Why is Climate Change so important, you may ask? Here are some facts and figures which you may like to ponder upon before you decide to work towards reducing you carbon footprint.
Food for Thought:
Recycling is IMPORTANT: many man made products take years and years to decompose and simply burying them underground is not a viable answer. We need to think about recycling anything and everything possible.
Given below is the time duration for certain products to biodegrade in Earth.
- Plastic soda bottles: 1 million years
- Glass: 1 million years
- Aluminum cans: 50 to 200 years
- Paper: 1 to 5 months
- Disposable diaper: 500 years
- Batteries: 100 years
*Global sea level rose by between 10 and 20 cm during the 20th century
*Most people use 50-70 gallons of water every day in their homes.
*Cars release 98 tons of fossil fuels into the air for every gallon of gas.
*Methane is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide as it is 23 times more effective in retaining heat within the atmosphere.
*Domestic animals release methane and thus contribute more to climate change than all human transportation combined.
* The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere in 1900 was 290ppm. In 2009, it has risen to 387ppm.
*Worldwide, seven out of the ten warmest years since 1860 occurred in the 1990’s. 1998 is currently the warmest year on record. 1990’s were the warmest decade in the last millennium.
After careful thought, if you, as a responsible person and a global citizen, is interested in finding out how exactly you can contribute to the complete annihilation of global climate change and its dangerous implications, then read on…
What is a Carbon Footprint?
A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation etc.
How can you calculate it?
http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx
Why should we reduce it?
Excess amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is said to be harmful. 350ppm (parts per million) is said to be the safe upper limit by leading scientists for humans. Currently, it has increased up to 387ppm according to investigations held in March 2009 and this is why it is imperative that we attempt to bring it down by reducing our own individual carbon footprints.
Up to what extent the Carbon Footprint should be reduced?
6.5 – 9.0 is the average carbon footprint. Thus maintaining your footprint under 9.0 is beneficial for both you and the environment. However, simply because your footprint is below 9.0, do not stop there; keep trying to decrease your footprint.
How should we reduce it?
There are many ways in which you can reduce your personal carbon footprint. These include action that can be included at home, when studying, in your garden, transportation and in basic daily activities. Given below are actions that you can carry out on a personal basis.
Reducing the Carbon Footprint: At Home
- Wash clothes only when there is a full load (saves energy, water and time)
- Don’t use the dryer if it’s hot enough for the clothes to dry naturally outside.
- Take cold water showers as much as possible and reduce using hot water. This will boost your immune system as well as save energy and water at the same time.
- Use Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFL). They may be more expensive but one bulb will save 150 of carbon dioxide and will last 8 to 15 times longer than a normal bulb. Thus in the long run, though CFL bulbs are expensive to purchase, you will save that money off your light bill.
- Turn off the lights when leaving the room, even if it’s for a shorter period of time.
- Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth. You will actually save 25 GALLONS of water per month.
- Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.
- Unplug electronics even if they are not being used because most electronic equipment use energy even if they are switched off. “Stand by Mode” can drain up to 10% of electricity used in a home.
- Turn off your computer if you’re not using it.
- Adjust your computer’s power management to reduce the amount of power it uses while idle. Do this on any computer’s you have access too.
- Reuse items like envelopes, folders and paper clips.
- Use recycled paper as much as possible.
- Collect used and excess papers and books and hand them over to a recycling plant.
- Consider using personal and beauty products made of natural fragrances.
In Your Garden
- Plant as many trees, bushes, vines, vegetables and flowers as you can in your garden
- Leave grass clippings in the garden itself (it will decompose and return nutrients to the soil)
- Water the grass early in the morning.
- Put leaves in a compost heap than throwing them away or burning them.
Transportation
- Consider using your bike and walk to get to places. This will boost your health and reduce carbon emissions.
- Consider using public transportation as much as possible.
- Consider car pooling when going to an event or a meeting.
- If you’re travelling via your own vehicle, try to co-ordinate your schedule to travel during non-peak hours so that you can avoid heavy congestion.
Diet
- Decrease your meat consumption. (More land has to be put into agricultural production to produce meat than to produce plant products. This is because domestic animals release methane that is 23 times more effective at retaining heat than CO2. Due to this, domestic animals contribute more to global warming than all human transportation combined.)
- Buy local products (imported goods are transported across long distances.)
In addition, encourage your friends and family to watch “An Inconvenient Truth”, a documentary made by Al Gore and the IPCC on Climate Change which received the Nobel Peace Prize in recent years. Contribute further by encouraging your peers to practice the above as much as possible and participate in “Green” projects.
Whether you help clean a beach, plant a tree or even switch off a light, simply remember, you’re effort along with the collective effort of people all around the world is making an impact. Your actions have consequences and it is high time that we attempt to correct our mistakes and teach the younger generations the correct way to live. We all may be individuals, but if we come together we have the ability to bring about change.
So, be part of the change.
Reduce your Carbon Footprint.
(sources : www.green.wikia.com, www.greenstudentu.com)
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