The world can emit more than 2.4 million pounds of CO2 per second and European countries are among some of the highest emitters in the world.
What is a carbon footprint?
A carbon footprint is an environmental indicator that represents the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs), expressed as CO2 equivalents, that are emitted directly or indirectly as a result of a specific activity.
The first step for calculating a carbon footprint is to take an inventory of gas emissions or an analysis of the life cycle depending on the type of footprint. Using this information as a base, it's possible to implement an emissions reduction strategy based on energy efficiency, cutting back on raw materials, circular economy, process improvements, etc.
What types of carbon footprints are there?
Your individual contribution towards carbon emissions.
It's based on the consumption habits of the person and takes into account GHG emissions associated with their means of transportation, electricity use for heating and cooling at home, eating habits, consumption of goods, recycling habits, etc.
Product footprint or Corporate footprint The impact of business activities on the environment,including setting goals and reduction targets, as well re-tooling prodution processes to be more environmetally friendly.
This includes the GHG emissions from the stages of raw material extraction, production process, required energy generation, product transformation for other companies, the customer's usage, and its treatment as waste as well as the transportation between stages.
How can we reduce our carbon footprint?
Consume local seasonal products
By consuming proximity or zero-mile products, we help reduce the CO2 emissions derived from the refrigeration or transportation of food products. What's more, we're contributing to boosting the local economy. It's all benefits!
Recycling of materials is strongly associated with the economics of producing raw materials. Dalmijn and De Jong (2007) provide an excellent overview of the existing processing technologies in the recycling industry, although their emphasis is on Europe. For a system to be financially self-sustaining, the value of the recycled materials must exceed the costs of producing them. If closing a loop is preferred in view of sustainability, recycling will take place only if it can be sustained financially.
