Carbon footprint (History, Scope in carbon footprint,calculation and estimation, methods to reduce carbon footprint, effects and result of carbon footprint)

Carbon footprint

1. CARBON FOOTPRINT

2. HISTORY OF CARBON FOOTPRINT? A carbon footprint has historically been defined as the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person. It is probably an extension of the concept of "ecological footprints" developed by the ecologist William Rees at the University of British Columbia in the early 1990s. Dr. Mathis Wackernagel, executive director of the Global Footprint Network, states that the phrase "carbon footprint" received "its biggest boost in 2005 through an enormous BP media campaign on the carbon footprint.

3. What is a Carbon footprint? Amount of carbon/greenhouse gas emissions produced in daily life by an individual, a household, a building or a company. Carbon footprint traps heat within the atmosphere which could have a serious impact on the global climate by raising global temperatures.

4. How Carbon Footprints Work Carbon footprints measure how much carbon dioxide (CO2) we produce just by going about our daily lives. When fossil fuels burn, they emit greenhouse gases like CO2 that contribute to global warming. Ninety-eight percent of atmospheric CO2 comes from the combustion of fossil fuels.

5. Scope of Carbon Footprint: Scope 1: Direct Emissions Scope 2: Indirect Emissions (Purchased energy) Scope 3: Other Indirect Emissions

6. Scope 1: Direct Emissions Relatively easy: Combustion Sources Site owned vehicles On site electrical generation

7. Scope 2: Indirect Emissions - Purchased Energy Relatively easy: Emissions from consumption of purchased utilities: Typically electricity Could be steam or high temperature hot water Could be negative (ex: electricity from landfill gas)

8. Scope 3: Other Indirect Emissions Can be very difficult: Transportation of purchased material or goods Employee business travel Employee commuting impacts Outsourced work Emissions from finished products Transportation of waste Vegetation & Trees Scope 3 has various challenges Boundary issues Can be a magnitude higher than Scope 1 and 2 Costly value chain analysis

9. Methods of Reduction

10. Reducing Carbon footprints Reduce, reuse, recycle’ Using renewable energy sources such as solar power, hydropower and wind energy can reduce our carbon footprint. Get active, Hear it share it’ Know what damage you're doing and get to be an expert’ Why drive when you can walk? Make your own climate. Turn the heating down in winter. If you're wear more clothes. Turn the air conditioning down in summer or use a fan.

11. Recycling Recycling common goods such as aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic bottles and paper reduces greenhouse gas emissions and consumes less energy by cutting down on the amount of manufacturing required to create an object from raw materials. Reusing and recycling products reduces carbon footprint’

12. Carbon foot prints resulting in - Global Warming Catastrophe Changes in rainfall patterns (more rain in some places, less rain in others) Higher temperature on land melting of ice worldwide which could result in a rise in sea levels. Severe weather conditions, 1. Sea level increase, 2. Health effect, 3.Change in agricultural pattern,

13. MAIN EFFECTS Climate Change: Climate change is the ultimate effect of large carbon footprints. Greenhouse gases, whether natural or human-produced, contribute to the warming of the planet. From 1990 to 2005, carbon dioxide emissions increased by 31 percent. By 2008, the emissions had contributed to a 35 percent increase in radiative warming, or a shift in Earth's energy balance toward warming, over 1990 levels. Depletion of Resources: Large carbon footprints deplete resources on large and small scales, from a country's deforestation activities to one home's increased use of air conditioning. The more those with large carbon footprints use resources, the more greenhouse gases increase and spur further climate change.

14. CONCLUSION: We should take measures to shorten our carbon footprint by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases mainly carbon dioxide.