Impacts of Carbon Footprint on the Enviroment

Impact Of Carbon Footprint

Find out here the impacts of a carbon footprint on the environment, and how BalancedEarth.org can help you to prevent it!

The expansion of the industrial and economic sectors and the growth in world population have played a big role. in the earth’s ability to absorb carbon emissions at sea and on land.

To understand this impact fully it is required to get to know what carbon footprint means and how is it calculated. Also why it is considered bad for the environment?

There are many ways in which carbon footprint has negative impacts on the environment.

Carbon footprint is the major cause. Of urban air pollution, toxic acid rain, human-induced climate change, ocean acidification, and melting of polar ice and glaciers among others.

Additionally, our ecosystem or environment is such that everything is interconnected. As a result, our activities and way of life impact the environment.

How well the carbon footprint is managed and reduced will go a long way in having a safer ecosystem.

How does Carbon footprint Impact the Environment?

Carbon dioxide, the major constituent of carbon footprint is usually released into the environment. By three means; Respiratory, decomposition, and ocean release.

To put it in a simpler form, industrial and global economic activities play a major role. In increasing carbon dioxide in the ecosystem.

The impacts of a carbon footprint on the environment are as follows;

• Climate Change: carbon emission is the major cause of climate change. Carbon dioxide when released into the environment leads to global warming. Which has an adverse effect on weather events and the climate.
• Urban air Pollution: Toxic air in the atmosphere is a kind of pollution that can cause cancer and respiratory infections.
• Toxic Acid Rain: carbon emissions are the cause of acid rain. It can affect human health negatively causing flora and fauna.
• Ocean and Coastal Acidification: carbon emission is the cause of acidic waters. It is responsible for the extinction of several marine species. In addition to high temperatures, acid has a bleaching effect on Marine wildlife. It poses a great danger to marine species.
• Melting of Polar Ice and Glaciers: Carbon emission causes the polar ice and glaciers to melt fast and the effect of this is incapacitating the earth’s ability to reflect sunlight and also results in a cascading effect on arctic food webs.

How Carbon Emissions Cause Climate Change

The biggest negative effect of carbon emissions on the environment is climate change and this is now a global issue.

Basically, it is a major pressing issue across the globe as its impact is being felt in electricity production, transportation, burning fossil fuels for energy, food production, and residential and commercial waste management.

Additionally, all these activities emit greenhouse gases that cause what is called the “greenhouse effect” This effect occurs as a result of the heat that is trapped in the atmosphere which causes thermal infrared radiation emission.

Basically, this contributes to global warming which results in the depletion of the ozone layer.

The increasing greenhouse emissions that emanate from industrial, human, and economic activities heat the planet leading to extreme weather conditions such as heatwaves, droughts, rainstorms, blizzards, and cyclones among others.

In addition, the bottom line remains that if we want to live in a healthier environment, we need to be mindful of the kind of substances that is introduced into the atmosphere and become carbon neutral.