Carbon Footprint
- Kaavya Bhardwaj
- Aug 8, 2021
- 2 min read
A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases generated by us. The carbon footprint is a very important means to understand the impact of a person's behavior on global warming. Humans contribute an increase in carbon dioxide emissions by burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and cement production. Methane (CH4) is largely released by coal, oil, and natural gas industries. Methane is more harmful than carbon dioxide because it traps heat better than CO2.
This is why someone who effectively wants to contribute to stopping global warming, at least on an individual scale, needs to measure and keep track of their personal carbon footprint. For example, driving to the grocery store burns a certain amount of fuel, and fossil fuels are the primary sources of greenhouse gases.
But that grocery store is powered by electricity, and its employees probably drove to work, so the store has its own carbon footprint. For example, driving to the grocery store burns a certain amount of fuel, and fossil fuels are the primary sources of greenhouse gases. But that grocery store is powered by electricity, and its employees probably drove to work, so the store has its own carbon footprint. The major contributors to carbon footprints are food, consumption, transportation, and household energy. Food is a major contributor to carbon footprints, and meat, in particular, is an issue.
Livestock is responsible for a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions, and beef is one of the biggest contributors. Burning plastic or anything in general also affects carbon footprints. The amount of carbon emissions trapped in our atmosphere causes global warming, which causes climate change, symptoms of which include melting of the polar ice caps, the rising of sea levels, the disturbance of animals' natural habitats, extreme weather events, and so many more negative side effects that are dangerous.
Excess carbon in the atmosphere warms the planet and helps plants on land grow more. Excess carbon in the ocean makes the water more acidic, putting marine life in danger. China is the world's largest contributing country to CO2 emissions—a trend that has steadily risen over the years—now producing 10.06 billion metric tons of CO2. The biggest culprit of CO2 emissions for these countries is electricity, notably, burning coal.
Solutions to carbon footprint
Eat more plant foods and fewer animal foods.
Try other modes of transport.
Reduce, reuse, and recycle to waste less.
Choose energy-efficient appliances.
Stop buying your water in plastic.
Incorporate walking or biking to some of your regular short-trip destinations.
Turn off lights and unplug devices when you're not using them.
Keep the tires on your car properly inflated and get regular tune-ups.
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Written by: Kaavya Bhardwaj, Shresta Singh, and Nia Shukla
In Collaboration with Spurthi S
Amazing work guys