Figuring out your carbon footprint

The resources we use and greenhouse gases we emit through our lifestyle choices are currently exceeding the life support systems of our Earth. Today we have a choice: either we keep living in the same old ways and give up, while our planet continues to degrade, or we can take up the challenge, explore the true impact of our lifestyles, and seek to radically change the way we live.

Project 90 by 2030 has a vision - to see South Africans from all sectors of society doing their bit to preserve the environment, committed to changing the way they live by 90% by 2030.

They recently launched their brand new selection of Toolkits for cutting carbon which will prove to be an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to learn about Climate Change and how to proceed with carbon footprint reduction.

Plastics - a Climate Change Protector?

Lightweight plastic packaging reduces both the weight of goods and the amount of packaged goods that go to waste - reducing CO 2 emissions. In cars and modern airliners, plastics contribute to weight reduction, reducing fuel usage and CO 2 emissions. Homes and buildings stay warm (or cool!) with plastic insulation. Nearly 40% of all primary energy consumed globally is used in buildings and efficient insulation is a key priority in reaching Kyoto targets. More...

What is Global Warming?

Global warming is the result of a build up of greenhouse gases (GHG), chiefly carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere. GHGs trap the sun's heat in the earth's atmosphere, forming the "greenhouse effect" - a natural phenomenon that keeps the earth warm. However, when the concentration of these GHGs gets too large, we experience a dangerous rise in temperatures, which can result in severe and extreme weather conditions. In effect, earth's blanket thickens and our atmosphere absorbs and holds more heat than it radiates back. This could directly affect rainfall, flooding and droughts, agriculture, economies, health and biosecurity.

The Kyoto Protocol, which sets mandatory limits on the emissions of six GHGs by industrialised countries, came into effect in February 2005.  While the targets vary from nation to nation, the aim is to reduce the combined emissions by 5% of the 1990 levels over the first commitment period, 2008 to 2012. 

Everybody has a responsibility to reduce the amount of waste they create. A carbon footprint is a rough measure of how much carbon dioxide, methane and other “greenhouse” gasses we are responsible for creating.

Your carbon footprint is directly linked to your lifestyle - most of your actions affect the environment in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. The more things you have, the more things you use and the more things you do, the bigger your footprint gets. In our homes, we must reduce our consumption of electricity, water, gas, petrol or diesel and products of every kind; we must recycle glass, plastic, paper, drink and food cans and we must re-use as much as we can. Only by changing our lifestyles, can we have an impact on our carbon footprints and on the amount of waste that goes to our already over-burdened landfill sites.

Some interesting Footprint facts:

Each of the following activities adds 1kg of carbon dioxide to your personal carbon footprint: