Given newspread information and its highlight in the news, people are increasingly aware of their carbon footprint. Increased awareness of the impending climate crisis calls for urgent changes.
In recent years, the increase in awareness is partly due to the overall health and sustainability questions brought up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whatever the reason, more and more individuals are concerned with their impact on the environment.
What exactly does “carbon footprint” mean?
To understand what a carbon footprint is, it is important to first trace how, globally, our actions contribute to the overall greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions are a collection of gasses in the earth’s atmosphere, and they keep the earth at an acceptably warm temperature to allow life to flourish.
However, the increase in these emissions, the main one being carbon dioxide, means that more and more heat gets trapped in the earth’s atmosphere. This continually warms the earth’s surface, and this has resulted in drastic climate effects.
What are ways that individuals are increasing their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint? Whenever you purchase a new item or participate in public or private transport, you contribute to a percentage of the overall carbon dioxide emission.
This is because almost everything purchased or consumed originates, in some way or another, from some of the earth’s resources. Some key services, such as food and water, transportation, and waste, largely contribute to the total amount of carbon dioxide production.
When looking at the food consumed or purchased, individuals can reduce their carbon footprint by eliminating or reducing meat from their diet and relying on local sources or in-season produce. The idea of meat reduction is also pushed by vegan and vegetarian trends such as #MeatlessMonday.
Using public transportation whenever possible is always a good alternative to driving, since driving involves burning fossil fuels in car engines. As for waste, it is vital to limit waste, reuse materials when possible, and increase recycling efforts.
Efforts to reduce carbon footprint and battle climate change are also geared towards professional careers: several jobs in the renewable energy and energy efficiency field are increasing in demand and relevance.
Several of these boosted careers include renewable energy technologists and jobs regarding solar plant design energy. Overall, society is looking towards energy alternatives.
Hopefully, this overall awareness can lead to increased efforts to lead more sustainable lifestyles.