What Is Carbon Footprint and What Can You Do To Reduce It?
We all hear about carbon emissions and reducing carbon footprints, but do we really know what that is? How about a brief environmental science lecture. Carbon is everywhere as it is a major macromolecule and important element in life and the ecosystem. It’s in our bodies and plants, but also an emission released from things such as factories and the cars we use to get from point A to B. When fossil fuels are burned, carbon is released to the atmosphere, when we put gas in our cars we are also contributing to higher carbon emissions. That’s carbon emissions but what’s one’s carbon footprint? Just like how we use the internet and leave digital footprints that can be traced back to us, we leave carbon footprints when we use things that require the emission of carbon. It all starts small, a good example is when we buy an apple from our local walmart or krogers. That apple did not magically get there, it had to be grown, harvested, transported either through air or road, packaged using plastic bags, transported to the grocery store, and now its in our hands. All those occurrences released a certain amount of carbon into the atmosphere. So when we buy an apple we are indirectly racking up carbon emissions into the atmosphere through all the actions before we get it, that is what we consider our carbon footprint. So what does this mean for Mother Earth? Our beloved home and probably only home until we somehow “colonize Mars”. Well, it leads to something known as the greenhouse effect, a fancy terminology meaning we are trapping harmful gases inside and creating a thicker atmosphere with them. This in turn raises global temperatures(global warming), and thus climate change.
To go into the detail would be going deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole, but I will simplify it, we need to make some changes. How can you as an individual reduce their carbon footprint and help turn the clock of extinction backwards? It is hard to not contribute to carbon emissions but there are things you can do. For instance, instead of buying an apple from walmart, buy one from a local farmer, you will not only reduce carbon emissions by a lot but also contribute to your community. As the saying goes, charity begins at home, so does change. Those long showers release carbon into the atmosphere so cut down on that to about 5–10 minutes, you don’t need those many lights on in your house so turn off the lights you’re not using. Reduce the temperature in your AC, use electric cookers, and maybe get a hybrid car or even better carpool with a friend. Something you can do that will have a lasting impact is educate those close to you and your community on the effects of carbon emissions. It isn’t about how much carbon you can reduce but about how many people you can get to get on that train too.