Carbon Footprint – a black print on the environment?

The on-going pandemic has brought the world to a near stand-still. The industries were shut, no buzzing traffic chaos on the road nor in the air. Office spaces were empty, malls and shops were closed and the dominant species of this planet – humans were trapped inside their dens by an unseen contagion. However, during this pandemic, our nature relished the unconfined breath of freshness and freedom. The sky was actually blue and clear, the air was pure to inhale and there was serenity around. The strandedness compelled us to analyse that in the blind marathon of advancement, we have harmed our environment atrociously. The world realized that the warning of climate change is real and actions must be taken immediately and aggressively. Several studies revealed the drastic reduction in Green House Gas (GHG) emissions during the pandemic. 

But why do we need to bother about the GHG emissions? Why does it matter? How is it linked to the concept of climate change? All the answers are linked to the term "Carbon Footprint".

Carbon Footprint can be defined as the total amount of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions associated with or generated by all the activities of a person, event, service, product or an entity such as building, corporation, country etc. over a set period of time, generally over a period of one year. It is expressed as the measure of weight i.e. either ‘tons of CO2 or CO2 equivalent per year’. 

The concept of Carbon footprint can be dated back to 1990s, when Canadian ecologist William Rees and Swiss-born regional planner Mathis Wackernagel came up with the concept of ‘ecological footprint’ [1] at the University of British Columbia.

Carbon footprints encompass both direct and indirect emission sources:

i.        Direct emission/ Primary Carbon footprint: Emissions that can be linked directly to an individual, over which the person has direct control, and;  

ii.   Indirect emission/ Secondary Carbon footprint: Emissions associated with the consumption of goods and services. 

The list is long if we look at the contributors of the carbon footprint emitters. Industrial sources such as power plants, residential and commercial buildings, transportation, coal mining, steel and iron manufacturing, chemical and petrochemical industries, etc. Environmental activities such as deforestation, forest degradation and land use, livestock too add to the emissions. Food production, especially meat, is a major contributor of emissions as it requires more energy to be produced.

        The effect of large carbon footprint is already perceptible in the form of Climate Change. Generation of GHGs result into the warming of the earth’s surface temperature as these gases traps the radiated energy of the Earth, does not allow it to escape and radiate back a part of absorbed energy towards earth’s surface thereby increasing the surface temperature of the Earth. This phenomenon, commonly referred to as greenhouse effect, has resulted in the rise of average temperature of the Earth causing polar ice caps and glaciers to melt, which in turn are leading to rising sea and oceanic levels, posing threat to the environment as well as the human settlements. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Change Indicators Report, the decade from 2000 to 2009 was the warmest decade on record worldwide. 

        Depletion of resources is another concerning consequence of increasing carbon footprints across the globe. Every human activity producing carbon footprint is causing depletion of natural resources. Mining and excavation causes soil erosion, soil and water pollution by chemicals given off during the process, formation of sink holes etc. It is estimated that primary mineral and metal production resulted in approximately 10% of the total global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 [2]. Several chemical plants release their toxic effluents into the water bodies which gravely threatens the marine life besides polluting the water. Transportation, thermal power plants release tremendous amounts of carbon dioxide as well as other harmful gases into the air causing air pollution. This depletes the level of oxygen in the air, causing several human ailments, as well as a poor air quality index. According to the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks 1990–2017, transportation accounted for the largest portion (29%) of total U.S. GHG emissions in 2017 [3].

        Strong actions and measures are immediately required to mitigate the growing damaging outcomes of the increasing carbon footprints. Some of the healthy practices adopted by the individuals, society and countries together can help in making a positive change. 

         At individual level      

  •  Using sustainable transport – Utilizing public transports such as buses and metros allows one to reduce its carbon footprint as compared to when driving. Inflate vehicle’s tyres properly to save up to 3 percent fuel per month. Promote usage of electric cars.
  • Improving home energy efficiency – Installing renewable energy sources to generate electricity, for ex. Solar panels; installing energy-efficient lights such as LED bulbs, using energy star-rated products, adding insulation to the buildings, save electricity by avoid leaving appliances on the stand-by mode, changing mobile phones only when it becomes necessary, etc.
  • Improving food habits – reducing consumption of red meat can reduce an individual’s carbon footprint. Apart from this, we must encourage using locally available food as an item to be transported needs will add on to the emission count. Do not waste food as it takes energy (fuel etc.) to cook. Avoid frozen and canned food. 
  • Reducing water wastage and optimize its consumption – Using water efficient dishwashers, washing machine and shower heads.
  • Recycling and reuse - Adopt recycling for glass, metals, plastic and paper, etc. Donating used items to NGOs or Foundations.
  • Tree plantation – Planting trees are one of the most primary ways to reduce carbon footprints as plants consume CO2 and in return emit oxygen.

        At Industry level 

  • Purchasing carbon offsets – It is an investment in a carbon-reducing activity or technology in order to compensate for part or the entire carbon footprint. If purchased enough to offset all the carbon footprint, one becomes effectively carbon neutral.
  • Switching to alternative energy resources­ – Reducing dependency on fossil fuels and involving other renewable energy resources in the energy mix such as solar, wind, hydro, nuclear geothermal, tidal, biomass, bio-fuels etc. 
  •  Measuring carbon footprint – Company policies can be modified based upon the assessment of the carbon footprint generated by the company. It can be measured by undertaking a greenhouse gas emissions assessment and once the result is known, a strategy can be formalized to reduce it through technological developments, better process and product management, carbon capture, consumption strategies, and others.
  • Carbon capping - Emissions trading, sometimes known as cap-and-trade policies, puts a limit on carbon dioxide emissions. A government entity sets a "cap" on the emissions that can be produced in its jurisdiction, and companies are given carbon allowances that can either be used or traded to other companies.
  • Rewarding green commuters - Encouraging employees to switch to public transportation, carpooling, biking, telecommuting, and other environmentally-friendly commutes can add up and have tremendous effects. Employers can offer commuter benefits that address limited or expensive parking, reduce traffic congestion, improve employee recruiting and retention, and minimize the environmental impacts associated with drive-alone commuting.  
With human’s thrust for development and growth, the demands will amplify putting more burdens on the existing resources. A collective and organized effort needs to be put up by the individuals, communities, states and countries in order to drastically reduce the carbon footprints. An immediate action is needed so that the future generations do not remain empty-hand.


Ms. Sunaina Kundra 
General Manager, Indian Youth Nuclear Society



[1] An ecological footprint was described as the total area of land required to sustain an activity or population taking into the account the environmental impact such as land utilized for the production of food or water consumed

[2] Azadi, M., Northey, S.A., Ali, S.H. et al. Transparency on greenhouse gas emissions from mining to enable climate change mitigation. Nat. Geosci. 13, 100–104 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-020-0531-3

 

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