Reduce carbon - Recycle
Global warming is linked to the amount of carbon and other greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere. As individuals almost everything we do leads to the release of carbon into the atmosphere ie cooking, heating and travelling.
The amount of carbon you personally produce is known as your carbon footprint which is a measure of carbon dioxide or CO2 emitted through the consumption of natural resources (ie fossil fuels). Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and as such increases global warming and climate change.
A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact humans have on the environment and recycling helps reduce carbon.
POINTS TO CONSIDER
- MORE CARBON FRIENDLY
Live closer to where you work and where your children go to school
See if your employer will allow you to work from home one day a week .
Use a bicycle rather than a car - JUNK MAIL
Your mailbox is stuffed full of CO2 every day. 1 million trees each year are used to create junk mail, which most people find a nuisance and this mail is transported via CO2-emitting vehicles! - REDUCE PACKAGING
Cut down on purchasing products with lots of packaging. - REUSE
Instead of replacing items replace them.
Don't buy everything new ie rather than buying new books go to a used bookstore or start a book exchange with your friends. - RECYCLE
Use the recycling facilities in your area. Look for the recycled content on products.
Be responsible for cleaning the pollution you create. Don?t buy goods made with fossil fuel energy or heavily polluting energy
Don?t vote for politicians who make excuses and don?t get things done to reduce emissions.
Recycle more
THINK and be POSITIVE
Individuals can help reduce the problem of carbon emissions ? you can make a difference. Think about your spare time activities ? do they cause an increase in carbon emissions? e.g. Saunas, Health clubs, motor sport etc.
Reducing harmful carbon dioxide emissions is of great importance to everyone around the world, by reducing your carbon footprint you can reduce the threat of climate change. Many steps may help you cut down the carbon you use:
- Reducing air travel
- Minimising car use
- Being energy efficient
- Reduce unnecessary waste
- The primary footprint measures the emissions of CO2 for which we are directly responsible like the burning of fossil fuels (oil and gas) for domestic energy and transportation.
- The secondary footprint measures the emissions of CO2 for which we are ultimately responsible as in the whole lifecycle of products - from when they are manufactured to their ultimate breakdown.
Today it is more important than ever to minimise your footprint.
Developed countries are producing more and more carbon emissions and, as other countries improve their lifestyle, they consume more natural resources.Urgent action is required to save our planet. This requires change, by individuals, by countries and by the global community. We are all contributors to global warming and we all need to calculate, reduce and offset our impact on the environment.
There are numerous changes you can make to your daily life style (ie what you eat, what you drive, how you build your home) that can have an immediate effect on the environment. Even small things like not leaving the television on standby reduces the size of the carbon footprint you leave on the planet every day of your life! Electricity is one of the biggest producers of carbon emissions, so every time you make a coffee or turn on a light you are adding to global warming.
What is Global Warming?
The Earth as an ecosystem which globalization and man are helping to change for the worse. More carbon dioxide is now in the atmosphere and it stays in the atmosphere, acting like a warm blanket, holding in the heat which is why we call it 'global warming'.We exist on this planet because its temperature is maintained, within a very tight tolerance, by the earth naturally trapping heat in the atmosphere.
This creates the environment that provides us with essentials: breathable air, clean water, and the weather we depend on. BUT humans are tipping the balance.
Relentlessly we overfill the atmosphere with heat-trapping gases from cars, factories etc. To prevent devastating changes to our environment we need to act now. Otherwise we will experience increasing alarming events consistent with scientific predictions such as extreme temperatures, rising sea levels and storms of unimaginable destructive fury.
Reducing harmful carbon dioxide emissions is of great importance to everyone around the world, by reducing your carbon footprint you can reduce the threat of climate change. Many steps may help you cut down the carbon you use:
- Reducing air travel
- Minimising car use
- Being energy efficient
- Reduce unnecessary waste