Carbon footprints

    Cards (9)

    • Carbon footprints are tricky to measure
    • Carbon footprints are a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released over the full life cycle of something
      e.g service, an event, a product
    • Measuring the total carbon footprint can be very hard because:
      there are so many different factors to consider, still a rough calculation can give a good idea of what the worst emitters are so that people can avoid them in the future.
    • Ways of reducing carbon footprint:
      • Renewable energy resources or nuclear energy could be used instead of fossil fuels.
      • Using more efficient processes could conserve energy and cut waste, lots of waste decomposes to release methane so it could cut methane emissions.
      • Governments could tax companies or individuals based on the amount of greenhouse gases they emit to act as a deterrence to turn to more fuel efficient resources
      • Governments could put a cap on emission of all greenhouse gases that companies make - then sell licences for emissions up to that cap
    • Making reductions of carbon footprint and greenhouse gases is still difficult as it is difficult to find a balance between the needs of the economy and the environment
    • making reductions of emissions is hard because there is till a lot of work to be done on alternative technologies that result in lower CO2 emissions.
      • Carbon capture and storage is a relatively new idea and is still in the developmental stage
      • Many renewable energy technologies are still quite expensive, more development should make them cheaper so they can be used more widely
    • Because not everybody is on board, its hard to make international agreements to reduce emissions. Most governments don't want to sacrifice their economic growth if they think that others won't do the same
    • An individual can reduce their personal carbon footprint by:
      • Choosing to cycle or walk instead of using a car
      • Reducing how much they use air travel
      • Doing anything that saves energy at home
    • It might be hard to get people to make changes if they don't want to and there isn't enough education provided abut why changes are necessary and how to make them
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