Norris 1 C.J.

Norris Raymond 1102 English March 9, 2014 Carbon Footprint Since birth we as human beings, including myself, have been contributing to fossil fuel emissions and help growing our carbon footprint. Our carbon footprint has been getting larger each day due to the products we consume or need for survival, such as: food, clothing, automobiles, or anything that we use. These everyday goods either release emissions or cause an upstream affect that causes other goods to use energy. Due to the ever demand for goods and the search for greater technology, countries like the US, China, and India have been contributing to fossil fuel emissions at an alarming rate. If we as a country and other nations continue on this track we will exacerbate climate change. As human beings how can we being to fathom this thing we call carbon footprint, when we have been divulging ourselves in it since birth. Carbon Footprint is the amount of carbon being emitted by an activity or organization. The carbon component is taking the amount of carbon dioxide in the land and sea area required to sequester carbon dioxide emissions, this tells us how much is coming from the burning of fossil fuels (Carbon Footprint). As a consumer, I have inevitably have grown my carbon footprint and helped cause an increase in fossil fuel emissions. In fact my carbon footprint is larger than the National Average at twentyseven tons of carbon dioxide emitted per year. Since the carbon footprint is looking at the

Norris 2 amount of carbon dioxide, it forces us to look at what carbon dioxide is. Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas emitted by human activity. The primary form of carbon dioxide emissions is the combustion of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and oil. The burning of these goods is necessary for energy and transportation (Carbon Dioxide Emissions). Even though carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring in the atmosphere, human activities have tainted the carbon cycle. By adding more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere we have depleted the ozone and have caused a global warming trend that is ruing the environment. In 2011, carbon dioxide accounted for about eighty- four percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activity(Carbon Dioxide Emissions). Electricity, transportation, and industry are the major contributors of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Electricity accounts for thirty- eight percent, transportation accounts for thirty- one percent, and industry accounts for fourteen percent of carbon dioxide emission. These emissions are having a dramatic affect on the environment. For instance, carbon dioxide is extracted naturally through soil, plants, animals, oceans, and the atmosphere, but with the extraneous amount this process struggles to accommodate the excess (ERACCDP). How can we, as a nation and the world, reduce our carbon footprint so we will be able to sustain our everyday lives and be economically competitive? There are many different initiatives that propose certain ways to be carbon neutral like the 2030 Challenge, the PAS 2060 international standard, and others. But with all of these different initiatives how do we know which one to follow. Reducing our carbon footprint, first

Norris 3 have to start with yourself, by doing small task like recycling, walking instead of driving, these small tasks might seem minimal, but the affects that they have are astounding. As a nation the most effective way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is to reduce fossil fuel consumption. Meaning adopting different strategies that will reduce our emissions from our homes, businesses, industry, and transportation. For our homes we could improve the insulation of buildings, using more efficient electrical appliances, and using solar, wind, and water power. For industries like existing coal and gas fired power plants could use different technologies that help limit their consumption of fossil fuels and help limit their production of it. For transportation people could drive more fuel-efficient vehicles, they could rides bikes and walk instead of drive (Carbon Dioxide Emissions). But before we do anything to address our carbon footprint, we first have to admit there is a problem and we have to come together, globally, to solve this problem.

Norris 4 Work Cited Carbon Footprint. Global Footprint Network, 17 July 2012. Web. 09 March 2014. Carbon Dioxide Emissions. EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency, 27 January 2014. Web. 09 March 2014. Effects of Rising Atmospheric Concentrations of Carbon Dioxide on Plants. Knowledge Project, 2013. Web. 09 March 2014.