The Vital Statistics Of Green Footprint Article

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The Vital Statistics of Green Footprint

A Google search on ‘climate change’ returns over 126 Million results; forces me to believe this is not a subject limited to researchers and political activists worried about the melting glaciers anymore, climate change is certainly a mainstream subject proliferating individual lives.

Author: Nvai

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From governments to corporate and citizens, everyone is starting to work towards reducing their eco impact. Last year 73 countries signed the non binding Copenhagen Accord (www.copenhagenclimatecouncil.com) demonstrating their commitment towards the environment. Mitsubishi Electric realigned its vision to reduce carbon emissions from production by 30% by 2021; companies such as Bosch, DuPont, Sony and Xerox have earned patents for their eco-friendly products and operations. There are several more examples where non profits and other associations have promoted environmental stewardship among communities and individuals.

How Green is Green?

Discussing and deliberating climate change I often field the question about the ‘Green Footprint’. While everyone is impelled to reduce their eco footprint, they are often left deluded when it comes to quantifying the impact.
Switching off the lights has a direct, tangible and measureable impact, but how does one calculate his/her footprint size by inculcating recycling practices? Is there a way to calculate carbon saved for practices and activities? As an extension – for products and services?

Several agencies, both government and non government, have devised ways and methodologies for measuring carbon emissions. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the US has information on emission factors, measuring mechanisms and interactive calculators besides information papers and articles (www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html). Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) also offer guidelines and methodology paper for calculating emission factors through their website (www.defra.gov.uk/environment/business/reporting/conversion-factors.htm)
Information on carbon emissions, calculations and methodologies is abundant and academia as well as corporate sector has reinforced information dissemination in more ways than one.

Last year, Dr Julia B Edwards and Professor Alan C McKinnon FCILT, Heriot-Watt University presented their findings on a paper (www.ciltuk.org.uk) where the authors compared brick and mortar shopping with online shopping to deduce carbon footprint of shopping practices. What has been a highly debated subject over some time now, the paper reveals that online shopping may have a much smaller carbon footprint as compared to driving down to a brick and mortar store.

Green N Brown (www.greennbrown.com) an online retailing company offering eco friendly products reveals specific impact statements for their individual products. The company has developed a calculator that simulates the carbon impact of every product so that shoppers can know their environmental impact by purchasing and using such products.

Keep that Footprint in Shape

It is common knowledge that if carbon emissions continue at the same pace, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere will reach approx 500ppmv by 2050. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Third Assessment Report (www.ipcc.ch), and recent research by the Hadley Centre, (www.metoffice.gov.uk/climatechange/science/hadleycentre) such a continued increase in greenhouse gas emissions through the rest of the 21st century may lead to global warming of up to 5.8ºC.

We have the right mix of information and tools to abate climate change. As long as we are informed, sensitive & eco conscious and can keep our ‘Green Footprint’ in optimal shape, damage from the climate change can be controlled.

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The Vital Statistics of Green Footprint