Facts About Carbon Footprints

In the current times, we’re all trying to do our bit for the environment and the ecology, by trying to reduce pollution, planting more trees, and using more of renewable resources than non-renewable resources, still we human need to do more to save the planet and balance and maintain the ecology.

We need to adopt better and new ways on a global scale to reduce pollution and other things that have an immense effect on the environment. We need to reduce the carbon emission in the environment so that we can bring a substantial change in the climate.

A carbon footprint is defined as the total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are released in the atmosphere, associated with the daily activities of a human. The carbon footprint can also be applied to the activities or actions conducted by an organization, family, or any event or even by an entire nation.

A carbon footprint is an important part of the Ecological footprint. The ecological footprint is defined as the total area of land that is needed to sustain the population and the concept of ecological footprint includes factors like the amount of land and water used for food production.

It also includes the emissions from various greenhouse gases like methane, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which degrades the environment and also harmful for living beings. 

Not only that carbon footprint is also released and increased in the environment by combustion of fossil fuels, heating or transporting, and also to produce electricity.

Carbon footprints that are released in the environment are measured in equal tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). We may ignore the importance of carbon footprints but they are essential to understand the impact on global warming caused by a person’s habit or behavior.

The USA records the highest emission of Carbon Dioxide gases and other greenhouse gases in the environment, from certain human activities like burning of non-renewable resources for transport and electricity and so the average carbon footprint for a person in the USA is 16tons and the number is worrying.

And so, those who want to reduce the effect of global warming on the environment, they should keep a thorough track of their carbon footprints that are released when they do a certain activity. Improving the ecology is not a day’s work and it requires one to take small steps.

One can start to calculate their carbon footprints by keeping a track of the following things: 

• The approximate miles one travels by any mode of transport.
• The amount of energy usage in their homes.
• Composition of their daily diet or what do they consume daily.
• The amount of time one spends on shopping.

Changes like this in the environment are normal but it is worrying when no one takes a step to reduce or improve the quality of the environment. With constant modernization and industrialization, the quality of the environment will degrade but it’ll be worse if we don’t do anything.

Here are five ways, by which we can reduce the carbon footprints:

•  Practice 5R’s: Refuse, Rot, Reuse, Recycle, and Reduce, practicing these 5R’s is a great way to improve the quality of the environment. Refuse the use of plastics and paper, instead opt for Reuse. Reduce the number of things you are purchasing, only stick to essentials.

• Reuse stuffs so that it creates less pollution. Practice Rotting or composting food and lastly, learn to recycle things like plastic, paper, glass, or metal.

• Avoid Driving: Driving any vehicles or cars pollutes and degrades the environment a lot and the toxins that are released are dangerous for humans and animals. Avoid driving instead opt for pollution less transport like cycle as it’ll require much less energy or use public transport rather than individual transport. 

•  Conservation of water and water bodies: Do not waste water as most of the source of fresh water is in glaciers, ice, and snow, and the rest of it is salty, unfit for human consumption. Reduce the amount of water used during showers, don’t flush things down in the toilet.

• Consume seasonal and fresh vegetables and plants: By consuming more fresh, local vegetables and fruits one can reduce carbon footprints, try to lessen the amount of meat consumed as it. But your vegetables from the local farmers or grow them yourselves.

•  Use sustainable and clean energy: Fossil fuels are limited and by using them continuously, it will deplete them soon, and when fossil fuels are burned to produce energy a large number of toxic materials are released into the environment.

Hence, by switching to sustainable energy resources like solar and wind energy we can reduce pollution and also save fossil fuels for the future.


Written by - Srijita Roy

Edited by - Rudransh Khurana