Carbon Footprint
We hear about the need to reduce our Carbon Footprint. But what is it exactly and why do we need to worry about it?
Find out more.
Our Carbon Foot print is linked to the amount of CO² - CARBON dioxide - that we produce and release into the atomsphere. A certain level of CO² is good ,even essential: plants need it for photosynthesis to grow and it helps to absorb some of the heat from the planet that would otherwise leave the atomsphere - it keeps the Earth warm. However, when the levels of CO² are too high they absorb too much heat and so start to raise the temperature, melting ice caps, so raising sea levels etc, etc.
We produce CO² and so add to our Carbon Footprint whenever we use non-renewable fuel to heat our homes and power our cars: different amounts of CO² are produced depending on what we are doing.
And what about the goods we buy – do they have a Footprint? If we buy something that has used non-renewable energy in its production, transportation or packaging then, yes, this item will form part of our Footprint, too.
So, the more CO² we produce, the bigger our Carbon Footprint and the more damage we do.
CFB Actions
CFB has already looked at the Footprint for the Bradford-on-Avon Community AreaThe Community Area consists of Bradford on Avon and the villages of Westwood, Winsley, Limpley Stoke, Monkton Farleigh, Holt, Staverton, Wingfield and South Wraxall and found that compared with many surrounding areas, our Footprint is higher than theirs!
That is a real incentive to identify the biggest contributors to CO² emissions and tackle then as soon as possible. We need to keep monitoring emissions to ensure they really are going down and, if not, identify what else we need to do.
If you would like to get involved in this work, then please email us at: climatechampions@gmail.com
If you want to find out more about your own/household's Footprint, try the Resurgence carbon calculator at www.resurgence.org/education/carbon-calculator.html
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