Engineers For Social Responsibility

Who we are

Engineers for Social Responsibility Inc.

We are an independent group of engineers who consider that being knowledgeable in the field of technology means that they also have a special obligation to the public at large.

About Us
Events
View All
Upcoming event: Presentation of ESR’s submission on the Second Emissions Reduction Plan Upcoming event: ESR’s submission to the discussion document “New Zealand’s second emissions reduction plan” will be presented by two of its authors, Professor Emiritus Thomas Neitzert and Dr Peter Whitmore. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session and a discussion of next steps. Find Out More
Watch video: Kia matāra ki te taiao – Consider the environment The purpose of this webinar series is to showcase some of the best initiatives that are being made by Engineering NZ's various Technical Groups to enhance the sustainability of engineering activities, with a particular focus on the urgent issue of the climate crisis. Find Out More
Watch video: A perspective on New Zealand’s climate change policies The policy problem of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 is not simple. For most people the official numbers are confusing and the policy architecture is obscure. Speaker Geoff Bertram gets both of those into perspective and shines a spotlight on Aotearoa/New Zealand’s Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement, focusing in particular on the… Find Out More

Submissions

From time to time ESR makes submissions to Local Bodies or to Government, on issues of concern. These submissions are listed here and can be accessed for perusal.

View All
Submission in Response to New Zealand’s second emissions reduction plan (ERP2) This submission relates to information given in the Ministry for the Environment discussion document regarding the currently proposed second plan to reduce New Zealand’s emissions - New Zealand’s second emissions reduction plan, July 2024 (draft ERP2). It also covers other matters relevant to reducing our emissions. Read more
Submission in response to proposed changes to NZ Emissions Trading Regulations 2024 In this submission the primary points we cover are steps that can be taken to improve the way the ETS operates, so that it becomes a lot more effective and capable of meeting the urgent need to reduce our emissions. The possibility of replacing the current ETS with a simple carbon tax is also covered.… Read more
Submission on the Fast-track Approvals Bill 2024 The Government introduced its “Fast-Track Approvals Bill” to parliament earlier this year, with purpose to provide a stream-lined decision-making process for infrastructure and development projects that are considered to have significant regional or national benefit. We acknowledge that the current process for obtaining consents is time consuming, and so we support the prospect of a… Read more

Position Papers

From time to time ESR prepares Position Papers which state ESR’s viewpoints, with the intention of providing useful guidance on particular topics. Information in this section of the ESR website is presented in good faith, having been checked and reviewed for accuracy and fairness.

View All

Newsletters

We publish a Newsletter from time to time, with news of ESR activities, articles and discussion on topics of interest.

View All
September 2024 CONTENTS - A history of the human mind - What is degrowth and can it save the planet? - News items from Reuters Sustainable Switch, August 2024 - Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. - Submission on the second emissions reduction plan consultation, 26/08/2024 - National Land Transport Programme 2024-27 Read more
August 2024 This newsletter includes potential new uses of wood; a process for potentially reducing cement emissions; a process which could reduce green hydrogen production costs; a new catalyst for efficiently converting ammonia to hydrogen etc.; converting trucks from diesel to hydrogen combustion; and Danish measures to reduce methane emissions and make its agricultural sector more sustainable.… Read more
April 2024 This newsletter starts with something different, namely translation of an interview with Jens Beckert, Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies and Professor of Sociology in Cologne. On the brighter side, it also includes a number of items on positive actions that are helping improve people’s lives, and on technologies that… Read more

Climate Fact Sheets

Engineers for Social Responsibility and the Sustainable Energy Forum are concerned about the consequences of human-induced climate change and global warming and the need for widespread understanding of the facts and underlying science. Our combined organisations have prepared a series of discussion sheets and further papers will be published soon. Each paper is peer reviewed by top professionals with specialist knowledge about the topic being described.

View All
Renewable Energy Renewable energy is energy derived directly or indirectly from sunlight, wind, rain, tidal flows and ranges, waves, and thermal energy stored in the oceans, which are naturally replenished over fairly brief periods of time. Geothermal energy is also regarded as renewable because of the extremely large amounts of heat available from the earth’s core. Major… Read more
Climate Change and Human Health Human-caused climate change is a serious and urgent threat to human health. Climate change and its environmental manifestations (e.g. warmer temperatures, more heat waves, altered rainfall patterns, more extreme weather such as heavy rainfall events and/or drought, tropical storms, sea-level rise) result in many risks to human health, both direct and indirect, that are recognised… Read more
New Zealand Energy Security And Climate Change This paper sets out the case for taking early and effective action to improve New Zealand’s energy security, and doing so in a manner which minimises New Zealand’s future greenhouse gas emissions Read more