Carbon Footprint: Global Warming

Global warming (a gradual increase in the earth’s and the oceans’ average temperature) and carbon footprint (the amount of greenhouse gases primarily carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by human activities) coincide because without carbon footprint there would not be any global warming. When I was a child and growing up in Virginia, this state seemed experienced all four seasons. Today, this Old Dominion state seems to experience only two seasons summer and winter. I personally think this apparent change in Virginia’s climate is because of global warming.

Humanity is slowly but surely damaging Mother Earth with our careless, reckless and selfish attitudes and actions. Our carbon footprint the activities that we engage in such as driving our motor vehicles, cutting down trees, not recycling recyclable products, not conserving electricity or just general waste of manufactured goods is too high; thereby causing the ozone layers to deteriorate.

What is a carbon footprint?

I think Noelle Eckley Selin explains it best. Carbon footprint amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with all the activities of a person or another entity (e.g., building, corporation, country, etc.). It includes direct emissions, such as those that result from fossil-fuel combustion in manufacturing, heating, and transportation, as well as emissions required to produce the electricity associated with goods and services consumed. In addition, the carbon footprint concept also often includes the emissions of other greenhouse gases, such as methane, nitrous oxide, or chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The carbon footprint theory is related to and grew out of the older idea of ecological footprint, a concept invented in the early 1990s by Canadian ecologist William Rees and Swiss-born regional planner Mathis Wackernagel at the University of British Columbia. An ecological footprint is the total area of land required to sustain an activity or population. It includes environmental impacts, such as water use and the amount of land used for food production. In contrast, a carbon footprint is usually expressed as a measure of weight, as in tons of CO2 or CO2 equivalent per year. (Selin) Humans play the biggest parts in global warming by burning fossil fuels, deforestation/wild fire, and farming. Eighty percent of the United States power is generated from burning fossil fuels to power our motor vehicles, businesses and homes. Not many people think about how we get our surroundings to function seamlessly just waking up to your alarm clock uses fossil fuels. We as humans do everyday tasks and rarely ask how ou actions effect the environment.

Most of humanity has been selfish since the beginning of time and continues to be selfish doing things, regardless of the devastating effect on the environment. In 2016, some 76.3 percent of United States workers used their personal vehicles to commute to work; this means that personal and commercial light duty vehicles (that is, vehicles weighing 10,000 lbs. or less) accounted for over 58 percent of energy consumption in the transportation sector in 2017 (statista). Those are just personal vehicles; let us not forget about commercial vehicles such as airplanes, buses, and tractor trailers. Everyday individuals account more than half of the energy consumption relating to transportation. I never thought we used so much of our energy on transportation, but when you put into perspective as above it is mind-boggling. We drive vehicles everyday whether they are gas guzzlers or fuel efficient; the fact is our driving habits are still contributes to our carbon footprint. It is always the small things that add up and make the biggest impact. Yeah, I might think about the things I do on a daily, but not about the rest of humanity that may be doing the same thing and how our combine actions add up. Although our driving practices is a big part of global warming, there are other things such as deforestation we do that are equally as devastating.

What is deforestation?

Deforestation is removing of Earth’s forests on a colossal scale, often destroying the homes of the many living species. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the world’s land area, but swaths half the size of England are lost each year. (National geographic). Our forests may be destroyed in decades if we continue to at this rate. One the biggest cause of deforestation is cultivation. Agriculturalists cut forests to provide more room for planting produce and rearing livestock. Often, small farmers will cut down trees and burn them to make room. This process is called slash. This act must take place for us the consumers to get our source of meat in the supermarkets to satisfy demands. It is not only farming that makes industrial agriculture so harmful; in many cases land changes result in more surface warming. Deforestation occurs to make more land for residential areas; this also contributes to surface warming. Logging is another big operation that causes deforestation, which offer the world’s lumber and paper products. Loggers, some of them working illegally, also build roads to access more distant forests, which adds to more deforestation. Forests are also cut as a result of growing development areas for housing.

So, what is the best to prevent global warming from getting worse?

The goal is simple. Carbon dioxide is the atmosphere worst rival. It is released when fossil fuels are burned for energy to power mostly everything in society. By using less of it, we can control our own contribution to the change in climate while saving cash. Here are a dozen easy, effective ways each one of us ways to make a difference: Share your concerns, use reusable resources, weatherize, use energy efficient appliances, reduce wasted resources, eat what you buy, buy energy efficient vehicles, rethink transportation, shrink carbon footprint Share concerns.

What is the biggest way you can prevent to continuation of global warming?

Talk to your friends and family, and make sure your setting the best example for society. Why, because the first thing there going to ask is what are your doing to help? Leading by example is a great way to get things around you to change for the better. Starting with the minuscule things is how you get the greatest impact. Those little things add up more than you think. use reusable resources. Wind, solar, water, are the biggest renewable resources in the world. Wind power is great, but you need ample amount of land. Also, the wind turbine must be in the right environment for it to operate properly. Solar power is another clean source of energy and the most popular. I remember when solar panels first came out for houses it expensive but now the price has gone down tremendously. Making them more accessible to homeowners. Weatherize To put weatherizing in perspective all it means is to make sure the energy that is being used is effective as possible. So that means if its hot outside and you have the air conditioner on you try your best to not let the cool air escape and vice versa. So, what do most people do to prevent that? Caulking around windows and door jams is a great start to limit the air that escapes.

Also, is recent year the technology of window has gotten better make them more energy efficient. Use energy efficient appliances I remember when I was going as a kid they have no energy efficient anything, now almost every appliance had that energy star symbol on it meaning its energy efficient. I really don’t how effective these appliances are, but something is better than nothing. Going back to what I said before the little things add up. So if every appliance in your home is efficient you probably reflect on your light bill. In all honesty who doesn’t want to save money? I know I would if I was a home owner. Reduce wasted water. Reducing how much water you wasted will reduce your carbon footprint. It takes energy to pump water through your place of dwelling. Also takes energy to get the water to a comfortable temperature for use. I have seen people constantly doe this around me. Have the water running while brushing there teeth for what reason I don’t know. It bothers me though, like how can waste a resource that’s so precious to others around the world. I’ve seen when I went back home to Jamaica little kids stealing water just to survive. It sad but true I know that has an impact of how I view things around me. What comes easy to us in the united doesn’t come easier to the others around the world and I always keep that with me. Eat what you buy. Growing up I used to waste food all the time. My mom wasn’t the type of parent that would make me stay at the table until finish. I just ate what I could and threw away the rest. Not until I got older I started to understand what I was doing those past years of my life.

The American society waste some much food on the daily its ridiculous. How does that effect the environment? These animals are killed releasing carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere is already bad enough. Just to be throwed away. Other species lives are just as important as humans. Everything on this earth serves a purpose. buy energy efficient vehicles When gas price when surging everybody was selling there gas guzzler vehicle and getting more efficient ones. For example when the Toyota precious what one of the most efficient cars out there. You can guess when humanity was trying to get them. Now that prices plummeted people are buying these guzzlers. Even the people that preach about the health of the environment are included is these activities. Humans don’t really care. They do what works for them at the time. It shouldn’t be like that we have to do best for the environment not only us. reduce carbon footprint. These are all ways you can reduce your footprint. If we as group start laying the blueprint from now mother earth last longer for generations to come. Species wouldn’t be going to extinct. So our future(kids) will be able to see them not from a picture but from life.

Works Cited

Causes of global warming. n.d. web page. 24 november 2018. . Duggal, Vishal.

CARBON FOOTPRINT: CAUSES, EFFECTS AND SOLUTIONS. n.d. 24 november 2018. . dunn, collin. 6 ways agriculture impacts global warming. 8 november 2009. webpage. 24 november 2018. .

National geographic. Modern Day Plague. n.d. 24 November 2018. . Selin, Noelle Eckley.

Carbon Footprint. 25 may 2010. 24 november 2018. statista. Vehicles in operation in the United States – Statistics & Facts. 2016. 25 November 2018.

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