Set Up For a Lower Carbon Footprint

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

In Western Daily Press (2008, Jan 21) in the article, “ Step Up For a Lower Carbon Footprint” the author mentioned three ways everyone can calculate personal carbon footprint spend in a year through sites on the internet. The author considered that although climate has changed progressively, British people are more concerned about losing weight rather than saving the planet. Each person can calculate his carbon footprint through the internet and each site has different measures, questions and results. The author used 3 different sites: First, www.carbonfootprint.com , where asked for which aked for which country you lived in, how many flights I’d taken, car mileage, heating and light from home, train transport, how much gas, electricity, oil, coal or propane gas; it included products bought, whether I buy organic, recycle, go to restaurants, bars or films and use livestock farming by year. She spent 0.038 tons of CO2 or £332 on gas, £232.78 or 0.179 tons of CO2 from electricity, and she drove 10.499 miles, equivalent to 3.026 CO2, air travel 2, 1.9, rail transport 1,000 miles equal 0.097 tones of CO2. The total of the personal carbon footprint was 8.672 tones of CO2, lower compared to the UK average of 9.8 tons; and the worldwide average carbon footprint is 4 tons per person. In order to struggle with carbon we must decrease to two tons, says Western Daily. Second, they connected to http://actonco2.direct.gov.u.k. on this site it asked for more details about property and lifestyle, such as (how old one’s house is, how many bathrooms it has, how many energy-saving lightbulbs she uses, and how much water she needs to boil a cup of tea, how many times she uses a washing machine, how many times she uses tyre pressure. The total carbon footprint was 8.62 tones compared to the UK average, which was -4.47 tons approximately twice the carbon emission. Third, the author linked to http://footprint.wwf.org.uk, where the average is 12.23 tons of CO2 per year, and the goal for reducing carbon is 2.59 tones of CO2 per person. This site, known as WWF, is confined to more facts on lifestyle such as how many times a week she eats meat and commutes, and how much she spends on jewellery and bath products instead asking for how much gas she uses. Finally, the three methods used for providing personal footprint are different, but they have the purpose of reducing personal carbon footprint.

Many people think that environmental pollution is not their responsibility, and there are people who know that environment is a concern nowadays, but they simply ignore it. Did you think about this worry? Did you think how much have you contributed to damaging the environment? Did you decide to save the planet by yourself? This is what we need to think about. However, although the environment pollution is a global problem, not only does the governments have to take care of it, but each of us should be responsible for managing our carbon footprint because we are a part of society. Household calculation is the good method for people to controlling how much carbon footprint they produce to minimize environment pollution. I agree with author because we can manage our carbon emission through an internet site such as www.carbonfootprint.com and http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk.where where we became a household calculator, protector and conservator of nature, but the author was not precise in the third site, http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/.

The author has a good point when he said that we can control the quantity of carbon emission produced by ourselves using the first internet site; for example, on this site, www.carbonfootprint.com , the carbon calculation requires questions like where you live, how much you spend or use gas, electricity, coal or propane, and flight, car, rail and bus miles, and it gives us the total of the carbon footprint that we contributed for damaging the environment. According to this site, the UK average carbon footprint is 9.8 tons per year. Moreover, this calculation involves all things you buy; for instance, if we buy products made in China, we have to include carbon emission of transportation from China to U.S. This is a good and efficient method of controlling pollution because the population is growing quickly and the government cannot control pollution adequately. It is necessary to increase human comprehension by explaining causes and effects of environmental destruction. Everyone has to feel like an environmental activist.

The second method to calculate individual carbon footprint is more concise due to the fact that if involves more detailed information about property, lifestyle, washing machine and more. Also, the UK average for carbon emission is 4.25 tons of CO2 per year. Here the average permitted per person each year is low, consequently fewer polluting emission. This site http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk helps people to compile, analyze and interpret the data in order to know whether their carbon emission has exceeded the limit. Furthermore, current pollution problems are addressed more and more, so the governments should legislate and maximize the total amount of the pollution that each person should spend during a year. The less the average carbon footprint per person, the better the health of the environment that is created.

On the contrary, the third method to calculate carbon footprint, http://footprint.wwarf.org.uk., is inappropriate and illogical, because the average of pollution permitted per person is 12.23 tons of CO2 per year. In addition, the questions used to calculate the quantity of pollutant elements are not precise; for example, the site doesn’t ask how much gas is used or spent. The high number 12.23 tons of CO2 permitted per person doesn’t make sense if we want to reduce or eliminate the environment problems. The reason for household calculation is to make the lower number possible of CO2 per person in order to preserve and protect the environment. Environmental problems depend on public education for understanding the issue. Environmental education is necessarily critical for appropriate conscious decision making and saving the universe. In conclusion, environmental problem is a global issue; therefore, everyone should consciously control their carbon footprint and make the environment sustainable for saving planet.

Reference:
Western Daily Press. (2008, Jan 21). “Step up for a lower Carbon Footprint.” Retrieved May 22, 2009, from Lexis Nexis database.