Environmental sustainability
Abstract
Information Technology has played a major role to reduce carbon emissions. Saudi Arabia and Australia have played a major role through Information Technology to combat the climatic change. Both countries have the potential of new information technologies to reduce carbon emissions. Almost 2% of the global carbon emission is estimated to be from the sector of information and Communication Technology. This is the same as the carbon emitted by the fuel consumed in airline industry. Information Technology has helped to reduce carbon emissions across other sectors as well. These new methods include intelligent systems for cooling data centers, which can reduce energy consumption and therefore emissions of greenhouse gases. This report focuses on the major initiatives taken by Saudi and Australia in combating climate change, as well as strategies of green Information Technology have adopted to reduce carbon emissions with analyze and evaluate these strategies.
Introduction
One of the most essential things to note concerning the twentieth and the twenty first centuries include the fact that they have been characterized by a lot of growth and development in various fields, especially, considering the fact that there has been a lot of growth in the information and technology field, which has eased a lot of tasks and activities in all areas in the development of the various sectors of the economy. However, with this development, there have been various challenges that have also resulted from this development and growth, especially, considering the fact that the growth and development has affected and interfered with various ecological and environmental settings. There are several things that are necessary to consider in this case, for example, concerning growth and development in terms of societal and economic advancement. For example, development and growth started actively in the eighteenth century. One of the most essential things to note, for example, include the fact that the nineteenth century has reported the highest levels of global warming, with temperatures rising to as high as 0.80 C in the past one hundred years, and the level of carbon dioxide emission from various companies and industries rising by over 45%, compared to the previous century.
With this understanding and after a concrete view of the impacts that this development has had on the environment, various international and regional bodies have developed strategies which will assist in ensuring that there is controlled measure through which the carbon dioxide will be released into the environment. One of the organizations that have been very vocal in addressing this challenge include the United Nations, especially, through the United Nations Environmental Program; UNEP. There are various challenges through which this has been achieved, especially, in order to discourage industries, organizations and companies from not only releasing carbon dioxide and other harmful gases into the environment, but also other forms of pollution, such as soil, water and air pollution. Some of these strategies include introduction of charges for these corporations and organization, whereby these revenues are used in the improvement of the environment, for example, through their allocation to the United Nations Environmental Program among other organizations that foster for the improvement of the climatic and environmental conditions.
At the same time, however, it is necessary to note that specific countries have developed their own national strategies with the approval and recommendation of the international organizations such as the United nations, which work towards improving their environmental conditions, particularly, the state in which the countries monitor and regulate the amount of waste released into the environment. This has been the current trend, especially in countries that have been heavily involved in industrialization, which lead to consequent high-level release of waste products into the environment. These countries include Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, the United States of America, Canada and Australia amongst other countries across the world. This has also heavily involved the respective governments, whereby the governments develop initiatives that are introduced into the corporations, and that seek to ensure that there is effective monitoring and regulation of the amount of waste released into the environment.
Environmental control initiatives by Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is one of the main countries in the Middle East and West Asian region that has been very vocal in the management of the environment and development of initiatives and strategies through which the release of waste products and harmful gases into the environment can be regulated and minimized. This is mainly due to the fact the country has been heavily involved in the production of our, the textile industry as well as the electronic’ industry, which have heavily contributed to the environmental pollution of the region, leading Saudi Arabia and other countries in the United Arab Emirates to develop strategies and initiatives through which they will monitor the release of these harmful gases into the environment.
- Marine environment protection- Extraction of oil is one of the activities that have been widely common across Saudi Arabia. In the twentieth century, however, this extraction included a lot of pollution, particularly water pollution, especially in from the 1920s, when oil extraction went commercial through the catapulting of the same from the development of technology. This led to the development of Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME) in 1982, which sought to control the marine life in Asia. With time, this strategy and initiative spread from Saudi Arabia to the other six UAE countries, as well as other Asian countries such as Ukraine, Oman, Kuwait and Iraq amongst others, in order to promote the minimization of these gases and other forms of pollution into the environment, and the water, as well.
- Natural resources’ protection- After drilling of oil for over 50 years in the twentieth century, Saudi Arabia found it necessary to develop a strategy through which it would protect its natural resources, since these were its main sources of income. As a result, the country formed the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for Environment. Through this initiative, Saudi Arabia ensures that the resources are not only monitored and protected, but also mined and extracted through strategies that will not affect the country’s environment, especially, through the emission of gases and other wastes that will affect the environment. In this case, therefore, the organization seeks to ensure that there is limited release of gases and other wastes into the environment.
- In 1991, Saudi Arabia came up with an initiative called Arab Declaration on Environment and Development and Future Prospects, which was a treaty between the government and the local and international investors, which sought to protect the resources that the country had, especially during the extraction of the same. One essential thing to note in this step is the fact that the government sought to boost the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for Environment, in environmental and resources’ protection.
- Through the Arab Centre for Studies of Arid Zone and Dry Lands (ACSAD), the government of Saudi Arabia sought to develop a strategy through which it would diversify the nation, by establishing companies and industries in the country’s arid areas, considering the fact that the 1980s and the 1990s recorded high-rate mushrooming of companies and industries around the urban areas and the well developed areas. This was leading to high level consumption of resources in these regions, as well as increased pollution. Consequently, the government found it necessary to distribute these industries into the arid areas. This would not only reduce commotion in the developed areas, but also ensure that the resources in those areas are protected, and this would lead to the consequent consumption of the resources in the arid regions, which prior to this establishment, did not attract many investors or companies.
Environmental control initiatives by Australia
Australia, on the other hand, is one of the most developed nations in the world, whereby, industrialization has been one of the greatest achievements that the country has achieved. At the same time, considering the fact that the country’s industrialization has been evenly distributed across all the five states that make up the nation, this is one of the greatest achievements, that has as well, presented various challenges, especially, in terms of pollution and management of the carbon dioxide (and other wastes) released into the environment. Following the same, therefore, Australia has in the twentieth and the twenty first centuries, developed strategies and initiatives that seek to monitor its activities, and how these activities affect the environment and monitoring of its carbon release into the environment, from its various developed and developing industries.
- Through the Department of sustainability, population, water and environment, the government of Australia has been educating the people on the ground on how to protect the environment, especially, through the reduction of littering and waste release into the environment. This has gone a long way in reducing the amount of small scale pollution by over 35% in the past seven years.
- In order to care for the country, Australia has started various programs, such as the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality and the Natural Heritage Trust. These have played a very monumental role in the stewardship of the country towards a cleaner environment, through a strategy that will ensure that the people themselves are actively involved in cleaning the environment, and making sure that they observe cleanliness and natural maintenance of the environment that they live in. the same has been extended to corporations, industries and organizations involved in mass communication of products, with waste as their by-product.
- Land care- unlike most countries across the world, Australia has managed to develop a strategy through which it will ensure that its land is effectively utilized, especially in terms of production. This is the reason why over 40% of the total land cover in Australia promoted and practices farming, while 70% of the same has diverted water in various areas, to promote the activities taking place in the land.
Carbon reduction strategies in Information Technology
The development of information and technology has had its own share of advantages and disadvantages in the current world we are living. However, it has also contributed to the carbon release into the environment. For example, corporations across the world have been developing a low-carbon strategic measure, which will ensure that the technology that they adopt does not release any carbon emissions into the environment. For instance, many corporations have settled on the use of electricity in comparison to oil, which releases more carbon products into the environment. This is a carbon-free strategy, especially in the twenty first century, which has reduced the amount of carbon emission from corporations by over 23% since the year 2001. Other strategies such as the NHS technology have also played a role in the promotion of the same.
Conclusion
In conclusion, from the analysis of these carbon emission reduction strategies, one of the most essential things to note in this case is the fact that various governments, as seen through Saudi Arabia and Australia, have been applying pro-active measures in the achievement of the same, whereby, they seek to address the carbon emission from the root cause of the release, as compared to the previous times, especially in the twentieth century, whereby the challenge was being superficially addressed. This is the best strategy that every other state should adopt and apply, especially, since it addresses the problem from the root cause, and from the grassroots levels to the highest levels such as the industries. When governments are able to educate and convince the people on the ground concerning the impacts of carbon release (through waste release and accumulation in the environment), it will effectively address the industrial challenge, as well.
