Carbon footprint | How to reduce carbon footprint

Carbon footprint

Total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, service, space, or product expressed as the equivalent of carbon dioxide is a carbon footprint. Carbonated gases can emit greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, burning fossil fuels, land clearing, and food, manufactured goods, materials, wood, roads, buildings, transportation, and other services. The term was popularized by the $250 million advertising campaign by oil and gas company BP in an effort to limit the activities of fossil fuel companies and divert public attention from personal responsibility for tackling climate change.

The global average annual carbon footprint in 2014 was about 5 tons of CO₂eq. Although there are many ways to calculate a carbon footprint, nature conservation suggests that the average carbon footprint of a U.S. citizen is 16 tons. It is considered to be one of the highest rates in the world.

History

The concept and name of the carbon footprint originated from the concept of environmental footprint, which William E. Rees and Mathis Wackernagel in the 1990s. Although carbon footprints are typically reported as tons of emissions per year, ecological footprints are generally reported as more than the planet can renew. It evaluates the number of Earths that would be needed if everyone on the planet uses resources at the same level as individuals calculate their environmental footprint. The carbon footprint is a part of the environmental footprint. Carbon footprints are more focused than environmental footprints because they measure the emissions of gases that cause climate change in the atmosphere.

The idea of ​​a personal carbon footprint became popular in 2005 through a large advertising campaign by fossil fuel company BP, which was designed by Ogilvy. The purpose of the campaign was to divert attention from consumers away from the fossil fuel industry. It instructed people to count their personal footprints and gave people a way to go on a low-carbon diet. This strategy, employed by other major fossil fuel companies, borrows heavily from previous campaigns in the tobacco industry and the plastics industry, with individual choices blaming the negative consequences of those industries (underage smoking, cigarette butt pollution, and plastic pollution).

Individual carbon footprint measuring

To calculate personal carbon footprint, a number of free online carbon footprint calculators exist, including those backed by publicly available peer-reviewed data and calculations, including the University of California, Berkeley's CoolClimate Network research consortium, and CarbonStory. These websites ask you to answer more or less detailed questions about your diet, transportation choices, home size, shopping and recreational activities, electricity usage, heating and heavy appliances like dryers and refrigerators, etc. The website estimates your carbon footprint based on the answers to these questions. A systematic literature review was conducted to objectively determine the best way to calculate the individual/household carbon footprint. This review identifies 13 calculation principles and subsequently uses the same principles to evaluate the 15 most popular online carbon footprint calculators. A recent study by Christopher Weber of Carnegie Mellon found that the calculation of carbon footprint for products is often fraught with great uncertainty. Changes in the ownership of electronic goods, such as manufacturing, shipments, and previous technologies used to make those products, can make it difficult to make accurate carbon footprints. It is important to question and address the validity of carbon footprint techniques, especially given their extreme popularity.

Carbon footprints categories-

Carbon footprints of geographical areas

i. According to the World Bank, the global average carbon footprint in 2014 was 4.97 metric tons of CO₂ / cap. The EU average for 2007 was about 13.8 tons of CO₂e / cap, compared to 25 tons for the United States, Luxembourg, and Australia. In 2017, the U.S. average was about 20 metric tons of CO₂e.

ii. Mobility (driving, flying, and small amounts from public transit), shelter (electricity, heating, construction), and food are the most important cost categories in determining a person's carbon footprint. In the EU, the carbon footprint of mobility is evenly divided between direct emissions (e.g. from personal driving) and emissions from purchased mobility-related products (emissions during air transport services, vehicle production times, and fuel extraction).

iii. The carbon footprint of the U.S. household is about 5 times higher than the world average. For most U.S. families, the most important step in reducing their carbon footprint is to drive less or drive more efficiently.

Carbon footprints of energy consumption

i. Three studies have concluded that hydroelectric, wind and nuclear power generate at least CO₂ per kilowatt-hour from any other power source. These figures do not include emissions due to accidents or terrorism. Wind energy and solar energy do not emit any carbon from their operation but leave a footprint during construction and maintenance. There are also large footprints from the initial removal of vegetation and moving methane from the reservoir to hydroelectricity.

ii. Power generation is about half of the world's man-made CO₂ production. The CO₂ footprint for heat is equally significant and studies have shown that using combined heat and waste heat from power generation in district heating, CHP / DH has the lowest carbon footprint, much lower than micro-power or heat pumps.

iii. Coal production has been greatly refined to reduce carbon emissions; Since the 1980s, the amount of energy used to produce one ton of steel has dropped by 50%.

Carbon footprints of transport

This section gives representative figures of the carbon footprint of fuels burned by different transport types.

i. Flight

A. Domestic, short distance, less than 463 km: 257 g / km CO₂ or 259 g / km CO₂e

B. Long-distance flight: 113 g / km CO₂ or 114 g / km CO₂e

However, the emission of distances per unit is not necessarily the best indicator for the carbon footprint of air travel, as distances are usually longer than other methods of travel. This is the total emissions for a trip that is important for a carbon footprint, not just the rate of mission shift. For example, since air travel makes long-distance travel possible, a vacation destination can be chosen that is much farther away than using any other method of travel.

ii. Road

For vehicles in Europe,

a. Newly registered passenger cars: 127 g CO₂/km

b. Hybrid-electric vehicles: 92 g CO₂/km

c. Light commercial vehicles (LCV): 175 g CO₂/km

For vehicles in the USA

a. Passenger cars: 200 g CO₂/km

b. Trucks: 280 g CO₂/km

c. Combined: 229 g CO₂/km

Carbon footprints of products

Many companies provide footprint calculators for public and corporate use, and several companies calculate product carbon footprints. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has addressed paper, plastic, glass, cans, computers, carpets, and tires. Australia addresses wood and other building materials. Academics from Australia, Korea, and the United States have addressed the paved road. Companies, nonprofits, and academics have addressed mailing letters and packages. Carnegie Mellon University estimates the CO₂ footprint of 46 major sectors of the economy in each of the eight countries. Carnegie Mellon, Sweden, and the Carbon Trust have addressed meals at home and in restaurants.

i. For food emissions per day

a. 7.19 for high meat-eaters

b. 5.63 for medium meat-eaters

c. 4.67 for low meat-eaters

d. 3.91 for fish-eaters

e. 3.81 for vegetarians

f. 2.89 for vegans

ii. Textiles emissions footprints per kilo

a. Cotton: 8

b. Nylon: 5.43

c. PET (e.g. synthetic fleece): 5.55

d. Wool: 5.48

Causes of carbon footprint

Although some production of greenhouse gases is natural, human activity has significantly increased production. The main industrial sources of greenhouse gases are power plants, residential buildings, and road transport, as well as energy industry processes and losses, iron and steel production, coal mining, chemical and petrochemical industries, and cement production. Climate change also contributes to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions such as deforestation, land-use changes, livestock, agricultural soils, and water and wastewater. China is the largest contributor to greenhouse gases, resulting in a 30% increase in total emissions. The United States contributes 15%, then the EU 9%, then India 7%, Russia 5%, Japan 4%, and other miscellaneous countries the remaining 30%.

How to reduce carbon footprint

Individuals and corporations can take a number of steps to reduce their carbon footprint and thus contribute to mitigating the global climate. They can buy carbon offsets to pay for part or all of their carbon footprints. If they purchase enough to offset their carbon footprint, they become effectively carbon neutral. Carbon footprints can be reduced by increasing energy efficiency and changing lifestyle and purchasing habits. Changes in one's energy and use of transport can affect the initial carbon footprint. For example, using public transport, such as buses and trains, reduces a person's carbon footprint compared to driving. Individuals and corporations can reduce their respective carbon footprints by installing energy-efficient lighting, adding insulation to buildings, or using renewable energy sources to generate the electricity they need. For example, the generation of electricity from wind energy does not directly transfer carbon. Additional lifestyle choices that can reduce a person's secondary carbon footprint include reducing meat consumption and changing product purchasing habits to products that require fewer carbon emissions in production and transportation.

Conclusion

The human carbon footprint to reduce includes reduction, reuse, recycling, and refuse. It can be used instead of recyclable ingredients such as a thermos for everyday coffee or plastic containers for water and other cold drinks. If that option is not available, it is best to properly recycle disposable items after use. When a family recycles at least half of their household waste, they can save 1.2 tons of carbon dioxide a year.