The Significance of the Carbon Footprint

Driving a car, heating your home and even eating certain kinds of food have an impact on the environment. All of these activities emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases can include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, and are released in the atmosphere through the burning of gas and oil for fuel, heat and industrial processes. The carbon footprint measures how much of these greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere, which can give us a sense of how much the things we do, purchase and consume effect the environment.

How It's Measured

• A carbon footprint is the total of two parts, the primary footprint and the secondary footprint. The primary footprint measures the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the atmosphere by activities we can control, such as driving a car, flying a plane or using electricity to heat a home. The secondary footprint measures the indirect emissions of a product used by a person or an organization. For example, a secondary carbon footprint measures the greenhouse gases used to make a water bottle a person purchases, as well as the carbon the bottle continues to put off into the atmosphere during its lifespan.

Importance

• The vast majority of scientists believe that the amount of greenhouse gases we create either directly or indirectly has an impact on the environment. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, and most scientists believe that has lead to an overall increase in temperatures across the world as well as changes in weather patterns.

  Warmer temperatures also are melting ice in the Arctic Circle and other cold places, and sea levels have risen as a result, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Also, greenhouse emissions, particularly carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels like petroleum, are toxic to humans.

Worst Offenders

• According to a 2008 study by Purdue University that measured the carbon footprint of U.S. counties, Harris County in Texas is the worst, emitting 18.625 million tons of carbon per year. Los Angeles County in California ranked second for emitting 18.595 million tons of carbon per year.

  Globally, China ranks at the top of the list of worst polluters, emitting 6,017.69 million metric tons into the atmosphere each year, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. The United States is the second worst, emitting 5,902.75 million metric tons. China and the United States are far and away the worst polluters, with Russia coming in third place with 1,704.36 million metric tons. This data was collected in 2006.

Future Impact

• World leaders continue to discuss ways to reduce greenhouse emissions. According to the Nature Conservancy, scientists warn that at the current rate, surface temperatures on Earth will rise by 3 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit at the end of the 21st century. Climate change also would change landscapes, harm animal habitat to the point that several animals could go extinct and create stronger storms as ocean temperatures rise.

Reducing Your Footprint

• There are several ways to reduce your own carbon footprint. In your home, replacing incandescent lights with fluorescent lights can reduce your energy use and your energy bill. Just turning down the thermostat 2 degrees in the wintertime can make a difference.

  Carpooling, walking, riding a bike or taking the bus instead of driving your own vehicle will reduce emissions created from transportation. Driving a car that gets higher gas mileage also will reduce your carbon footprint.

  Recycling keeps things like plastics out of landfills and allows them to be used in a different way, reducing the need to create more emissions by creating more plastic. Even your diet can have an impact; eating produce that was grown locally reduces the demand for produce grown elsewhere, as well as the transportation emissions created to deliver that produce to your store.