Today we’re taking a look at your individual impact on the climate and environment, both positive and negative.
Like how we leave footprints when we walk, our everyday activities also leave a print in the form of carbon. A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gas emitted to produce something (like a carton of milk) or complete a certain activity (such as driving). Our main sources of carbon emissions come from household energy usage, transportation, food and other everyday products. You can find out more details of your carbon emissions in this article.
Everyone has a carbon footprint, and everybody’s footprint is unique; they differ in size and composition depending on each person’s lifestyle. Your carbon footprint is the total amount of CO2 emitted from making and transporting the products that you use and the activities that you do. The bigger your carbon footprint, the bigger your negative impact on the environment. There is also a clear correlation between a person’s wealth and the size of their carbon footprint - the wealthier someone is, the larger their carbon footprint is likely to be as well. Therefore, people in richer countries tend to have much larger carbon footprints than those living in poorer countries.
Analysing your carbon footprint can give you a better understanding of where most of your carbon emissions are coming from, which will then help you figure out how to cut back on some of those emissions. Some easy ways to do so are to save electricity whenever you can, swap some meat out for vegetables in your diet and consider greener methods of transportation, such as walking or cycling, on short journeys. If you’re curious about your own carbon footprint, check out the UN’s carbon footprint calculator.
But dwelling too much on the negative isn’t very helpful, especially since we will still inevitably have some necessary emissions. Another problem with carbon footprints is that our emissions are often influenced by factors that are beyond our control, such as how far we have to travel to school or to work. It also focuses the blame for climate change onto individual people, which is partly true but not entirely.
Now, while some of you may already be familiar with the term “carbon footprint”, you may not have heard of your “climate shadow”. The term was just recently coined in 2021 by climate journalist Emma Pattee. It’s a concept to help you understand how all the decisions you make impact the environment, extending beyond your immediate, measurable impact. Thus, it encompasses your carbon footprint as well as other indirect aspects such as activism, how often you discuss climate change and even your opinion and outlook on climate change. It puts focus on both the positive and negative impacts you have on climate change, and you are fully in control of what it looks like because it is entirely influenced by your decisions, not external factors.
While it is important to reduce your carbon footprint, it is just as important to consider your climate shadow, too. On top of the tangible changes that can be seen in your carbon footprint, by inspiring others to take action against climate change, you are making a greater impact beyond just that of your actions. If we all work towards both minimising our carbon footprints and cultivating positive climate shadows, we can collectively make a bigger impact on the Earth’s climate than we could individually. Climate change isn’t a challenge that can be faced alone; let’s all do our part and inspire others to do the same.
Credits:
Image - Blue and Green Tomorrow
Information - National Geographic, Mic, Institute of Sustainability Studies
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