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
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Upcoming event: Global Association for Transition Engineering – Convergence 2024 Having been established in 2012, the Global Association of Transition Engineering (GATE) is now moving into next phase of development. This years’ Convergence explores the current activities in GATE and Transition Engineering, and where they are going as a community. Find Out More
Watch video: Presentation of ESR’s submission on the Second Emissions Reduction Plan Watch a video summary of ESR’s submission to the consultation document “New Zealand’s second emissions reduction plan”, presented by two of its authors, Professor Emeritus Thomas Neitzert and Dr Peter Whitmore. The presentation is 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

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.

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Submission in response to the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill 2024 This submission relates to the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill, on which public submissions opened on 26 September 2024. ESR very strongly recommend that the ban on offshore oil and gas exploration not be removed. Instead, we need to be taking very rapid action to reduce our emissions by moving away from the use of fossil… Read more
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

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.

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Newsletters

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

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November 2024 CONTENTS - Earth’s ‘vital signs’ show humanity’s future in balance, say climate experts - Five main takeaways from the Global Commission on the Economics of Water Report, October 2024 - Extracts from IEA World Energy Outlook 2024 Executive Summary - Extracts from Energy Source & Distribution Magazine, Sep/Oct 2024 - Reducing climate emissions from farm… Read more
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

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.

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Climate Change and Primary Industry in New Zealand The annual carbon dioxide equivalent of total global emissions is about 49 Gigatonnes (49 thousand million tonnes), using figures from 2010. Of this, ‘Agriculture’ produced about 11% (mostly as methane, but also N2O). Other ‘Land use,’ including carbon dioxide release from forest and peat burning, produced about 10%. Read more
Climate Change – Living in a Warmer World Planet Earth has experienced large shifts in climate over time. In the depths of the last Ice Age, around 20,000 years ago, average temperatures were about 5°C lower than they are today. It looks now as though global warming is likely to heat up the world between 2 and 6°C by the year 2100. 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