CARBON FOOTPRINT - WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) or carbon emissions


Most climate scientists agree that between now and 2050 carbon emissions must be reduced by 80% (year on year by almost 4% from 2010) if we are to avoid serious adverse effects of climate change. The UK parliament passed a Climate Change Act in November 2008, making this a legally binding target.


HOW AM I CONTRIBUTING TO THE PROBLEM

  • When you drive a car, the engine burns fuel which emits CO2, depending on its fuel consumption and the driving distance.
  • When you heat your house with oil, gas or coal, you generate CO2. If you heat your house with electricity, the generation of the electrical power will have emitted CO2.
  • When you buy food and goods, the production of the food and goods also emitted CO2. What can I do?

No one single magic bullet will solve the problem. It is up to the human race, and people in developed countries in particular, to change their behaviours, individually and through action by governments and businesses, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Even though each action on its own may only have a small impact, the sum of lots of actions by lots of people can make a real difference.





The first thing to do is to calculate your Carbon Footprint.


Your carbon footprint is the sum of all emissions of CO2, which were induced by your activities in a given time frame. Usually a carbon footprint is calculated for the time period of a year. If you represent an organisation or business, the Carbon Trust has a tailor made footprint calculator.


Once you’ve done this, go to the suggestions underWhat can I do?  In general, the best way to reduce your footprint is to


  • Reduce energy consumption (this may cost nothing to do and generally saves you money)
  • Use energy more efficiently (this may cost money initially but makes a bigger impact on climate change)
  • Use or generate energy from renewable sources (this can be expensive but it will make the biggest impact).








Privacy Statement   Terms of Reference  Contact 


design by invetec © climatedurham 2008