4 Main Reasons Why to Reduce Carbon Footprint

Reasons Why to Reduce Carbon Footprint

Main reasons why to reduce carbon footprint

Carbon footprint refers to greenhouse gas emissions that alter the ecosystem and leads to climate change. You may have heard about carbon footprint and how it is caused by emissions

Do you know that as individuals, we have our carbon footprint? Basically, this is why we need to pay attention to it and try as much as possible to reduce our carbon footprint.

Carbon footprint is the amount of carbon emitted as a result of human activities or from organizations.

This includes greenhouse gas emissions from industries. Greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuel (as a result of driving a car and heating a home).

Why is it Important to Reduce Carbon Footprint?

It is important to reduce carbon footprint because it is the right way to combat climate change. Reducing carbon footprint has a positive impact on human health. Additionally, it boosts the global economy leading to innovations and more environmental-friendly options.

Reducing carbon footprints starts with each individual. It can be as simple as changing your lightbulb to another bulb that is more energy-saving and emits less heat.

The Benefits of Reducing Carbon Footprint

Carbon neutrality is one of the ways of measuring the impacts of human activities on global climate change. It focuses mainly on greenhouse gas emissions that come from consumption.

It also includes other emissions such as nitrous oxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons among others.

The highest emitters of greenhouse gas emissions are oil, coal, and other natural gases. Reducing the consumption of these gases will go a long way. Minimizing carbon footprint and also making the environment safer and more friendly.

The benefits include:

• It helps to take care of climate change issues: carbon emissions have adverse effects on the ecosystem as they can alter climate change. Carbon emissions are capable of increasing temperature, raising sea levels, melting sea ice, ocean acidification, and changing precipitation patterns
• It improves public health: Carbon emissions can alter air quality and as a result can cause respiratory allergies, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and stroke among others. Reducing carbon footprint can help in improving air quality, and water quality, support a healthy food supply, and maintains biodiversity.
• It boosts the global economy: although it can be difficult to put a definite price on the economic value of carbon emissions, the impact is considered to be enormous. A Journal Nature study shows that every one trillion tons of CO2 amount to a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) loss of close to half a percent. If the entire climate change mitigation measures are pursued, the total global economic cost is estimated to be around 240 to 420 billion per year by 2030. The healthcare sector would also enjoy huge benefits from a reduced carbon footprint.
• It helps to maintain both animal and plant diversity: One major threat to the long-term survival of the animal and plant population on the planet is climate change caused by carbon emissions. Carbon emissions alter the ecological balance between animal and plant species, thus, forcing relocation and competition. Plants are more affected by climate change as they cannot migrate easily like animals. Animals can adapt better than plants but species that live in the exclusive area can be badly affected and are likely to go into extinction because they cannot survive elsewhere.

Ways you can Start to Reduce

There are simple steps that you can take or things that you can do that will go a long way in reducing your carbon footprint, it doesn’t have to be a big lifestyle change.

The three areas to focus on in reducing your carbon footprint include your household, lifestyle, and travel. BalancedEarth.org we have programs that you can donate to, to help with the earth’s environment.

Reduce your Household Footprint

Some of the things you can do to reduce your household carbon footprint include washing with cold water and using incandescent bulbs instead of fluorescent bulbs.

Reduce Your Lifestyle Footprint

You can reduce your lifestyle footprint by recycling to reduce waste, switching to renewable energy sources, eating less meat and dairy, switching to sustainable products, and taking shorter showers among others.

Reduce Your Travel Footprint

Travel less by air, bike, or walk when possible, to reduce the number of cars on the road. By reducing the number of cars on the road, emission is automatically reduced.