About Carbon Footprint

What is a carbon footprint?

A carbon footprint is defined as:

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

In other words: When you drive a car, the engine burns fuel which creates a certain amount of CO2, depending on its fuel consumption and the driving distance. (CO2 is the chemical symbol for carbon dioxide). When you heat your house with oil, gas or coal, then you also generate CO2. Even if you heat your house with electricity, the generation of the electrical power may also have emitted a certain amount of CO2. When you buy food and goods, the production of the food and goods also emitted some quantities of CO2.

Your carbon footprint is the sum of all emissions of CO2 (carbon dioxide), which were induced by your activities in a given time frame. Usually a carbon footprint is calculated for the time period of a year.

The best way is to calculate the carbon dioxide emissions based on the fuel consumption. In the next step you can add the CO2 emission to your carbon footprint. Below is a table for the most common used fuels:

Examples:

• For each (UK-) gallon of petrol fuel consumed, 10.4 kg carbon dioxide (CO₂) is emitted.

• For each (US-) gallon of gasoline fuel consumed, 8.7 kg carbon dioxide (CO₂) is emitted.

• If your car consumes 7.5 liter diesel per 100 km, then a drive of 300 km distance consumes 3 x 7.5 = 22.5 liter diesel, which adds 22.5 x 2.7 kg = 60.75 kg CO2 to your personal carbon footprint.

fuel type	unit	CO2 emitted per unit
Petrol	1 gallon (UK)	10.4 kg
Petrol	1 liter	2.3 kg
Gasoline	1 gallon (USA)	8.7 kg
Gasoline	1 liter	2.3 kg
Diesel	1 gallon (UK)	12.2 kg
Diesel	1 gallon (USA)	9.95 kg
Diesel	1 liter	2.7 kg
Oil (heating)	1 gallon (UK)	13.6 kg
Oil (heating)	1 gallon (USA)	11.26 kg
Oil (heating)	1 liter	3 kg

Each of the following activities add 1 kg of CO2 to your personal carbon footprint:

• Travel by public transportation (train or bus) a distance of 10 to 12 km (6.5 to 7 miles)

• Drive with your car a distance of 6 km or 3.75 miles (assuming 7.3 litres petrol per 100 km or 39 mpg)

• Fly with a plane a distance of 2.2 km or 1.375 miles.

• Operate your computer for 32 hours (60 Watt consumption assumed)

• Production of 5 plastic bags

• Production of 2 plastic bottles

• Production of 1/3 of an American cheeseburger (yes, the production of each cheeseburger emits 3.1 kg of CO2!)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation etc.  The carbon footprint is a measurement of all greenhouse gases we individually produce and has units of tonnes (or kg) of carbon dioxide equivalent.   The pie chart above shows the main elements which make up the total of an typical person's carbon footprint in the developed world.   A carbon footprint is made up of the sum of two parts, the primary footprint (shown by the green slices of the pie chart) and the secondary footprint (shown as the yellow slices). -----Copy From: Carbon Footprint-----

Marlo Lewis Debates Global Warming

How is your own religious beliefs affected by Global Warming?

I'm a christian, we basically believe God's second coming. For us, is that really matter to us to save the earth?

Here's my opinion, God created this world to us, it is our responsibility to take care of this world, so every christian shouldn't ignore this serious issue of the world today.

It time to change! 

What can we do about Global Warming?

"10 things to do to combat global warming."

According to Al Gore here are ten things you can do and how much Carbon Dioxide you'll save doing them. 

1. Change a light -

Replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light will save 150 pounts of Carbon Dioxide a year.

2. Drive Less -

Walk, Bike carpool or take metro transit more often. You'll save one pound of Carbon Dioxide for every mile you don't drive.

3. Recycle More - 

You can save 2,400 pounds of Carbon Dioxide per year by Recycling just half of your household waste.

4. Check Your Tires - 

Keeping your tires inflated properly can improve gas mileage by more then three percent. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps twenty pounds of Carbon Dioxide out of the atmosphere!

5. Use Less Hot Water -

It takes a lot of energy to heat water. 

6. Use less hot water by installing a low -

flow showerhead (350 pounds od CO2 saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds per year)

7. Avoid Products With A Lot Of Packaging -

You can save 1,200 pounds of Carbon Dioxide if you cut down your garbage by 10 percent.

8. Adjust Your Thermostat - 

Moving your Thermostat just two degrees in the winter and up two degrees in the summer could save you about 2,000 pounds of Carbon Dioxide per year.

9. Plant A Tree - 

A single tree will absorb one ton of Carbon Dioxide over it's lifetime.

10. Turn Off Electronic Devices - 

Simply turning off your Television, DVD player, Stereo, Computer and your Computer Monitor when you're not using them will save thousands of pounds of Carbon Dioxide per year.

-----From: AskVille-----

What should be done about Global Warming?

It's your personal decision whether you want to be the cause of global warming

In this context the question is whether global warming and its effects will eventually wake up mankind and spark off a change of paradigm. Will we understand this hint of Nature to follow the true meaning of life or will we continue to let us manipulate by media and advertisement as sheer and willing consumers in the economic cycle? Will we continue to strive for power, prestige and possessions following the concept „the more the better "? Shall economic growth and an ever increasing personal income continue to be the reason for being here, beyond everything else?

These questions can and must be answered by everyone. It is not primarily a decision of politicians or of the government. Everyone has to make a personal decision.

It is in our very own interest to induce fundamental changes in our attitude and behavior towards Nature: Modesty and humility, admiration and respect for all life on Earth instead of arrogance and haughtiness.

Let's emphasize it again: Not the others need to change, we must change ourselves. There are no international treaties or additional national laws required to start changing. We can start to change our consciousness immediately. It is really only about our personal behaviour - independent of what others do or don't do.

It's time for change!

-----Copy From:Time For Change-----

What are people doing about Global Warming?

"On March 28, people in the Philippines participated the Earth Hour."

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It was a global event which aims to help save Mother Earth. Not only must this Earth Hour will be the act of saving Mother Earth. In my own opinion, each people around the world should plant at least one tree. If that happens, we all have own oxygen to breathe and we will save Mother Earth from global warming and from calamities as we all know nature strikes back so whatever good we can do to our nature will be given back to us in a better package. But if we abuse our nature then the worse will be the effect on us when it strikes back.

What Causes Global Warming?

Carbon dioxide and other air pollution that is collecting in the atmosphere like a thickening blanket, trapping the sun's heat and causing the planet to warm up. Coal-burning power plants are the largest U.S. source of carbon dioxide pollution -- they produce 2.5 billion tons every year. Automobiles, the second largest source, create nearly 1.5 billion tons of CO2 annually.

• Melting glaciers, early snowmelt and severe droughts will cause more dramatic water shortages in the American West.

• Rising sea levels will lead to coastal flooding on the Eastern seaboard, in Florida, and in other areas, such as the Gulf of Mexico.

• Warmer sea surface temperatures will fuel more intense hurricanes in the southeastern Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

• Forests, farms and cities will face troublesome new pests and more mosquito-borne diseases.

• Disruption of habitats such as coral reefs and alpine meadows could drive many plant and animal species to extinction.