Alex de Ruyter, Steven McCabe and Beverley Nielsen
Climate change caused by an increase in greenhouse gas emissions poses a threat to species on earth. Such emissions have been caused by activities that have increased the rate at…
Abstract
Climate change caused by an increase in greenhouse gas emissions poses a threat to species on earth. Such emissions have been caused by activities that have increased the rate at which greenhouse emissions have occurred due to the burning of fossil fuels and industrial processes in recent decades. Without urgent intervention, the ability of earth’s citizens will be irrevocably altered. Hundreds of millions of people’s lives will effectively become extremely challenging. Deaths due to starvation, lack of water, storms and flooding will increase. The magnitude of the crisis confronting humanity has resulted in means the formation of what’s known as the ‘Net Zero’ target set by The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2024), a United Nations body consisting of global experts on climate change in 1994. This chapter explains why climate change has occurred, what its impact may be and how intervention by governments as well as all organisations and individuals catastrophe can be avoided. There is an overview of subsequent chapters contained in this book.
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Using the earth’s limited resources is essential as an urgent element in dealing with the existential crisis confronting humanity as a consequence of climate change. Circularity…
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Using the earth’s limited resources is essential as an urgent element in dealing with the existential crisis confronting humanity as a consequence of climate change. Circularity is based on production and society adopting a radically different approach to the way raw materials are used to produce goods developed societies consume. Primarily, the use of the earth’s resources (raw materials) must be more carefully – and considerately –achieved in recognition of the impact that profligate exploitation has had in terms of pollution and disregard for the environment. Production systems should be designed to ensure that waste is vastly reduced and, eventually, eliminated. Crucially, goods should be designed to be used by consumers for as long as possible. Goods should incorporate the ability to repair them and, critically, that at the end of their effective life components can be recycled.
Moving from the traditional ‘linear’ model – ‘take, make, throw away’ – to one that is circular is essential as part of the quest to reduce carbon emissions. In explaining the historical development of the basis of why circularity is not only essential to protecting the planet from climate change, but also economically logical, this chapter explained that its theoretical foundations were first proposed in economist Kenneth Boulding who, in his 1966 essay, ‘The Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth’. Boulding’s provocative arguments have been developed into the extensive advice and guidance presented by the Ellen Macarthur Foundation and summarised in this chapter. The circular economy will potentially achieve very significant social, economic and environmental benefits.
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Implementation of initiatives intended to achieve net zero will require very considerable investment. Whilst there are undoubted potentially immense benefits that will result from…
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Implementation of initiatives intended to achieve net zero will require very considerable investment. Whilst there are undoubted potentially immense benefits that will result from the transition to an economy that is based around the principles of net zero, all governments recognise the dilemma of making announcements necessitating spending many billions on this objective. This chapter examines the economic logic underpinning the quest to deal with the calamitous consequences of implementing measures essential to reduce emissions causing global warming. Using the UK as an exemplar, the political challenge and consequences of implementing economic changes required to produce net zero is considered. As is described, short-term expediency is frequently adopted as a way to avoid making difficult decisions to achieve not only long-term economic gain but almost universally regarded as essential to arrest the dire consequences that will befall future generations if immediate and urgent action is not taken. Drawing on previous research justifying the need to act now, this chapter potentially examines ways for governments to derive additional revenue, most particularly carbon taxes and emissions-trading schemes (ETS) as a way to fund investment in net zero through capital investment. As analysis of contemporary events suggests, the urgency of intervention all too frequently becomes a casualty of the need by political parties to avoid confronting tough choices by postponing such decisions.
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This chapter examines the challenges facing the Indian automotive industry in the pursuit of Net Zero. India is a major producer of passenger vehicles but traditionally has…
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This chapter examines the challenges facing the Indian automotive industry in the pursuit of Net Zero. India is a major producer of passenger vehicles but traditionally has focussed on two-wheeled vehicles. However, Indian automotive manufacturers such as Tata and Maruti have established a presence internationally and India has become an FDI hub for global automotive MNCs keen to exploit its low production costs and large domestic market. The chapter commences with a brief overview of the Indian automotive sector. This is then followed by two mini case studies of Tata Motors and Maruti Suzuki that highlight practical measures that both companies have undertaken to promote Net Zero. Subsequently, the prognosis for electric vehicle (EV) uptake and associated regulatory issues in India are considered.
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Alex de Ruyter, Michael Butler and Rowan Crozier
To deliver net zero, this chapter demonstrates the importance of linking different levels of analysis. Macro concepts like Net Zero need to be operationalised at meso- and micro…
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To deliver net zero, this chapter demonstrates the importance of linking different levels of analysis. Macro concepts like Net Zero need to be operationalised at meso- and micro levels so that individual firms, and the ecosystems they operate in, make the required changes to reduce carbon. However, such change is difficult to achieve because of the scale of activities involved. We draw on the manufacturing case study of C Brandauer & Co Ltd to reveal how they successfully pursued Net Zero and then went on to embed change in their supply chain. We also highlight the key role of a transformational leader to sustain purpose-driven change, a leader brave enough to share core knowledge with local competitors. The authors introduce the term ‘sectoral transformation’ to capture multi-level change within the geographical area of the West Midlands. The chapter finishes with policy implications so that more SMEs can follow this agenda for change, and so that Net Zero becomes a much-needed reality, not just a policy ambition.
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Describes research being carried out into the effects of introducing quality initiatives such as ISO 9000 (formerly BS 5750) and TQM (total quality management) in large…
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Describes research being carried out into the effects of introducing quality initiatives such as ISO 9000 (formerly BS 5750) and TQM (total quality management) in large contracting firms. Suggests that the context in which they operate is confrontational and adversarial. This makes the introduction of quality doubly difficult where time and money are at a premium. The central theme is that contrary to the belief that “We can’t afford to improve”; construction firms, like those operating in any market, “Cannot afford not to”. Analyses the effectiveness of these initiatives on the main constituent of the firms ‐ people. Provides an insight into the difficulties that practitioners face, particularly quality managers, most especially in construction, in introducing and maintaining such initiatives.
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Transport is responsible for around a quarter of global emissions. It is 91% fossil fuel dependent for energy, with emissions remaining stubbornly high, increasing in the EU since…
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Transport is responsible for around a quarter of global emissions. It is 91% fossil fuel dependent for energy, with emissions remaining stubbornly high, increasing in the EU since 1990 and falling since then by just 15% in the UK. The UK’s National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), in producing its second assessment, a major strategic overview for the next 30 years, emphasises a near universal dependency on electricity and hydrogen to decarbonise transport emissions. Locally distributed energy solutions are not considered part of their approach and neither do they consider where the products proposed for mass adoption – electric vehicles (EVs) are to be manufactured. Embodied carbon emissions are not taken into account, with emissions analysis focused on zero tailpipe emissions. Green gases which can be used in combustion engines and hybrids, harnessing existing supply chains and maintenance service provision, are also not seen as part of the solution, even during transition. Manufacturers are concerned that legislation and policy approaches, such as the Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate, will lead to off-shoring of production. Zero Emissions Vehicles do not consider tyre emissions, which some research has shown to be many times higher than tailpipe emissions with devastating impacts on ecosystems. The chapter proposes the need for a greater holistic and circular approach to be taken to embodied carbon, mineral and resource utilisation together with biodiversity and planetary impacts.