Pollution is the introduction into the environment of a substance or chemical that has harmful or poisonous effects ("Pollution, Wiki"). When fossil fuels are burned, the gases and fuels are let free into the atmosphere. Volcanoes erupting, organisms breathing, and decaying are all major sources of pollutants. Most pollution in the world is manmade and can be avoided by making major changes in our lifestyles. When you think of “pollution,” you may assume that’s its something negative- and it is- but about 70% of the world’s energy sources are pollutants.
Carbon Dioxide is one of the main contributors to the pollution in our atmosphere. Carbon is produced by everyone on Earth, just by doing everyday things, such as riding the bus or train to school, eating food from animals, and using electricity. Everyone has their own effect on the world. According to the footprint calculator quiz I took, I release about 18.4 tons (or 16.7 metric tons) of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in any given year (“Footprint Calculator”). About half (47%) of my carbon emissions are due to services, whereas the other half are equally due to food, shelter, mobility, and goods. My lifestyle is being supported by 18.9 global acres of Earth’s productive area, and if everyone lived like me, we would need 4.3 Planet Earths to provide enough resources.
When I put these numbers into the Footprint Calculator, I was surprised. In order visualize these numbers, I entered my numbers into a second calculator. I found that, annually, my lifestyle produces the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as 3.5 passenger cars create, whereas my carbon dioxide emissions are equivalent to 696 propane cylinders used for home barbeques. (“Clean Energy: Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator”). Woah! Not 4 cars of CO2! That’s a lot of pollution!
So that I produce less carbon annually, I pledge to:
- Implement solar panels as my main power/energy source. Personally, I use LOTS of electricity daily. From the time I wake up, to the time I go to sleep, I’m non-stop using electricity. By switching to solar, I can reduce the number of Planet Earths required to live my lifestyle by 0.1 Planet Earths (4.3 to 4.2 Planet Earths). This action will also reduce my CO2 emissions from 18.4 tons to 18.2 tons, a total of .2 tons!
- Reduce the amount of animal-products I eat by half. In a week, I eat quite a lot of animal-products. Whenever we eat things like beef, pork, and dairy, a greenhouse gas named Methane is released in the air. By cutting my animal-product consumption in half, I can reduce the number of Planet Earths required to live my lifestyle by 0.3 Planet Earths (4.3 to 4 Planet Earths). This action will also reduce my CO2 emissions from 18.4 tons to 17.9 tons, a total of .5 tons!
- Purchase products that use less packaging or are 100% consumer recycled. I never put much thought into the materials and things I buy, nor do I care much about recycling. By purchasing recycled materials and materials with less packaging, I can reduce the number of Planet Earths required to live my lifestyle by 0.4 Planet Earths (4.3 to 3.9 Planet Earths). This action will also reduce my CO2 emissions from 18.4 tons to 16.5 tons, a total of 1.9 tons!!
Even after taking these three actions, there’s still going to be a small level of carbon that I’m producing. Another way to make up for the carbon that I’m producing is to plant some trees. I’ve calculated how many trees I would need to plant to make up for all the carbon I’m producing. Here’s the equation that tells me how many trees I would need to plant:
18.4 tons= 16.7 metric tons
1 tree= .039 metric tons is going to be removed
16.7 metric tons (1 tree/0.039 metric tons) = 428 trees
Scientists have calculated, for every one tree that we plant, we will remove .039 metric tons from the atmosphere.
Planting 428 trees is a lot, but by taking the actions I mentioned above, I would not have to plant quite as many trees! Overall, I reduced my carbon footprint by 2.6 tons!! My original carbon footprint was 18.4 tons, after taking my actions, it was reduced to 15.8 tons! After all was said and done, I ended up having to plant only 368 trees! I am saving 60 trees!
18.4 tons= 16.7 metric tons
1 tree= .039 metric tons is going to be removed
16.7 metric tons (1 tree/0.039 metric tons) = 428 trees
Scientists have calculated, for every one tree that we plant, we will remove .039 metric tons from the atmosphere.
Planting 428 trees is a lot, but by taking the actions I mentioned above, I would not have to plant quite as many trees! Overall, I reduced my carbon footprint by 2.6 tons!! My original carbon footprint was 18.4 tons, after taking my actions, it was reduced to 15.8 tons! After all was said and done, I ended up having to plant only 368 trees! I am saving 60 trees!
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