International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies: What is a carbon footprint, and how can we reduce ours?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines air pollution as the "contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere." This International Clean Air Day, let's try to clean up our act and strive for clean air and blue skies by making a concerted effort to reduce our carbon footprint.

Common sources of air pollution include fires, motor vehicles, power plants, and other industrial activities. The pollutants that pose the greatest public health risk include particulate matter, carbon monoxide, lead, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. Exposure to these pollutants can cause respiratory conditions and diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke. According to WHO, 99% of the world's population breathe heavily polluted air that exceeds their recommended guideline limits. [1]

Many sources of air pollution, such as burning of fossil fuels, also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions that are associated with climate warming. Taking steps to reduce air pollution, will therefore not only improve public health, but also the health of the planet.

What is a carbon footprint?

A carbon footprint is defined as: ''The total amount of greenhouse gasses produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)''. [2] 

Every time you drive your car or turn on your computer, you use up fossil fuels, and as a result, are responsible for emitting carbon dioxide and other air pollutants into the atmosphere.  The amount of CO2 emissions your daily activities produce at any given time, is the measure of your carbon footprint.  Your carbon footprint does not only involve activities that directly use up fossil fuels; it also includes the kinds of food you eat, how energy efficient your home is, and whether you recycle waste generated in your home and office.  

Carbon footprint is often expressed in kg carbon.  However, carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.  Many of our daily activities also produce other greenhouse gasses (such as ozone and methane) which must also be taken into account when calculating our carbon footprint. This is achieved by converting these greenhouse gasses into the equivalent CO2 amount that would produce the same effects on global warming.

Energy efficiencies, consumption, etc. all factor in to determining the size of our carbon footprint. The concept of the carbon footprint was devised in order to have a quantifiable representation and understanding of how a person, organization, community, country, product, or event contributes to the current global warming crisis.  By calculating our carbon footprint, we can gain a better understanding of both our impact on the environment and our contribution to global warming. Armed with this information, we are in a better position to implement a strategy to reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact. If as a society, we can collectively make inroads on our carbon footprint, we will have more hope of reducing climate warming. 

How can you reduce your carbon footprint?

You can start reducing your carbon footprint by:

  • Using your car less
  • Invest in a hybrid car
  • Ride a bike or walk
  • Carpool
  • Take public transportation
  • Invest in energy-efficient lighting and appliances
  • use sustainable materials for your home
  • Unplug appliances that are not in use
  • Use a solar water heating system
  • Waste segregation and send recyclable materials to recycling centers

Knowing and understanding your carbon footprint is an important step towards knowing and understanding the impact you are having on the world around you, or more specifically, your direct contribution to global warming.  Using an online carbon footprint calculator, you can determine the amount of CO2 that you generate over a given time period as a result of your regular activities.  Once you have quantified the role you play in climate warming, you may then be more motivated to devise a strategy to reduce this role as much as you can.  

 

Sources

[1] World Health Organization: Air Pollution 

[2] Time for Change: What is a carbon footprint

[3] The World Wildlife Fund: Footprint Calculator

[4] Carbon Footprint: Carbon Calculator

[5] EPA.Gov: Household Carbon Footprint Calculator