Carbon Footprints

• The carbon footprint of a product , service or event is the total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are emitted over its full life cycle - For a product this includes the production, use and disposal of the item
• How can a carbon footprint be reduced?

  Using more alternative energy supplies e.g. solar power, wasting less energy - Carbon capture and storage (CCS) to prevent carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere - Carbon taxes and licenses to deter companies and individuals from choosing options that release lots of greenhouse gas - Carbon off-setting , through activities such as tree planting - Encouraging people to choose carbon-neutral products
• Trees use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and reduce the net amount of carbon dioxide of carbon dioxide reaching the atmosphere - The idea of carbon off-setting is to plant enough trees to balance out the carbon dioxide being produced by manufacturing processes or product use
• Reducing the carbon foot-print is not straight-forward. What problems occur?

  Disagreement between scientists over the causes and consequences of global climate change - Lack of information and knowledge in the the general population and the reluctance of people to make lifestyle changes - Economic considerations such as the high cost of producing electricity from alternative energy resources rather than using cheaper fossil fuels - Disagreement between countries as to what should be done
• Carbon-neutral products lead to no overall increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere