Carbon Emissions - Essay Example

Introduction Carbon emission has become a major issue in the developed nations. It has been d that the rate at which the amount of carbon is increasing is building up tremendously. Various reasons have been attributed to this trend but a long term solution to the problem has not been reached at. The causes of carbon emissions include: emissions by industries (being the major contributor to the levels of carbon that is emitted daily to the atmosphere. Green house emissions have also been at the increase. (Rose, A. et al. 1998) The U.K. government has set up a program that is meant to take off soon to counter this problem. It has plans of using the latest science to be able to reduce the percentages of the gas that is daily being emitted. By the year 2030, it hopes that it would have been able to reduce the percentage by 60%. (Grubb, 1989) However, the consumers' lifestyle in the U.K. has also contributed to the increase of carbon emissions. Being the director of communications for carbon trust, I would want to see that these levels go down and that the problems caused by carbon emissions are managed. The problems associated with carbon emissions are many. This is why I want to look for a Public Relations consultancy firm that will be able to educate U.K. citizens about the dangers of emitting a lot of carbon in the atmosphere. Carbon emission is the major cause of global warming. This results due to greenhouse effect and it is a detrimental and the worst thing that can ever occur. The accumulation of carbon in the atmosphere causes temperatures to rise by approximately 3.6 F. Consumers lifestyles that contribute to Carbon Emissions Consumers' lifestyles in the U.K. have really played a major role in the increase of carbon that is emitted daily to the atmosphere. There are some things that they need to be warned about if the level is to go down. 40% of the carbon is produced by vehicles. The citizens have not been using environment friendly forms of transport. To start with, vehicles are owned by almost everybody. Journeys by public vehicles would reduce 90% of the emissions that is caused when everyone uses their personal vehicles. (Fraser, 1994). Then, the exhaust emissions of the vehicles are not made in such a way that it can limit the amount of exhaust fumes released. The more the exhaust fumes being released, the more the level of the emission of carbon dioxide to the air. The fuels they use produce a lot of carbon. It has been noted that the use of petrol as fuel contributes to large amounts of carbon emission. If alternative fuels are sought and the citizens encouraged using these, then there would be up to 75% reduction in the amount of carbon that would be emitted to the atmosphere. Fuels such as ethanol have been proven to produce low levels of emissions. Therefore, it would be prudent enough for the citizens to adopt this type of fuel. The government wants to come up with a program that will enable filling stations to be able to lease out electric car batteries to car owners. Citizens of the U.K also use the heating system, which has been known to emit some levels of carbon. (Rose, A. et al, 1998). This fact has been discussed in meetings organised by the government. It was decided that the heating system was mainly used because of the poor standards of the houses that the people lived in. Therefore, the government set up a policy that required all landlords to build houses up to standards that do not require any heating system. This was in the faith that it will help towards reducing the levels of carbon emission. The use of garden floodlights and incandescent light bulbs have been on the increase in the U.K. These are also responsible for the carbon emission. These causes of carbon emission are not known by most of the people in the U.K. A lot of people contribute to the levels of carbon emission without knowing. Therefore, this calls for an introduction of some channels through which the relevant information can reach them. This is why I thought of consulting a Public Relations consultancy firm to be able to spread the information to the citizens. A Public Relations consultancy firm is a firm that comes up with positive ideas that will create good publicity and enhance the reputation of their clients. (Baskin, 1992). In other words, the firm is an image shaper. The Public Relations people keep the public informed about the activities of a client. A good Public Relations person should have good communications skills both in print and in speech. These people should be able to set up meetings with press and be able to handle inquiries on behalf of their clients. (Newsom, et al. 1993) Carbon trust deals with methods and strategies that ought to be put in place to counter the increasing amount of carbon in the atmosphere. It also has the responsibilities of passing information to consumers regarding the usage of products that emit carbon. A Public Relations firm would come in handy to be able to inform people what the company deals with and the variety of products it sells. If the reputation of the company is maintained, then consumers will be able to take the various conditions and pieces of advice they are given regarding the usage of these products. The Public Relations consultancy firm will be held responsible for designing Public Relations campaign that will aid in the dissemination of the information. The firm has to prove itself to be very creative for it to hold the Public attention. The firm's past records of performance is also vital. This will help in determining whether the firm will in the long run do a good job. The credibility of a Public Relations firm is very important to a client. (David, 1989). This is the basis to a good image of a client. The firm has to also be very hardworking to be able to stick to tight schedules and meet set deadlines. As the director of the carbon trust Company, I am entitled to come up with a brief timetable and tasks that will be sent to various Public Relations firm, for them to be able to come up with the appropriate design of a Public Relations campaign that will sell the company and what it stands for. I will also bank on the fact that the information regarding carbon emission will trigger consumers to buying the products produced by the company. During the Public Relations campaign, the company's products will be made known to the people hence increasing the company's overall sales. Therefore, it will be to the benefit of both the consumer and the company. The company will benefit by getting the desired reputation among companies. It will also be able to get its products known to the consumers. On the other hand, the consumer will benefit by getting to know about the products of the company. The products are going to assist the consumer in the quest to trying to reduce the levels of carbon emissions to the atmosphere. One of the products that the company sells includes LPG. This is a mixture of propane and butane. This is a type of vehicle fuel that is environmentally friendly. It has been under trials and it has passed this stage successfully. The Public Relations campaign will create an avenue for the product to be known. The consumer will be better placed on matters regarding the emission of carbon to the atmosphere. This will be able to save him from the problems brought about by the same. Therefore, the hiring of the Public Relations firm will have good results in the long run. Below is brief outline of the tasks that the company expects the Public Relations consultancy Firms to use in designing the Public Relations Campaign. Table: A Representation of tasks and budget to be used by Public Relations Campaign Tasks Budget Travelling $ 350 Promotions $ 200 Free samples issue $ 100 Educational seminars $ 300 Miscellaneous $ 100 Conclusion The global issues associated with carbon emissions have to be tackled if the world is to be made a better place to live in. It is not possible to totally prevent carbon from being emitted in to the atmosphere. However, measures should be put to reduce the levels of its emissions. References Arnoff, C &Baskin, O. (1992): Public Relations. The Profession and the Practice. 3rd ed. Macmillan publishers. New York Broom, G. & David M. (1989): Using Research in Public Relations. Applications to Program Management. Prentice-Hall Fraser P. (1994): The Practice of Public Relations. 6th ed. Macmillan. New York Grubb, M. (1989): The Greenhouse Effect. Negotiating Targets. The Royal Institute of International Affairs. London Newsom, et al. (1993): This is PR. The Realities of Public Relations. 5th ed. Wadsworth Rose, A. et al. (1998): International Equity and Differentiation in Global Warming Policy. Environmental and Resource Economics. Prentice-Hall Read More