Carbon emissions and the consequences of the same take centre stage in being some of the most pressing matters today in terms of ecology, energy, infrastructure development, and even global diplomatic relations. In whatever we do, there are certain carbon emissions that we produce and which contribute to environmental degradation further. As much as we may think that our individual actions do not contribute to global warming, we are far from knowing that they, in fact, do. In selecting which mode of transport to take to work or college, in selecting where we buy our clothes from, and even in other products we use daily, we make subconscious choices that, in some way or another, add to or decrease our carbon footprints. Understanding to what extent this holds true, our personal as well as collective contributions to carbon emissions, we take each next step toward the betterment of the environment by aiming to reduce carbon footprint.

Carbon Emissions: What They Are

Carbon is a natural substance or element that we find in the environment and it takes years to come into a solid form. It takes several forms, each of which is classified into incredibly pollutive substances. All fossil fuels are made of carbon, such as crude oil from which we get petroleum and gasoline, coal, etc. The element carbon is represented by the letter ‘C’ in the chemical periodic table. The greenhouse gas methane is chemically represented as CH4 which is made of carbon and hydrogen, and greenhouse gas carbon dioxide is represented as CO2 made of carbon and oxygen. Both these gases, among other greenhouse gases, are dangerous for the environment and in excess can have dire consequences on the life residing on planet earth.

Carbon is best known for its properties to retain heat and to provide heat upon burning it. This is where its harmful effects come in. Carbon emissions refer to the fumes emitted upon burning this element, the process which is called the burning of fossil fuels. It is used for a variety of activities, such as for powering vehicles, providing electricity to millions of homes, powering gas stoves, and other activities as such.  Every time we partake in any of these activities and more that involve the burning of fossil fuels, we release carbon emissions into the atmosphere, which in turn adds to one’s own carbon footprint.

Carbon Footprint

Carbon footprint refers to the number of carbon emissions that each of us contributes to the atmosphere when we carry out any activity. Each activity has a carbon footprint tied to it which adds up to the carbon footprints of other activities and gives us a total carbon footprint. 

It can also be calculated on different scales, wherein we may calculate our respective individual carbon footprints, or our family or household’s carbon footprint, an institution’s, or even that of a nation or of the globe as a whole. It differs from one person’s to another depending on the kinds of activities that each of us carries out on a day to day basis. The more our individual carbon footprint, the more harm we are putting the environment in on an individual level, thus we must all aim to reduce carbon footprints in any way that we can.

Ways To Reduce Carbon Footprint

To reduce carbon footprint, we need to choose alternatives in our daily lives that produce fewer carbon emissions. To reduce carbon footprint can be done in a number of ways where we simply select better methods to live our lives. Some of the ways in which we can reduce our personal carbon emissions are as follows:

1. Choosing public transport over private vehicles: Using a motorcycle or a car to get to our workplaces every day can produce tonnes of carbon emissions per day. An easy alternative to this is selecting a metro or bus or even shared autorickshaws if they are available in the area where you live and commute to. When we share the journey with several people in the same vehicle rather than taking the same path by ourselves, we also share our carbon emissions with others, thus reducing our own carbon footprint by that much
2. Switching to reusable alternatives: When we continuously purchase consumer goods that have reusable alternatives, we reduce carbon footprint by a great amount. For example, carrying your own bottle instead of purchasing plastic water bottles, carrying a reusable metal straw rather than availing plastic straws, for women using menstrual cups and washable cloth pads rather than buying disposable pads that come in plastic packaging, etc. The production methods of several consumer goods are unsustainable and reusable alternatives help you avoid increasing your personal carbon emissions by avoiding these products altogether
3. Adjusting your wardrobe: The fashion industry produces almost 10% of the global carbon emissions because of the kinds of processes of production used in the industry. Further, it is also one of the biggest waste producing industries where a large percentage of clothes go into landfills for a number of reasons, producing harmful gases in these garbage dumps over time. Upcycled clothes and hand-me-downs can be very fashionable and are highly sustainable and they produce much fewer carbon emissions than new clothes
4. Choosing alternative energy: Energy is one of the largest contributors to global carbon emissions by country because most countries are still highly dependent on coal-fired power which is incredibly harmful to the environment and to our individual carbon emissions. If the option is available, choose to install solar power in your home, or to purchase an electric vehicle rather than a conventionally fueled vehicle. This will help to reduce carbon footprint by a lot. Moreover, being mindful about switching off lights and fans in our own homes as well as elsewhere, such as at the office or college, is vital to reduce emissions

Carbon Emissions By Country

Carbon emissions by country differ on the basis of how developed a nation is because that factor in itself directly affects the kind of power the country uses for its energy needs. Least developed countries (LDCs) and developing nations generally find higher carbon emissions by country because they are primarily dependent on coal-fired power since it is inexpensive and easier than finding alternatives when there are other things for the country to worry about such as social and infrastructural development. 

Developed countries also have incredibly high rates of carbon emissions because the sources of energy that have been used by them to develop in the first place have been those based on fossil fuels.

China is the highest contributor to carbon emissions by country, following which is the United States, then India. Annual carbon emissions by country on the part of China is about double that of the US, while that of the US is double that of India. This list contains accelerating values that are unexhaustive but this only goes to show that the world needs to come together to put in appropriate policies in place to control carbon emissions to mitigate climate change and global warming.

Coming up behind India in the list of carbon emissions by country is the Russian Federation, Japan, Germany, and so on. The positions of each country have changed up and down over time, but China, USA and India remain at the top of this list.