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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Green steel Steel is one of those materials that we cannot imagine a future without. Although there are some applications where wood based materials can replace it, its just such a useful material and it can be fully recycled, so surely there’s a way of producing it which doesn’t cost us the earth. Find Out More
What it takes to be a climate prepared city Adapting to the many and various challenges of global warming, from an urban development perspective, requires an understanding of the hydrological landscape that underlies the city so that a master plan can emerge that increases green space and public space, encourages biodiversity, and reduces flooding and the possibility of flood-water contamination. Find Out More
The framing and reframing of public policy in New Zealand The way in which we describe any major social problem largely determines the kind of policy we eventually consider for dealing with it. In this webinar, Michael Hanne explores the ways in which two issues, Poverty and the Housing Crisis, are generally “framed” in public discussion in New Zealand. He offers critiques of that framing… 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 to Draft Advice of Climate Change Commission on 2nd Emissions Reduction Plan The advice document subscribes to the economic growth paradigm in assuring the economy “would continue to grow under the recommended emissions budgets”. On the other hand, it has been established, that economic growth brings with it emissions’ growth, because an absolute decoupling of the two has not been achieved yet. It is therefore timely to… Read more
Submission to the Auckland Council on Waste Management We live in a finite world with finite resources that should not be disposed of in landfills. The ultimate objective should be to do away with conventional landfills. Read more
Submission to the Auckland Council on Transport In ESR’s opinion, the Auckland Plan discussion document does not provide a clear or convincing description of the city’s transport options, and it does not adequately address the linkage between the nature and location of future land use development and the transport option selected. 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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March 2023 - ESR 2023 AGM - Global Energy News - First electric car with sodium ion battery - Why Roman buildings have survived so long - Study finds climate crisis worsened extreme weather - Eight ways to attempt to stay within 1.5OC increase - Global fresh water demand to outstrip supply by 40% by 2030 -… Read more
December 2022 - Kicking our economic growth addiction - Humans versus nature: our long and destructive journey - Arctic permafrost - UK tidal-stream energy development - Boosting wind farm energy output Read more
November 2022 - The Treeline, Ben Lawrence, 2022 - Diet for a hotter climate: five plants that could help feed the world - Floating wind turbines - Information extracted from IPCC AR6 WG III Final Government Distribution Technical Summary, November 2019 Draft 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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Carbon Dynamics in New Zealand’s Native Forests Native forests play an important role in storing and sequestering carbon in the New Zealand landscape. They do not sequester carbon as quickly as pine forests but can provide significant carbon stores and sinks, as well as a range of other benefits. Read more
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
New Zealand’s Paris Target New Zealand’s commitment under the Paris Agreement, as stated in our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) promises that “Emissions will be reduced to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030. The 2005 reference has been chosen for ease of comparability with other countries. This responsibility target corresponds to a reduction of 11% from 1990 levels.” We are… Read more