We all have our carbon footprint, our share of global climate change. Each of us has the opportunity to make a small contribution to improving the Earth’s state. What step will you take?
What Is the Carbon Footprint?
The carbon footprint is the amount of CO2 produced during a particular process. It can relate to an individual driving a car, a product that cannot be produced without a carbon footprint, or actions such as fossil fuel burning. The carbon footprint is an impact of human activity on the environment and especially on climate change.
The carbon footprint can be determined at different levels. Company Carbon Footprint determines the number of greenhouse gases that correspond to a company’s production activities and is expressed in CO2 equivalents. Product Carbon Footprint is a measure of the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are released during the life cycle of a product or service.
The food carbon footprint is the total production of food, which includes agriculture, land use, transport, processing, storage, packaging, sale, consumption, and losses. The food carbon footprint contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 37%.
Everyone Can Reduce Their Carbon Footprint
We all have the opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint. When waiting for children in the car in front of the school, turn off the engine. Even changing your driving style can reduce your carbon footprint – avoid excessive speed and acceleration. If you have the opportunity, go shopping on foot or by public transport. Buy low-power electronics, replace the bulbs with LED lights, install solar panels on the house.
Focus on local foods; foreign food transport increases the carbon footprint due to the fuel consumption, and gas, which keeps some food fresh for longer during the transport. Basic foods have a lower carbon footprint than industrially processed ones (e.g., soja beans vs. soja milk or soja meat).
In the Paris Agreement, countries pledged to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by about half by 2030. They want to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Reducing the carbon footprint is a small step for man, but a big leap for the planet. What will yours be like?
Source: https://truththeory.com/carbon-footprint-why-its-important-to-reduce-our-carbon-footprint/, featured photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash