What Is Carbon Footprint? Today the Mother Earth is faced with the double-edged problem: the depleting Earth resources and global warming. The celebrated astrophysicist Stephen Hawking lately declared that due to depletion of Earth's resources and global warming, mankind faces extinction in the next 100 years, or find a planet where humans can continue without support from the earth.
The phrases, 'Footprint' and 'Carbon Footprint', are of very recent origin. No phrase in the English language ever spread more quickly than these two, yet they are the phrases least understood. What these words mean to a layman? To put it simply, 'Footprint' is a measure of the pressure a country puts on the earth's natural resources. More is a country industrialized, higher is its 'footprint'. Mankind's overall footprint was 60 percent of global bio-capacity in the 1960s, which has now reached 130 percent causing fastest depletion of the planet's natural resources. India 's footprint is about 0.8 and China 's 1.6 against the US ' 9.7. The US footprint reflects country's profligacy with natural resources. If China and India grow their per capita footprint to Japan 's current level (about 4.7), by 2030, as Hawking predicted, they would require another full planet Earth to meet their needs alone.
The 'Carbon footprint' is the measure of carbon dioxide released by a particular country. The more is a country industrialised, the higher would be its energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission (carbon footprint). US has a per capita carbon emission's figure of 20.1, the EU 9.40 and Japan 9.87 metric tons, while India has only 1.02 metric tons.
The act of Carbon foot printing is a complex endeavor. It is more inclusive: It encompasses energy used in all human activities and natural resource exploitation as well. The idea behind the carbon footprints is to try to understand the scale of environmental costs that accrues in global warming and its innumerable effects. Researches are on for the better environmental indexes to measure the scale of individual, civic and corporate environmental guilt.
How To Measure Carbon Footprint? Every action of man has an equal and opposite carbon reaction. An air conditioner (2.5 tonnes) emits 3 kilograms of carbon dioxide, a microwave generates 1.3 kg, and geyser emits 3.3 kg of carbon an hour. A car that gives a mileage of 10 km per litre of petrol releases 232 grams of CO2 per km.
The list is endless. Whatever equipment and gadgets--our computers, music systems, TVs, radio-sets, micro-waves, iPods, cell-phones, hair-dryers, washing machines refrigerators, bread toasters, blenders, mixers, heaters, electric stoves and electric shavers and all that run on energy (electricity), whether in offices or homes--create carbon footprints that usher in adverse climate and ecological changes.
But, sadly, many of us--individuals and Corporates - are either ignorant about this, or if aware, do little about it. A recent survey conducted by KPMG India among 70 business houses like power, automobile, metal and oil and gas, paper, fertilizers, cement, white goods, media BPO, IT, retail, mining logistics, construction and breweries--found that 83% of them believe that they have fair to good understanding on the issue of climate change and 48% regard it as an important issue, which needs to be near the top of the country's business agenda.
According to Arvind Mahajan, executive director of the KPMG, there is significant gap between good intentions and action, as only 21% have measured their current carbon footprint, which is one of the first steps in defining a strategy to deal with the issue. However, Green Peace has been actively working among domestic companies to create awareness on carbon footprint. Some have started responding. Wipro Technologies recently conducted a customer forum event, which was carbon neutral.
How You Can Help: Turning off lights and other electrical appliances when not needed, replacing fluorescent lamps with CFLs, recycling wastes, enrolling in car pools, opting for smaller, eco-friendly vehicles, developing public transport system and capturing solar energy at home and the community level. Further, at the community level, each residential zone could set up a wind farm where conditions are suitable. Tree planting, maintenance of public parks and woodlands will create carbon-sinks. Residential and office buildings built with green technology will make maximum use of natural light and air to minimize use of electricity. In the final analysis what you do affects your environment. The steps taken at individual level in totality will help us buck the carbon footprint.
RP Mishra
Print This Page
Terms
and Conditions