How can we reduce our Carbon Footprint and help reduce Climate Change? This article includes helpful hints and tip on how to do just that!
What is a Carbon Footprint?
‘A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, service, or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent. Greenhouse gases, including the carbon-containing gases carbon dioxide and methane, can be emitted through the burning of fossil fuels, land clearance and the production and consumption of food, manufactured goods, materials, wood, roads, buildings, transportation and other services.’
source: Zero Waste Scotland
Do you need to take the car?
Take the carbon footprint of travelling from Edinburgh to London by different modes of transport. Our analysis shows flying has the highest carbon impacts at 136 kg CO2 eq. - the same as running a 32” smart-TV for one whole year.
Travelling to London by train instead of by car reduces total carbon impacts by nearly 80 kg of CO2 eq. which is equivalent to making nearly 1,500 cups of tea
Buying and wasting less helps to reduce our carbon footprint!
We need to start thinking about the impact we have on the environment on everything we consume and do.
Scientists have noticed that the Earth’s temperature has risen rapidly in recent decades as our demand for fuel to power factories, cars, busses, and planes increases.
All of these actions produce a number of gases that trap the Sun’s heat from escaping causing the greenhouse effect. About 90 percent of this heat is trapped by greenhouse gases and then reflected back towards the earth’s surface. This then creates extreme weather conditions.
Since 1884, Met Office records show the top 10 warmest years have all been within the past two decades. None of the top 10 coldest years have been recorded since 1963.
We know that climate change is causing more extreme weather conditions - despite the infamous ‘Beast from the East’ bringing snow, ice and disruption to most of the country in early 2018, the year comes in at number seven on the top 10 warmest.
What will the impact of climate change be?
- In Scotland, some Scottish species could become extinct while non-native, invasive species flourish
- More extreme weather and changes to rainfall patterns
- Extreme climatic events could have an impact on the supply and cost of food and threaten supply chains
- Rising sea levels and melting ice caps
So how do we reduce our Carbon Footprint?
Make small changes like:
- Shop second hand instead of buying brand new - clothes, furniture, electrical items, toys, garden tools - you can pretty much get anything second hand
- Take a reusable cup for a takeaway hot drink
- When it comes to food, buy local and in season
- Repair and reuse rather than throwing out
- Pick gift experiences over ‘stuff’ when buying presents
- Take a reusable tub to work for your lunchtime takeaway
- Choose reusable products over single-use - reusable period products, washable wipes and safety razors are a great place to start
- Use public transport rather than the car
- Reduce the amount of energy we use in our homes (see Energy Saving section for tips on how to do this)
- Reduce our food waste by only buying what we need
For further information on Climate change and Carbon Footprint please visit:
How To Waste Less by Zero Waste Scotland | Sustainable Living Tips
To calculate your own carbon footprint click on this link: https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/#/
The human race certainly has made a muck of things, and we will have to work hard to improve the said things again.