Causes of Climate Change and How Licensed Clubs Can Reduce Emissions

Introduction

Climate change is a long term global issue that affects the environment. Agenda 21, established by the United Nations (1992), developed sustainability strategies for business to raise awareness of climate change and to mitigate its effects. RE 100, a global, public commitment for companies to become 100% renewable with their electricity led by The Climate Group and in partnership with CDP (2014).

These two businesses strategies will help mitigate the effects of climate change as well as help businesses adapt to other aspects of the issue. My aspiration is to be an entrepreneur and manager within the Licenced Club Owner Group. The hospitality industry mostly contributes to small amount of pollution such as smoke, smell, noise and chemical pollutants (Essays, 2017).

This essay explains causes of climate change and its effects as well as outlines how licenced clubs are able to lower their greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change. Climate change is a natural occurrence that has been accelerated by humans according to Renee Cho, author at State of the Planet, (2017) but can be mitigated by adapting aspects of business to improve sustainability and the climate.

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My Profession

As an aspiring entrepreneur and manager within the Licenced Club Owner Group there are many ways in which to successfully have an environmentally sustainable business. In order to do so all the tasks that are completed within the business must be linked to maintaining sustainability. Some of these tasks according to the YouMatter organisation (2017) include measuring and analysing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing wastage of the business and choosing sustainable suppliers.

According to the Queensland Government (2020) the Licenced Club Group consists of Bars, Commercial hotels, Subsidiary on-premises locations such as restaurants, cafes, theatres and other locations. There are many establishments in which customers are able to go to consume alcohol which means there are many businesses in which can adopt measures in to become more sustainable.

I am currently studying in order to gain the knowledge and skills that will allow me to successfully open my own Licenced Club. Being the owner and manager of a Licenced Club there are many responsibilities over all the staff as well as the business as a whole. After graduation I will have a Batchelor in both Business and Journalism which will give me the upper hand in gaining jobs for experience. Gaining experience within Licenced Clubs will also give me more experience which will aid me in the future.

Many tasks and skills are required in regards to owning, running and managing a Licenced Club according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009) include planning and supervising bar, restaurant and function services; this task ensures staff are maintaining the upkeep of these areas (ABS, 2009).

Ensuring compliance with occupational health and safety regulations; this task ensures all staff and customers are safe on the premise and the premise is up to National Safety Standards (ABS, 2009).

Selecting, training and supervising staff; this task makes sure that all staff hired are maintaining the business standards as well as ensuring they are trained correctly (ABS, 2009)

Being a Licenced Club owner and manager is not a light task as there are many factors that will be taken into account as the owner is in charge of everything that happens within the business and will be held accountable for the business.

Contribution to addressing climate change

The Climate Council (2019), a non-profit organisation explains climate change as “a climate that lasts for several decades or longer including the changes in the temperature, rainfall and wind patterns.”

Chapman and Wilson (2005) have studied the climate and came to the conclusion that it is natural for the climate to go through hot and cold periods over the years. They discuss the vast changes in the climate in regards to The Great Ice Age which was distinguished by the contrast of the warmer periods before and after this event. Arguably The Great Ice Age is the more well-known events according to Chapman and Wilson (2005) which happened around 2.6 million years ago. This event occurred where ice sheets advanced and retreated repeatedly over many areas in the Northern Hemisphere (Chapman and Wilson, 2005).

In contrast, over the past 50-100 years there has been an increasing warming of the temperature at a faster rate rather than an ice age (ADB & WGA, 2013). According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (2017), a non-profit organisation, since 1977 the average temperature has increased with 16 out of the 17 warmest years recorded has been from 2001 and onwards. During 2016 a study conducted by The Union of Concerned Scientists (2017) it shows that 13 out of the top 15 warmest years would not have happened if there was no emissions from burning coal and oil. This study shows that humans do have a part in climate change and should be mitigating it rather than contributing.

Businesses within the Licenced Club Group Worldwide should be finding ways to reduce their emissions to better their sustainability, these efforts refer to climate change mitigation. As stated by the Global Environmental Facility (2020) “mitigating climate change is about reducing the release of greenhouse gas emissions that are warming our planet.” Evidently, humans play a small part in the climate change epidemic. There should be more practices implemented for businesses to follow to mitigate climate change.

As climate change is not a new issue businesses have had many years in which to mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions. Ways in which a business within Licenced Club Group is able to do this according to the YouMatter organisation (2017) is measuring and analysing greenhouse gas emissions. Once this is complete any business is able to see what areas of their business needs to be improved (Fournier, 2017). Reducing energy consumption and switching to renewable energies. In doing this not only are businesses using more environmentally friendly sourced energies they are also reducing their usage of it (Fournier, 2017). Reduction of waste is a large step in reducing a business’s climate footprint. Ways in which a business can do this is by using recycled products, becoming paperless, using products that deteriorate faster, and many other options (Fournier, 2017). Choosing suppliers that are responsible in their sustainability. In being conscious in where a business is purchasing products from is one way to ensure there is a chain of businesses working together to be more environmentally friendly (Fournier, 2017). There are many other ways a business is able to mitigate climate change to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate change adaptation as defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2017) is “the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects.” Differing from climate change mitigation, adaptation is where there is an adjustment in systems as a response to an already posed issue which in this case is climate change.

One way in which a business within the Licenced Club Group can adapt to climate change is to become one of the RE100 companies. This group of companies are led by The Climate Group and are in partnership with CDP and their goal is to have their companies use 100% renewable power (RE100, 2014). In order to do so businesses are committing to use renewable sources such as biomass, geothermal, solar, water and wind as outlined in RE100s requirements (RE100). Businesses are able to either produce their own renewable electricity from their own facilities which include onsite or off-site grid-connections (RE100, 2014). Purchasing electricity is another option, this is sources by different suppliers on the market and generators (Re100). 

After careful analysis I as an aspiring entrepreneur and manager I aim to run a successful business that both mitigates the effects of climate change as well as adapts to the currents effects of it. I aspire to become a part of the RE100 to be 100% renewable with the businesses energy.

Contribution to sustainability

As climate change is a worldwide issue the effects are being felt by everyone in some form or another. Greenhouse gas emissions are continuously aiding to the rising temperatures at accelerated rates as acknowledged by the Global Compact Network Australia (GCNA) (2019). As mitigating climate change and adapting to it will help aid the issue creating awareness for the issue will improve sustainability. The Global Compact Network Australia (2019) has created Sustainable Development Goals Knowledge Platform where each year they have a set of goals to combat climate change and its impacts, they also have put in place Agenda 21 (GCNA, 2019). Agenda 21 is described by GCNA (2019) as a
“comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups.”(GCNA, 2019). This plan of action aims to address the issues with climate change and its negate effects as well as preparing the world for what the future may hold in regards to the different climate effects.

Businesses which are a part of the Licenced Club Group are encouraged to be more sustainable in their business practices in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Agenda 21 aims to help those business by urging them to follow some or all of their goals. Other ways a Licenced Clubs are able to become more sustainable is to urge their employees to utilise public transport, riding bikes and walking if possible to reduce the co2 emissions (Ward, 2020).  Switching to cloud computing is also a way for business to become more sustainable. In doing this businesses are allowing employees to be up to date on information from wherever they are which lowers travel costs, carbon emissions as well as printing costs (Ward,2020).

Although businesses are encouraged to become more eco-friendly and sustainable humans should be urged to utilise these practices in their own home. People need to be more aware of climate change and its effects in order to mitigate and adapt to it. Platforms such as Agenda 21 and RE100 aims to make businesses and homes more sustainable as well as educating people on how to do so. Becoming more sustainable can greatly improve the climate and Earth as a whole thus benefitting everyone on the planet.

Conclusion

Climate change has increased significantly in recent years at a faster pace which is partially linked to businesses in the Licenced Club Group and their larger emissions rates. In past years there has been an increase in environmental awareness that has had a positive effect on businesses in making them more environmentally friendly. In developments it has been shown that businesses in the Licenced Club Group are able to lower their emissions while also adapting to the different effects of climate change. Alongside other businesses I as an aspiring entrepreneur and manager I strive to run an environmentally friendly business. To achieve this I will be implementing 100% renewable energy strategies from Agenda 21 as well as becoming a part of the RE 100 and using 100% renewable energy. As well as implementing practices to become more renewable addressing the issues to inform the public of climate changes effects has become a large step in increasing sustainability (ref). Businesses have become one of the larger contributions to climate change but with careful mitigation and adaptation they will lower their emissions while helping the environment.

References

Asian Development bank (ADB). (2013). Bio-Brief #2: Climate Change Retrieved from http://www.keneamazon.net/Documents/Publications/Virtual-Library/Impacto/9.pdf

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009). Unit group 1414 Licenced Club Managers. Received from https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Product+Lookup/1220.0~First+Edition,+Revision+1~Chapter~UNIT+GROUP+1414+Licensed+Club+Managers

Chapman, J & Wilson, R. (2005). The Grect Ice Age: Climate Change and Life (first)Retrieved from https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=M4Nq7BBVfngC&oi=fnd&pg=PR8&dq=+climate+change+ice+age+&ots=mw7pIMRdvu&sig=v_UZwrix_NGn4mlkdVJ5wbmCUw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=climate%20change%20ice%20ag%20e&f=false

Cho, Renee. (April 2017). State of the Planet. Retrieved from https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2017/04/04/how-we-know-climate-change-is-not-natural/

Climate Council. (2019). Climate Change. Received from https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/what-is-climate-change-whatcan-we-do/#unique-identifier-1

Coast Adapt. (2017) IPCC, what is adaptation to climate change?Retrieved from https://coastadapt.com.au/overview-of-adaptation

Essays, UK. (November 2018). Environmental Impacts and the Hospitality Industry. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/tourism/environmental-impacts-and-the-hospitality-industry-tourism-essay.php?vref=1

Fournier, Clément. (2017). YouMatter. Retrieved from https://youmatter.world/en/actions-companies-climate-change-environment-sustainability/

Global Environmental Facility (2020). Climate Change Mitigation.  Retrieved from https://www.thegef.org/topics/climate-change-mitigation

Queensland Government. (2020). Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations. Retrieved from https://www.qgso.qld.gov.au/about-statistics/statistical-standards-classifications/australian-new-zealand-standard-classification-occupations             

Queensland Government. (2020). Business Queensland. Retrieved from https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/hospitality-tourism-sport/liquor-gaming/liquor/licensing/applications/types

The Climate Group. (2014). RE100. Retrieved from http://there100.org/re100

Union of Concerned Scientists. (2017). How do we know that humans are the major cause of global warming? Retrieved from https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/are-humans-major-cause-global-warming

United Nations. (1992). Agenda 21. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/outcomedocuments/agenda21

United Nations. (2019). Sustainable Development Goal 13. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg13

Ward, Susan. (2020). The Balance Small Business. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancesmb.com/greening-your-business-2948100