How To Go Green – What Is A Carbon Footprint
Last time in my “How To Go Green” post, we made an attempt to define what it means to “go green”. I said I was a “bright green”. Now, in going green we need to understand a carbon footprint. A simple equation would be the lifestyle we choose to live will affect how we directly or indirectly contribute to greenhouse gas production. Now if we can measure it, we may be able to reduce it.
So, what evidence do we have that global warming is occurring and is not a natural event? Does this repeat over long periods or is it a new phenomenon? Most of the articles I have found seem to link back to a few oceanographers’ studies and the study of the ice pack.
When reading the original studies I found that even they would admit that the current sampling is too small, and more research needs to be done. What they did find was very limited in the span of earth history. In the 4.54 billion years the earth is said to have existed, we have only about 680,000 years of CO2 history from the ice pack study. If you divide that study by the earth’s age you get about .01 percent. When we use the data from global recorded temperatures, it is even smaller at a sampling of .00004 percent.
That doesn’t seem like very compelling evidence, but evidence all the same. Does it mean I should ignore this evidence? No! On the contrary, we use very small samples every day to inform us about air quality, disease rates, cancer cells, and blood cell counts. Even samples as small as parts per billion of poison can kill us.
I am not in any way upset by the talk and use of carbon offsets. That is just being responsible. I do have one concern though: what long term evidence do we have that we are not going to adversely affect the climate with the reforestation processes we have put in place? In the mean time, when I go to a store, I try to get all I need in one trip and not make unnecessary trips — which will reduce my fuel use.
For one, with technology, we have greatly reduced our demand for electricity. Computers, CAD software, and new packaging methods have helped us reduce the size and the electrical demand of appliances.
Integrated circuits are reduced to sizes unimaginable just a few years ago. Televisions, computer displays, and a host of other display devices have reduced our demand for energy to levels unheard of 20 years ago.
With this information about our carbon footprint we can reduce our current electrical, gas, and heating demands. This in turn will help future generations, and if nothing else, conserve our natural resources. So what is your personal carbon footprint? Check out the carbon footprint calculator I have linked to in my author resource box, and start reducing your carbon footprint.
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