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February 9th, 2023
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Do you know how big your carbon footprint really is?
Have you watched the latest David Attenborough series his witness statement ‘A Life on Our Planet?’ Were you as shocked as I was with our current climate and how we are basically destroying our earth? Our carbon footprint really does have a huge impact on our planet.
He graced our television screens and gripped us on his 60-year career as a naturalist, his real passion for wildlife and our beloved planet we all share. His call to action approach to address us with the real devastating effects we are doing and his ability to see change for the future if we are to act now.
Well, it had me thinking on how big our individual carbon footprint is, and how we can change just the little things in life to save our precious earth.
Our Carbon Footprint
A carbon footprint is an estimate of the climate change impact because of our activity – such as making a product, living a lifestyle, or running a company. We are causing climate change more than ever before. So, it is important to know what causes this and how we can prevent it, after all, we want to be here for as long as possible and that will not be possible if there is no earth, there is no us!
It impacts the whole planet with ice caps melting in Antarctica leading to an increase in sea level, more extreme weather and severe heat waves are just a few examples of the damage we have done so far.
We need to adopt a future where we can still power our forever developing world whilst providing a cleaner source to our activity. A better relationship with science and nature will allow us to work together and harmonise with our planet to keep it strong and habitable.
Our beloved Sealife & Corals
Our oceans cover more than 70% of our Earths surface and we depend on it for our survival. Yet why aren’t we protecting it as best we can? With human activity affecting most parts of the ocean, plastic poses the biggest threat. It is estimated that 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the sea from land every year.
According to WWF, there are 3 main ways that plastic ends up in our oceans:
- Not recycling and throwing plastic in the bin
- Littering
- Products that go down the drain
All 3 ways could be prevented with a little more courtesy from us
The devastation of our coral reefs is just another prime example of how we are ruining something so magical.
The International Panel on Climate changes predicts that by 2035 the average sea surface temperature will be warmer than ever before. A further prediction into 2100 the sea temperature could be about 2.5 degrees warmer than average.
The sea temperature is the key factor in controlling the diversity of marine life. Coral bleaching is expected to worsen in years to come, putting corals under thermal stress will have a detrimental impact on all coral life.
Did you know since 1979 there has been at least 10 mass bleaching events that have affected the world’s reefs?
Agriculture
Food, we all love it and need it. It is a basic need for us to survive. Have you ever considered before the food on our plates is served where it comes from?
Before it reaches our plates there is a process to store, package, transport and prepare the foods and products we buy.
As the world increases in population, the more stress and reliance hangs on farming. We want our meat, don’t we? The more demand we put on farmers, the increase in the amount of methane and nitrous oxide released into our atmosphere. The methane comes from the livestock and the nitrous oxide comes from any fertilisers to help grow products faster and bigger.
According to the World Future Council, Agriculture is responsible for 14% of total greenhouse gas emissions. With the demand and changes in food, consumption has led to devastating effects such as deforestation and biodiversity loss.
It is not as easy as reducing the amount of food produced as this is just not a viable resolution due to the demand. It starts with us and how our diet can determine the future of this production.
Did you know?
I own a car; I own a house and I love to go on holiday. All the joys in life we think are doing no harm yet there are consequences.
Our daily activities have an impact on our environment; here is a list of tasks you may not have known to cause carbon emissions.
- You start your day, send a few emails, but have you ever stopped and considered how much electricity is being generated and how this can affect carbon emissions. In fact, sending a single email causes 0.0000001 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, crazy right!
- Meat eater? If you eat a big 8oz steak a day your annual carbon footprint is 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per year
- Do you love shopping? Well, spending around £100 a month on clothes alone will increase your carbon footprint and add 0.5 metric tons of CO2 per year. Do you really need those new pair of shoes?
- Exercise, I am not saying purely exercise causes your carbon footprint to increase it is the way you exercise. Running on a treadmill for 30 mins 3 times a week can boost your footprint by 0.07 metric tons a year.
- Using your phone! Spending just an hour on your phone a day could produce 1,250kg of CO2 per year. Get out more, do not pick up that phone.
- Drying your clothes in a dryer! One load of clothes in a dryer puts 0.1 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Use alternative methods to dry your clothes!
Check out your Carbon Footprint!
Have you ever wondered how big your carbon footprint is? Would you like to check, as an individual how much you contribute to the greenhouse gas emissions?
👉 https://mossy.earth/footprint
Mossy Earth – Will calculate the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions and tips on how to reduce your footprint
What can we do?
Cut back and make a conscious effort to change. It is up to us to tackle climate change and we need everyone to play a big part in reducing their impact.
Even the little things could help reduce emissions. Here are just some examples
- Unplug and turn off your electrical devices when not using them
- Try walk or bike to the shop do not nip to the shop in the car
- Own a car? Make sure your car tyres are properly inflated
- Do not waste water, take shorter showers have fewer baths.
- Love meat? Reduce your meat intake, why not have 2 nights a week meat-free
The food you buy has a carbon footprint attached to it.
- Recycle – everything you possibly can
- When food shopping choose products with less packing
- Choose organic food. This is so important as organic foods have no chemicals in the process of the production of food
Summary
All this information is to help save not only our planet but about saving ourselves. Why wait for it to get any worse when a sustainable direction is possible. Big changes start with little steps and if each of us changes and alter our ways we can make such a difference. If we change our attitude and awareness to this topic we can carry on and become even greater and build a more viable world.
What will you do to start cutting back to save our earth?
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