Carbon Footprints
October 4, 2010
We’ve all heard the global warming story. We’re being told that we should reuse and recycle. We’ve all been told about greenhouse emissions and the carbon footprint until it sounds like a cliche. What does it all mean?
Greenhouse Gases
We have to understand the earth’s atmosphere before understanding this. It’s not just the air that we’re breathing. In space earth has gases all around it. The word gas sounds ominous, but it actually protects us from the Sun and other elements. It regulates temperature as well.
This layer has carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen, methane, water, and ozone. All of these are greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases have been artificially increased by humans.
Carbon Footprint
Machines that require power are what we have built our lives around. This includes cars, and transportation. We burn fuel to power the machines. We increase energy that radiates from earth when we burn fuel. This changes levels in the atmosphere.
The change in temperature causes more extreme weather between seasons. We may experience colder winters and hotter summers with the increase in intense storms throughout the year. In fact, the summer of 2010 in the Eastern US, is proving to be one of the hottest on record.
In the past century, the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have increased dramatically from the burning of fossil fuel. Fossil fuels are fuels we must dig in the ground to find. The carbon footprint is generally measure of increased levels of carbon dioxide.
What can I do?
Scientists have warned that we must reduce our carbon footprint. We can do this by conserving energy. Another way is to minimize driving each day and carpooling. Using fluorescent lights in your home is yet another way. They are shaped like ice cream cones, but they are serious. They can save money and energy in the long run and help you do your part in reducing your contribution to the carbon footprint.
About the author: Kevin Flores is a prolific writer and currently publishes websites about manufacturing sourcing and China manufacturing sourcing.
