Executive summary
Just like many other countries in the world, Australia is involved in the efforts towards the reduction of the effects of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (Wood, 2006). The need arose as the world realised that the earth needs to be conserved.
Some of the activities that man is involved in contribute to the destruction of the environment (Scalenghe et al., 2011). The emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide contributes to global warming (Bilek et al., 2008).
These gases shield the atmosphere and prevent the heat from radiating away. This causes an increase in temperatures. Global warming, as this phenomenon is called, has destructive effects.
Australia has realised that it should be part of the bigger team involved in preventing global warming. The government has been involved in the same exercise and it has advocated for the use of green power (Hanova and Dowlatabadi, 2007).
Use of alternative sources of power helps to reduce the amount of emissions in the environment. The reduction of carbon footprint by every individual has been advocated.
Introduction
The government of Australia has increased its efforts towards the protection and preservation of its environment so that it could be sustainable for the future generations. It had been predicted that the carbon pollution in the country would increase by twenty per cent.
Therefore, the government set some goals to be achieved in order to contain the situation. This was the reduction of each carbon footprint by a significant fraction. In order to achieve its goals of reducing the amount of emissions, the government advocated for the use of clean energy.
This was to be effected in every business and household. They were meant to reduce their carbon pollution. The government also arranged for the creation of new green-collar jobs in order to facilitate this venture.
The carbon footprint is a unit used to measure the amount of greenhouse gas emitted to the atmosphere due to a particular activity (Jones, 2011).
The coming up of such a unit of measurement was due to the effects of the greenhouse gases on the environment (Lenzen and Shauna, 2001). These gases are responsible for global warming and climate change.
Background of Greenhouse Business Challenge
The National Greenhouse Accounts is responsible for the publishing of the reports on the emissions in Australia. This data is then transferred to the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.
The existence of such bodies has been prompted by the need to save the planet by curbing climate change. The common greenhouse gases include water vapour and carbon dioxide.
These gases are known to cause global warming due to their blanketing effect. They form a blanketing effect and prevent the warm air from leaving the atmosphere. Therefore, the temperatures rise above the normal ranges and cause devastating effects.
There are several ways that the Australia government has helped to reduce this effect. Firstly, several bodies advise people to make their lifestyles more environmentally friendly.
Another way is for individuals and businesses to reduce their individual carbon footprints (Wright et al., 2011). This includes the reduction of the use of fuels that emit carbon dioxide.
Use of power saving gadgets is also helpful. Businesses have also been advised to use renewable sources of energy (green power). This is meant to reduce the emissions due to power generation.
References
Bilek, M, Hardy, C, Lenzen, M & Dey, C 2008, ‘Life-cycle energy balance and greenhouse gas emissions of nuclear energy: A review’, Energy Conversion & Management, vol. 49, no. 8, pp. 2178–2199.
Hanova, J & Dowlatabadi, H 2007, ‘Strategic GHG reduction through the use of ground source heat pump technology’, Environmental Research Letters, vol. 2, no. 10, pp. 108-174.
Jones, K 2011, ‘Quantifying Carbon Footprint Reduction Opportunities for Households and Communities’, ES&T, vol. 45, no. 9, pp. 4088–4095.
Lenzen, M & Shauna, A 2001, ‘A modified ecological footprint method and its application to Australia’, Ecological Economics, vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 229-255.
Scalenghe, R, Malucelli, F, Ungaro, F, Perazzone, L, Filippi, N & Edwards, A 2011, ‘Influence of 150 years of land use on anthropogenic and natural carbon stocks in Emilia-Romagna Region’, Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 45, no. 12, pp. 5112–5117.
Wood, R 2006, ‘Structural decomposition analysis of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions’, Energy Policy, vol. 37, no. 11, pp. 4943-4948.
Wright, L, Kemp, S & Williams, I 2011, ‘Carbon footprinting: towards a universally accepted definition’, Carbon Management, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 61–72.