Science, Society and Environment: Union of Concerned Scientists and Science - Essay Example

Union of concerned scientists and science Student’s Name: Course Code: Lecture’s Name: Date of Submission: Introduction As an environmental conservationist group, the Union of concerned scientists (UCS) is an organization that goes out of its way using its own principles, beliefs and values to guarantee a protected environment and a cleaner future. The organisation aims towards ensuring that there is clean energy, transport, food and agriculture, as well as eradicating nuclear energy, and global warming through elimination of carbon emissions. As such, the organization uses scientific methods and research to back its ideologies and beliefs to ensuring a better environmental future through activism and policy influencing for governments to ensure that best practice in environmental management and conservation is carried out. In addition, the use pressure to lobby companies polluting the environment to stop their ways for a better environment that is sustainable and that can support its population without harm. All the above receives backing from donors and the scientific community that provides data on dangerous environmental practices. UCS and global warming The union of concerned scientists (UCS) has made significant contribution to the debate on climate change. One of the key areas that the organisation looks at is global warming. The organisation has increased awareness on global warming stressing the fact that global warming is real. There are acceleration in sea level and increase in the wildfire. In some areas, there have been witnessed heat waves and extreme storms. The organisation uses these as the evidence that global warming is already a major issue being evidenced. The organisation has been able to propose measures that can be used to help curb the effects of global warming. These are actions that can help to ensure that the consequences of global warming are not intensive. The organisation has practical measures that can help reduce carbon footprint and hence slow the pace of global warming. The main aim of the global warming initiative by the organisation is to enable a safer and healthier world which is sustainable. The organisation views on global warming are in line with the scientific research views. Researchers have been able to associate the recent extreme events such as massive floods in Pakistan and India to be as a result of global warming (Black & Weisel, 2010). The 21st century has witnessed an increase in natural disasters to be five times more. An increase in geological changes will continue to increase global warming and its effects. Nuclear power is a major threat to environment in case of a disaster. The emissions are capable of causing a major damage to the ecosystem as seen in several disasters that have happened in history (Gore & Melcher Media, 2006). Countries engaging in nuclear power production are supposed to be more vigilant in ensuring they eliminate any chances of disaster. The organisation have addresses the issue of nuclear energy and gives steps that can ensure there is no disaster. A nuclear power disaster is a major concern for environment. The Fukushima disaster in 2011 is a major indictor of what is at stake in case of system failure. The organisation advocates for proper nuclear waste disposal, regulations for earthquakes and fire as well as looking at the flood risks. These are ways which can help in preventing a nuclear disaster. The organisation has been at forefront in giving recommendations that can ensure that the environment is safe. UCS and environmental sustainability In addition, Union of concerned scientists believes in the use of science and the legal process for environmental sustainability of business practices and livelihoods. The above is evident in the use of feasibility studies conducted by the organization in its business sense to challenge the authority of various companies in exploiting natural resources. Palmer (2000) suggests that without environmental feasibility studies by Union of concerned scientists as an environmental conservationist organization, some companies could go ahead and exploit the environment without being responsible for their actions. The above is clear in the case of Shell, where intense lobbying against Shell amongst the populace led to the shelving of development plans in Belgium (Palmer, 2004). The above means that without the use of scientific methods of research, the environment remains in danger and the continued use of these methods have prevented environmental degradation through depopulation and transfer of populations. The use of industrial agriculture leads to consumption of fuel, water and soil in unsustainable way. This leads to environmental degradation due to water and air pollution. There are also cases of effects on biodiversity and soil depletion (Wreford et al, 2010). This is type of agriculture which leads to energy loss and emissions of GHG. The organisation have been advocating for sustainable agriculture that is capable of reduce the net effect on the climate change. The organisation is against industrial agriculture that only focuses on high yield without concern for the environment. Sustainability in agriculture is a vital issue due to sector contribution to climate change. The change from energy intensive food production should be supported to enhance environmental protection. At the moment, agriculture have been overexploiting the environment and using methods such as mechanisation that leads to climate change. For example, use of animal manure, tractors and gasoline pumps which emits GHG (Mendelsohn & Dinar, 2009). Adoption of clean energy Union of concerned scientists as an organization works hard in ensuring that it influences policy, from both individuals and various governments through serious lobbying and mobilization campaigns of whole populations. In this case, it seeks renewable energy sources, where the point is on the use of solar and wind power generation to cut back on electricity bills and reduce carbon emissions significantly (Ramsburg, 2011). With this, the union continues to influence polices in different countries to ensure that nations use sustainable renewable energy that does not harm the environment such as nuclear and thermal energy. The forms of energy advocated include wind, solar and geothermal, while also advocating for clean cars in terms of energy use and zero emissions especially from the use of coal and diesel, as is common practice in all forms of transport with vehicles using petroleum products. Scientific backing for this emanates from global concern is global warming, which is the latest environmental issue receiving plenty of attention from the media and the world as a whole. Bates et al (2008) states that the presence of pollution from the use of carbon based fuels have serious implications for the environment, especially for creatures and organisms living and growing in the water. In addition, the Union of concerned scientists organization lobbies for policies based on environmental impact assessment as in the case of American Wind Energy Association, where it has defined the energy policy to divert attention from oil and oil based fuels and towards renewable energy (Mallon, 2006). With this, it has managed to push for legislation to regulate the energy and oil industries in favour of renewable sources of energy in the US, where this is a cost effective means of preserving the environment while meeting energy needs. As such, the organization has managed to curb and overpower companies causing greenhouse gases to be released into the atmosphere taxing it even further. The above has assisted in enabling Americans and the rest of the world on the importance of renewable energy since without it the environment is on edge of destruction, thus ensuring oil exploration funds are used for conservation efforts. Similarly, the organization has been on the forefront demanding reforms on energy legislation, where it has managed to have the government set up more solar power stations for purposes of bolstering power generation. As such, the organizations policy on applying scientific data influencing energy production have seen it bash government claims on clean coals and even stopping delivery of coal in keep coal exit ports, and that it should come to its senses and provide a clear picture to the population. Implications of this are that there is staunch dedication to its goals and values towards using science and factual information to silence critics and even direct the government to take responsibility for its actions. Similarly, Union of concerned scientists takes a step forward to assist the world at large to develop responsible principles, especially pertaining to nuclear power, where in multiple instances, they have forced governments to scrape expansion of nuclear power plants. In addition to this, they have used scientific research to ensure that alternative sources of energy are sourced and employed for purposes of a cleaner and sustainable environment. It has over time called for energy conservation based on emerging technologies such as light emitting diodes from which they cut back on energy use and save the environment in the form of global warming through reduced carbon emissions, and the above is supported by the use of emerging technologies. In this case, emerging technologies such as Light emitting diodes serve as the most efficient means of providing lighting, and for home it remains no different (Abrahamse et al, 2005). The organization calls for the use of these technologies to cut back on power wastage and ensure that the costs of power production remain low for environmental conservation. UCS and bio fuels The organisation has been an advocate for smart solutions that can enhance environmental protection and prevent climate change. The organisation has done this through proposing means in which fuel use can be reduced by half. One of the smart methods proposed is increasing fuel efficiency. The organisation proposes use of bio fuels which are cleaner. There are bio fuels which are made from cellulosic fibres which offer a cleaner alternative. Use of bio fuels can help in reducing the country fuel consumption. Use of clean bio fuels can help in reducing the emissions by 90% as compared to use of gasoline. Bio fuels cannot be able to curb global warming if they are contributing to emission of green house gas (Timilsina, Govinda & Ashish, 2010). The net effect of using bio fuels should be a reduction of the impact that is caused by use of fossil fuels. Unless the method of production of bio fuels is able to justify reduction of CHG, it has to be reviewed. The organisation has been able to prove that use of corn in producing bio fuels is not an effective solution. The impact that growing corn have on the environment is high. Corn leads to pollution and land use which increases global warming. The organisation explains that in order to come up with sustainable fuels, there is a need to move to cleaner sources which in most cases are non food. The organisation views have been supported by several scientific researches that have looked at viability of bio fuels in mitigating climate change. Studies proves that large scale production of bio fuels based on food crops leads to change in land use. The change in land use leads to an increase in production of green house gases (GHG) (Fargione et al. 2008). Thus there is need to use cleaner bio fuels which are capable of reducing the GHG. The reduction of fossil fuel use led by the bio fuels should have a large net effect on reducing the effects of global warming. The organisation has been a major supporter of the US policies on fuel economy and pollution standards which they claim can help the country reduce their fuel consumption. The organisation aims to protect the consumers and environment from the risks of oil use and the associated costs. Conclusion Overall, Union of concerned scientists is an organization founded on the basis of environmental principles, where it runs on values aimed at improving the world in terms of conservation of the environment and bringing to book those that ruin it. In addition, the organization applies key issues as part of its values to ensure that its goals are achieved, where it focuses on global warming, clean energy, and sustainability, from where these factors are used to mobilize the population involved and even influence policy in the countries in question. Similarly, the organization can be said to use its values and principles with scientific backing for purposes of the environment, the same way it remains true to its principles, thus making it effective. References Abrahamse, W., Steg, L., Vlek, C & Rothengatter, T 2005, A review of intervention studies aimed at household energy conservation, Journal of environmental psychology, 25(3), pp. 273-291. Bates, B. C., Kundzewicz, Z., Wu, S & Palutikof, J 2008, Climate change and water technical paper of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Geneva, Switzerland: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Black, B., & Weisel, G. J. 2010. Global warming. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood. Fargione, F., Hill, J., Tilman, D., Polasky, S. & Hawthorne, P. 2008. ‘Land clearing and the biofuel carbon debt’. Science 2008: 319(1), 1235-1238. Gore, A., & Melcher Media. 2006. An inconvenient truth: The planetary emergency of global warming and what we can do about it. New York: Rodale Press. Mallon, K 2006, Renewable energy policy and politics a handbook for decision-making, London, Earthscan. Mendelsohn, R. O., & Dinar, A. 2009. Climate change and agriculture: An economic analysis of global impacts, adaptation and distributional effects. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Palmer, J 2000, Spinning into control: news values and source strategies, London, Leicester University Press. Ramsburg, K 2011, Smith Rebellion 1765 gives rise to modern politics, Bloomington, IUniverse Inc. Timilsina, Govinda R. & Ashish Shrestha 2010. Biofuels: Markets, Targets and Impacts, World bank Policy Research Working Paper 5364, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. Wreford, A., Moran, D., Adger, W. N., & Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 2010. Climate change and agriculture: Impacts, adaptation and mitigation. Paris: OECD. Read More