Mother Earth will thank us...
Reducing our carbon footprint is a collective effort that will lower the impact on our natural environment. Unlike fossil fuels, Solar energy does not lead to pollutants like carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. Lets all play our part so that our kids and all the generations thereafter can enjoy this beautiful rock just as we have.
Public enemy number 1?
Climate change is altering our beautiful planet negatively leaving lasting effects, causing extreme weather events like tropical storms, wildfires, severe droughts and heat waves, negatively affecting crop production, causing disruption to animals’ natural habitats, and more. Because the emissions of greenhouse gases is the main perpetrator that causes global warming or aptly climate change, it’s important to understand how carbon and other greenhouse gases affect the environment. After all, if we don’t understand the impact of carbon emissions, then how can we change what we’re doing and save the planet?
Understanding greenhouse gases and what causes them...
Maybe you remember greenhouse effects from school, hopefully like me your not too old to remember. Let’s start there: The greenhouse effect is the natural process of how the sun warms the Earth’s surface. When greenhouse gases release into the atmosphere — these include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and water vapor — and trap the sun’s heat, they warm the average global temperature, causing it to rise. This is known as global warming.
What should happen is that infrared radiation escapes into space, but instead, it gets trapped in our atmosphere and warms the planet.
Carbon emissions are one type of greenhouse gas emission that happens when carbon dioxide enters the air after a human activity or process. They are crucial to this conversation because they are the most significant type of emission in terms of quantity. South Africa being the worst polluter in Africa contributed to emissions of 471.6 million metric tons of carbon (MtC) in 2019, up from 464.4 million MtC, rising at a rate of around 2% year on year.
The cause of these carbon emissions are quite plainly put, us.
Carbon dioxide gets released into the atmosphere after everyday human processes like driving a vehicle, the agricultural industry, and more. The Environmental Protection Agency lists the six main sources of greenhouse gases as transportation, electricity production, industry, commercial and residential, agriculture, and land use and forestry. According to various sources the main culprit was identified as the transportation industry. There has been a steady shift over the years regarding carbon emissions within the industry hence why a change towards electrification has been so prevalent with major manufacturers making bold promises to go electric with new gen vehicles etc.
How do these pollutants affect the planet?
Carbon emissions affect the planet significantly, as they are the greenhouse gas with the highest levels of emissions in the atmosphere. This, of course, causes global warming and ultimately, climate change. Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels — coal, natural gas, and oil — are burned. But burning other biological materials also releases carbon dioxide: solid waste, trees, etc. Anytime that carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere in large quantities — especially if it’s staying in the atmosphere for thousands of years — it is affecting the planet.
As the average global temperature warms, our climate inherently changes — it warms.
This warming causes extreme weather events like tropical storms, wildfires, severe droughts and heat waves. And while an increase in carbon in the air can, in some ways, positively affect plants and crops, if the climate changes the lands and causes drought or other weather events that crops and plants are unable to survive in, it can be detrimental to crop yields. The same problem holds for animals, as well; as climate change alters our environment and natural habitats, different indigenous species take a hit. Some species may disappear altogether, while others might thrive and overtake others.
Carbon emissions directly affect humans, too, causing more respiratory disease from an increase of smog and air pollution. Not to mention that if carbon emissions eradicate certain animal species, destroy crop yields and lands, humans will also see the repercussions of those effects as well.
Here at EcoIP we believe that when we all work together to lower our carbon footprints we then start a process of reversing the effects of climate change, major damage has been done already but if we start now then our future generations will inherit a planet that they can be proud of aswell as receive the same benifits we all have received for thousands of years prior.
If you're at all curious as to how you could make a change then get in touch at [email protected] to get connected with a sustainable solutions specialist to help guide you through the process of lowering your carbon footprints and in turn becoming Powerfully independent.