The Challenge of Cutting down Industrial GHG Emissions without Affecting Industry Operations
1.0 WEB SERIES
Frangoul (2017), through the CNBC News article, writes that efforts to minimize Green House Gases (GHG) are critical in reducing climate change and protecting the environment. The article outlines how large companies such as Walmart have taken on a proactive approach in their steps towards minimizing their carbon footprint. Walmart Inc. has taken on Project Gigaton where it wants to partner with suppliers to ensure that it minimizes the volumes of emissions into the environment. In this project, the firm looks forward to partner with suppliers to ensure that they replace fossil fuel energy with clean energy sources. Through this article, it becomes clear that Walmart is convinced that through helping its suppliers to use clean energy, it would reduce its GHG emissions. According to Walmart, this action is equivalent to removing 211 million passenger vehicles off the roads for a whole year. The biggest question that remains is, “Will the adoption of clean energy to reduce GHG gases affect the sustainability of operations of industries?
2.0 RESEARCH QUESTION
How can large multinationals cut on GHG emissions through the use of clean energy sources without affecting their performance portfolio?
3.0 RESEARCH THESIS
The proposed research thesis reads, “Consistent and continued investment on clean energy for use in industries would lead to the better operational performance of industrial firms.”
4.0 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Frangoul et al. Wal-Mart aims to slash one gigaton of emissions by 2030. CNBC News, 2017. Available at/:https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/20/walmarts-project-gigaton-aims-to-slash-emissions.html
Frangoul (2017), in the article, “Wal-Mart aims to slash one gigaton of emissions by 2030,” explains that reducing GHG gases is a major strategy in the fight against climate change. The article outlines that firms such as Walmart have actively been involved in reducing GHG gas emission through the use of clean energy and are not working to partner with its suppliers to ensure that they further minimize emission. The firm argues that dealing wit GHG gases and climate change would need a collaborative approach. This theory holds that war against carbon emissions can be won if there is a high sense of industry partnerships aimed at lowering emissions.
Acemoglu, Daron. “Transition to Clean Technology” Journal of Political Economy, 2016, 124 (1), pp. 52-104.
According to Acemoglu (2016) article, the effective approach to dealing with the problem of GHG emissions and climate change is through adopting clean technologies. This source defends that GHG emissions can effectively be reduced through increased investment on clean technologies such as solar and wind energy. The adoption of necessary innovations directed at promoting clean energy would work effectively in leading to reduced GHG gas emissions without affecting industry operational performance.
Rapson, D. et al. (2015). From Cradle to Junkyard: Assessing the Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Benefits of Electric Vehicles. Research in Transportation Economics, 52 (1), pp. 72-90.
Rapson et al. (2015) article, ‘From Cradle to Junkyard’, assesses the significance of adopting clean energy sources in the transportation industry as a means to deal with the GHG emissions crisis. Transportation and industry are inseparable. Industries feed into the transportation sector and vice-versa. As a result, the authors argue of the need to adopt clean energy technologies, primarily the use of electric transport to minimize emissions. According to the article, electric transport will reduce emissions and keep the industries running.
Kanbur, R., and Leard. B., (2016). On the Importance of Baseline Setting in Carbon Offsets Markets, Climatic Change, 137 (1), pp. 625-637.
According to the article, developing carbon offsets markets would play a significant role in the process of minimizing GHG gas emissions. Developing a culture where industries would need to account for their carbon footprints would be the right place to begin the war against climate change. The article argues the need to develop and enhance carbon offsets markets to reduce climate change.
Fischer, C., and Newell, R. (2008). “Environmental and Technology Policies for Climate Mitigation” Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 55 (1), pp. 142-162.
Fischer and Newell’s (2008) article, ‘Environmental and Technology Policies for Climate Mitigation,’ explains that climate change mitigation begins through the development of strict and restraining policies that limit the carbon emissions that firms could release, and measures the carbon emission reduction plan of firms. The article defends that firms would need to be subjected to restrictive policies that would put a mark on the emissions they are allowed to release. Besides, firms that minimize their carbon footprint should be rewarded.
Wolfram, C. (2018). “Do Energy Efficiency Investments Deliver? The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 3 (1), pp. 34-67.
Wolfram (2018) article critics the performance of energy efficiency investments. Energy-efficient investments have been the norm of the last decade as industries make an effort to minimize their GHG emissions. The article finds that energy-efficient investments, especially with regards to clean energy technologies, continue to work in minimizing industrial GHG gas emissions. The article defends that there is a need for continued investments in energy-efficient technologies to minimize GHG gas emissions.
Stavins, Ron. Assessing the Energy-Efficiency Gap, Journal of Economic Literature, 2017. 55 (4), pp. 1486-1525.
This article looks into the causes of the current energy efficiency gap and its contribution to the GHG emission problems facing industries. According to the report, effective solutions to the problem of GHG emissions would need industries to address the current energy efficiency gaps, especially in regards to cost. According to the author, the main factor behind the gap is the cost factor. There is a need to address the issue of cost by making clean energy sources cost-friendly for industries to adopt. The latter would speed the adoption of clean energy reducing GHG emissions.
Nordhaus, William. (2011). Designing a Friendly Space for Technological Change to Slow Global Warming, Energy Economics, 33 (4), pp. 665-673.
This article argues for the case of creating friendly spaces that enhance tech innovations, which would minimize GHG emissions. To minimize GHG emissions, there is a need to design friendly spaces and contexts where firms would be encouraged to adopt clean energy sources, ultimately minimizing GHG emissions. The article brings out the need to create the right areas for tech innovations in clean energy production. The latter would lead to reduced GHG emissions.