CARBON FOOTPRINT (AMRITA NAPIT)

 CARBON FOOTPRINT

                                                                                                            Amrita Napit

                                                                                                     Department of Science and Technology

In today’s world, where climate change poses a significant threat, understanding carbon footprint has become increasingly important. By understanding our carbon footprint we can take responsibility for our own greenhouse gas emissions and make informed choices to reduce our impact on the environment.

 

Credit: GeeksforGeeks (2023)

A carbon footprint is the measurement of total amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HCFs) that are generated by human production and consumption activities (1). It is expressed as a measure of weight, as in tons of CO2  or CO2 equivalent per year (2).

An individual’s carbon footprint can be termed as the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by our personal actions such as transportation choices, household activities, clothing and food (3). The major contributor to carbon footprint is fuel combustion, water pollution and emission of harmful gases. Similarly, carbon footprint increases due to the waste generation that is not processed through adequate waste management procedures (4).

Carbon footprint can be a valuable indicator that helps to shape individuals their own climate friendly behavior, government to design effective policies, companies to reduce exposure to carbon prices and local policies to meet national objectives.

The Impact of Carbon emission on the Environment

Carbon emissions have a significant impact on the environment and contribute to global climate change. Human activities are one of the main causes of greenhouse gas emissions. These gases are emitted from fossil fuel usage in cooking and transportation as well as from the byproducts of manufacturing. Although some emissions are natural, the rate of which they are being produced has increase because of humans.

The increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, leading to the warming of the Earth’s surface and the disruption of ecosystems. The urgency to minimize greenhouse gas emission is we face a rapid projected increase in the average temperature which could heat up the planet by more than 1.5° C. The inconsistent weather patterns resulting increasing pollution and global warming are posing danger to the lives of various wildlife species driving them close to extinction. People are getting affected by various natural disaster and various diseases due to the excess pollution of air, water and soil. It also affects the country’s economy that are majorly dependent on agriculture (2,4, 10). 

 Reducing the carbon emission is crucial in order to mitigate the effect of climate change and preserve the health and stability of our planet.  

Major Factors Contributing to Carbon Footprint

1. Burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gases release significant amount of CO2 into the atmosphere.

2. Cutting down the forest for various individual purpose reduces the planets ability to absorb carbon.

3. Intensive farming, use of chemical fertilizer and animal agriculture leads to significant production of greenhouse gases.

4. Many industrial processes including manufacturing and production release greenhouse gases as byproducts.

5. Transportation sector primarily the reliance on individual vehicle like fuel use cars and trucks are the major contributor of Carbon emission.

Ways to Measure Your Carbon Footprint

There are several methods to measure your carbon footprint, including online calculators, professional assessments and self-audits. Calculating a carbon footprint involves assessing the total amount of greenhouse gases produced directly or indirectly by a person, organization, event or product. By using the mentioned tools, individuals can calculate and understand the amount of greenhouse gas emissions they are responsible for based on their energy usage, transportation choices, waste generation and dietary habits. Once individuals have measured their carbon footprint, they can take steps to reduce it (3, 4).

Reducing Carbon Footprint

The best ways for us to collectively reduce our carbon footprint is through responsible consumption in our day to day lives. This could be done by variety of strategies:

1. Making sustainable transportation choices such as walking, biking, carpooling or using public transportation.

2. Reducing waste generation by recycling, composting and minimizing single use items.

3. Adopting a plant based diet or reducing meat consumption.

4. Investing in energy efficient appliances.

5. Supporting renewable energy and minimize the usage of fossil fuels.

6. Consuming local seasonal products.

7. Planting trees which helps to sequestrate the carbon from the atmosphere.

8. Sustainable agriculture practice.

Conclusion

Understanding and reducing our carbon footprint is essential for addressing the urgent need to tackle anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change. We can help create a better and sustainable world for coming generations by actively measuring and reducing our carbon footprint. We all have the ability to change the world and create a more ecologically conscious and greener place by taking both individual and group action.

Important Data on Carbon Footprint

v About 36.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year are emitted globally (5).

v China has the highest carbon footprint which accounts for 29.18% share of the world (6).

v Bhutan is the first country in the world to become carbon negative (7).

v Nepal’s greenhouse gas emission is only about around 0.02% of total global emissions. Nepal being rich in forest and the country with substantial less industries have potential to neutralize carbon emission. Moreover, Nepal can potentially access upto US $45(approx.Rs5 billion) by 2025 to mitigate its emission of CO2. Nepal will receive $5 for every ton of carbon dioxide emission reduced and the government plans on selling 9 million ton of CO2 by 2025 (8,9).

 

REFERENCES

1. Cabeza, L. F., & Tay, N. H. S. (2018). High Temperature Thermal Storage Systems Using Phase Change Materials. 297-318.

2. Eckey, S. N. (2020, Jan 6). Carbon footprint. www.brittanicca.com/science/carbon-footprint.

3. . What Is The Importance Of A Carbon Footprint: Everything You Need To Know (August 18, 2023). The Modeshift Magazine. www.modeshift.com

4. Carbon Footprint-Effects & How to Reduce it? (2023). GeeksforGeeks. www.geeksforgeeks.org

5. Zach, S. (2024). Carbon Footprint. Carbon collective. www.carboncollective.co

6. CO2 Emissions by Country (2019). Worldometer. www.worldometers.info

 7. Carbon Negative Countries 2024 (2024). World Population Review. www.worldpopulationreview.com

8. GON (2021). Nepal’s Long Term Strategy for Net Zero Emissions. Government of Nepal.

9. Mandal, C.K. (2021). Everything you need to know about Nepal; carbon trade deal. The Kathmandu Post. www./kathmandupost.com/climate-environment

10. Badamasi, H. (2023). Explainer: What Is the Carbon Footprint and Why Does It Matter in Fighting Climate Change? Earth.Org.Ltd.

 

Submitted by: Ms. Amrita Napit

Department of Science and Technology