Carbon Footprint – What is the big fuss?

Hestelle Robinson

A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives.  Every person, product and even nation has a carbon footprint.   Herewith the discussion myself and Amore Bekker from RSG had on today's Going Green insert.

Greenhouse gases are gases in the atmosphere that creates the greenhouse effect – when gases are trapped within our atmosphere it eventually warms, which is not a bad thing otherwise we will freeze.  But we have overdone this and now there are too much greenhouse gases in our atmosphere causing the earth to overheat hence the global warming phenomena which then brings about climate changes.  Climate changes causes, among other things, unpredictable weather, melting of ice caps, see water lever rising, droughts, lower food yield, extinction of species etc.

South Africa has one of the highest greenhouse gas emissions in Africa.  It is estimated that the average South African’s carbon footprint is around 9.3 tons of CO2 per annum.  That means it you wanted to “fix” your carbon footprint you would have to preserve about 70 hectares of forest – that is the size of 70 rugby fields.

We have control over 45% of the greenhouse gases emitted by ourselves, that is for things such as how much we drive and fly and how we heat and power our homes. As for the rest, 25% of emissions arises to power our workplaces, 10% comes from maintaining public infrastructure and government, and 20% is emitted during the production of the things we buy, including food.

It is possible to cut individual emissions by around 75% without seriously altering our lifestyles.

How do you measure your carbon footprint?

It is important to first assess your footprint and then embark on a plan or programme to reduce your negative impact on the environment.  To use the example of weight loss, your first have to weigh yourself to determine how much weight you need to lose.  Once you have determined your carbon footprint by using a carbon calculator you can embark on a plan to reduce your footprint.

Find some nifty calculators on ClimateAfrica or download the Indalo Yethu home calculator in an Excel spreadsheet here.

You can also do this on your cellphone. Give the MYCO2Print calculator a try, send an sms with the text "CO2" to 34017.  This application requires a wap-enabled phone and the SMS charge is R2.

Reduce your footprint!

Remember our mantra of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  Research has proven that it is better to reduce carbon emissions than it is to offset and that recycling should be a last resort. Hence the order of appearance in reduce, reuse and recycle.  Here is how to reduce our carbon footprint:

At home

• Save electricity (use only what you need and switch off unwanted appliances)
• Get alternative sources of energy eg solar
• Save water
• Start your own vegetable patch
• Insulate your home – it will keep your home cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

Traveling

• Fly less go by train or drive there
• Drive slower
• Start a lift club
• Do all your shopping in one trip
• Think twice before you buy your next vehicle.   A typical car takes between 3 and 5 tonnes of CO2 to manufacture. That is twice what it typically emits in a year. So even if the new model would be more fuel-efficient, it is probably better to put off buying it.
• Consider your next vehicle to be a scooter or motorbike
• Respect your ecosystem wherever it is you visit – be it the seaside, the mountains or a local community, respect your environment – don’t litter, don’t disrupt local life and buy local.

Food

• Eat less!  The biggest energy inputs (and hence carbon outputs) of our food come from growing and processing food, rather than transporting it.
• Buy organic and buy local products.
• Eat fruit and vegetables that are in-season.

 
Recycle

• Read my previous blog on reducing your waste.

 
Remember every bit helps!

We need to bring global emissions down low enough to match nature's ability to absorb them, which may be as low as 10 to 20 % of today's global emissions. But if a significant number of people change their ways and demand greener products, that will send a big signal to the market, encouraging the supply of green energy, low-carbon products, organic food and so on.

You might think that your individual contribution does not make a difference, but multiply that by several million and we start making a difference!
 
Fast Facts

From: African Carbon Trust (ACT)

• Bottled water uses 2000 times more energy than tap water
• Eskom aims to implement cost-reflective energy tariffs by 2013
• SA electricity consumption decreased by 5,7% in November 2008
• Turning off your computer extends its lifetime
• One CFL light bulb saves about 430kg of coal and 1100 litres of water over its lifetime
• Eskom emits 203 Mt of co2 annually
• The meat industry generates 18% of world's greenhouse gases
• Switching to a CFL lightbulb saves half a ton of CO2