What equals a whopping 22 tons a year? Answer: The average American’s total carbon footprint; which includes the emissions from your home, car, office, smartphone and everything you use and/or eat. Let’s face it, you emit gas.
The hard truth is you and I are constantly emitting carbon dioxide (Co2). Maybe you’re reading this blog while sipping on a warm cup of organic coffee or tea, from your environmentally safe mug. Guess what? Although, Co2 is reduced significantly, considering you’ve chosen to use green friendly products, the reality is—you’re still emitting.
Do you know how much Co2 you emit? Almost every activity in modern society relies on energy produced from fossil fuels, which represents the largest source of human-caused emissions. Our behaviors and lifestyle choices influence the amount of Co2 being released. Significant reductions can often be made through simple, cost-saving measures in and outside of your home.
With all the concerns about Co2, is it really bad? Actually, Co2 is naturally emitted into the atmosphere, and is essential to life on Earth and our biogeochemical cycle, in which carbon is exchanged between the Earth’s oceans, soil, rocks and biosphere. Biologically, plants and other organisms extract carbon from the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide, by the process of photosynthesis. Therefore, Earth wouldn’t have a present-day biosphere without atmospheric Co2.
When humans came along, especially when we decided to get industrial, the Co2 cycle couldn’t keep up—leading to an overabundance of Co2 in our planet. Although the industrial revolution and factories are a huge part of the problem, frankly, we as individuals are also to blame.
87 percent of all human-produced carbon dioxide emissions come from the burning of fossil fuels, like coal, natural gas and oil. The remainder results from the clearing of forests and other land use changes (9%), as well as some industrial processes such as cement manufacturing (4%) – The global carbon budget.
A few leading human-produced culprits of Co2 are: electricity and transportation. Approximately, 40% of Co2 emissions are caused by generating electricity! The industrial, residential and commercial sectors are the main users of electricity.
Industry is the largest consumer of the three, because certain manufacturing processes are very energy intensive. Specifically, the production of chemicals, iron and steel, cement and aluminum; as well as pulp and paper account for the majority of electricity use. The residential and commercial industries are also heavily reliant on electricity—particularly for lighting, heating, air conditioning and appliances.
Transportation is the second biggest Co2 offender. Transporting goods and people around the world produces 22% of fossil-fuel related Co2 emissions. Out of that 22%, over half is dominated by ground transportation (e.g. automobiles, freight and trucks). The remainder accounts for marine and global aviation.
As the world’s population continues to increase, the trend of using electricity and transportation will be in greater demand. Even though global warming is the big picture issue (result of too much Co2 in our atmosphere), we still have an individual responsibility to reduce it. After all, 22 tons of Co2 is what the average person emits annually.
Now that we’ve explored the impact individuals have on emitting Co2, what will you do about it?
Here are a few recommendations:
Calculate your emissions. Do you ever wonder how much effect nature has on your lifestyle? You can estimate your daily lifestyle emissions by using our carbon calculator. Click Here
Reduce your emissions as much as possible. We recommend reading
8 Steps to Greener Living, a practical guide on how to reduce your carbon footprint.
Offset unavoidable emissions. Offset your lifestyle emissions which cannot be avoided, through carbon-balanced forest-conservation projects.