initiatives that provide its population with tips on how to help the environment. Unlike many industrialized nations Australia is still heavily reliant on Non Renewable Resources such as coal. Australia and Japan have both signed the Kyoto Agreement which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Japan signed it in 2002, whereas Australia signed it in 2007. The time of which both countries signed, illustrates that Japan was more acceptable and ready for such a scheme and to do something about greenhouse gases. Japan was ranked 12th out of 176 countries in a 2013 Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index. Japan ranked 4th in Sustainable innovations which entails providing quality education, cultivating research and development, creating globally competitive products and services, and providing jobs and income for the population of a country recognised as environmentally sustainable. Although Japan has achieved this position, the country has a substantial amount of air pollution from power plant emissions which results in acid rain. The acidification of rain damages lakes and reservoirs whilst degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life.

What do we know about our energy sources and how our energy choices affect the environment? Many people still do not put much though into this topic or pay any attention to the amount of energy they use or where it comes from. For some it is just willful negligence, but for many others it may be due to a lack of knowledge on the subject. Perhaps it is a good idea to pay closer attention and educate ourselves so we can make informed decisions that may lead to less stress on our wallets and on our environment. In order to make a change, we should observe our currently used energy sources in everyday life, the impact of increasing energy uses, and observe all of the alternative options available to us.

Professor Per Peterson from the Department of Nuclear Engineering says, “It's difficult for me to see how we can transition away from fossil fuels and not use significant amounts of nuclear energy” (Phillips, 2012). Many argue that renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind should be implemented instead of nuclear energy as they too produce no air pollution. However, modern society requires a reliable ‘base load’ of electricity which renewables are not equipped to provide. In Australia there are limited sources that could potentially supply a suitable ‘base load’. They include coal and gas (which produce CO2 emissions) geothermal, hydro (which is limited due to the lack of water), developing technology and nuclear energy (Krieg, 2014). Renewable sources of energy also prove to be a problem as they are too fickle to provide base load power to a nation, as they depend on intermittent things such as weather and seasons, whereas nuclear power is available constantly whilst being a cleaner source of power.

To meet the needs and demands of the ever rising human population, technology continues to advances and yet the bleak outlook for our future generations fails to push for a long term solution for our dying Earth. The excess greenhouse gases is an evident problems for our planet, it causes rapid climate change to adversely impacts Australia, resulting in fast increasing temperatures, jeopardizing the lives of Australians, and devastating the oceans and the ecosystems that rely upon it. Although the entire world is warming up due to climate change, Australia will suffer more severely – ensuing in a growing number of extreme weathers even with the slightest rise in average temperature (Milman, 2015). As this Oceanian country takes the blunt of

The majority of scientific evidence suggests that over the last century humans have begun to have a discernible influence on the world's climate, causing it to warm. There is substantial evidence to indicate that significant global warming will occur during the 21st century. The purpose of this paper is to dramatize the impact climate change could have on Australian society if we are unprepared for it. In discussing the future of the planet, climate change, caused by increased abundances of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, has been a serious cause of concern. Several studies have suggested that climate change can lead to mass-fatality disasters, international migration leading to tensions and conflict, resource shortages, infectious disease, terrorism and rising-sea levels and drought causing immense economic nuisances, all of which have the potential to harm Australia’s national security.

Countries around the world have agreed that to avoid potentially dangerous climate change, global warming stay below 2 degrees C. This means that every country, including Australia will need to significantly increase their efforts to reduce emissions. Currently, Australia’s per capita emissions are among the highest in the world, however, there has been recent progress in decarbonising its economy. For example, greenhouse gas emissions have remained stable while economy size has almost doubled. (Pathways to deep carbonisation).

With the increasing Australia’s population the demand for reliable energy to support our power needs now and into the future is escalating, with majority of the Australia’s energy depending solely on coal power with concerns arising on whether this is the best option for Australia’s future or focus more on harnessing green renewable energy. This essay will argue that green energy is the best option over coal power, for the world and Australia’s future, such as solar and wind. The biggest challenge though will be finding a way in being able to harness the resources nature provides to support the growing demand.

Australia’s annual greenhouse gas emissions have historically been steadily increasing. However, in recent years this trend has stopped - the emissions rate has steadied. The Australian nation has been emitting in the range of 250,000 to 450,000 thousand metric tons greenhouse gases per year from 1990 to 2010.

The introduction of the carbon tax in Australia is derived from the serious environmental issue of climate change. According to The Economist (2011), Australia's emissions measured on a per capita basis are the largest of any developed

Australia was once one of the healthiest and wealthiest single megadiverse country in the world. Unfortunately, it is now facing serious environmental problems which will affect the future generations.

The Australian public are concerned with the environment and keen that any Government in power have some commitment to the environment and climate on its agenda and that the Government is committed to preserving the environment. If those in power wish to remain there this commitment must be visible. Unfortunately Australia has just committed to an economic plan that is based on the mining, exportation and burning of the nations massive coal resources (Vorrath, 2014). Hand in hand with this strategy, should be an investment in CCS so that Australia takes some responsibility for reducing pollution. It is interesting to note that the two biggest countries Australia is relying on to buy this coal (India and China) are starting to move away from heavy polluting coal power stations and looking at alternative technologies. India, for example, is providing loans and subsidies to its citizens to set up the world’s largest solar farms whilst China has the ambitious aim to phase out coal completely in some cities by 2020 (Vorrath, 2014). By reducing their coal dependency these countries are in fact playing their part in trying to reduce Co2 pollution albeit not necessarily investing in CCS technology (Vorrath,

Global warming, the cause of our ice caps melting and the sea levels rising. The G7 nations have come together to put a stop to these environmental issues by introducing a plan to stop the earth’s temperature rising by 2c. Decarbonising the world’s economy is the only way to stop an increase in the earth’s temperature and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Climate works Australia and the Australian national university are leading the journey to a decarbonised Australia by 2050, with no major

Let’s not hang around the thought of a swiftly melting iceberg here: climate change is happening, and we’re causing it. The evidence is overpowering. Scientists usually stand-in this level of agreement for claims like “Water is real” and “air is real” yet here we are, the climate change ship has now left prt, and lots of people on shore are still debating whether boats can actually float. Countless people, even high profile members of the society, believe that burning and exporting coal is a virtuously good thing to do for Australia; but as robust evidence suggests, that’s not the case at all. In fact it’s downright opposite of the truth, we are conditioned to believe so. Each year, Australia exports coal worth 50 billion dollars to china – the world’s largest coal consumer. This leads people to believe coal is good for Australia – It earns money.

As climate change continues to loom as the greatest threat to the future of humanity, economists and scientists across the globe must come together in order to provide solutions. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is on the rise, at higher rates than ever before. Historically, 337 billion metric tonnes of carbon has been released into the atmosphere since 1751 (Boden et al., 2010). Of these global emissions, approximately 76% is produced through the burning of fossil fuels, 19% due to combustion of gas fuels (most commonly natural gas), 4% through cement production,

I, Vineet Kr. Gupta, am completed M.Tech (Energy & Environmental Management) from Kurukshetra University, Haryana, India. I wish to apply for the suitable position (Environment Management Division) in your organization in the thrust area of Environment Management.