What is The Carbon Footprint and How Can We Reduce It?
Companies, products, and individuals release carbon dioxide (CO2) and many harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every day, either directly or indirectly. We do this sometimes by buying clothing online, sometimes by not using filters on our factory chimneys, and sometimes by getting our needs from further supermarkets instead of the local grocers.
We call the measure the total amount of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, released into the atmosphere as a result of our daily activities and consumption in terms of metric tons the carbon footprint. This measurement helps us assess our natural gas emissions and their impact on climate change, both on a company-wide and individual basis. If you were to ask, "Why is it important to assess this?" our carbon footprint has effects on nature, our health, and can cause disruptions in ecological balance. Being aware of these effects and devising solutions to reduce them is crucial for protecting our planet in its most beautiful state.
The carbon footprint reveals the damage we inflict on nature and signifies an excessive use of our resources. Globally, the average carbon footprint is closer to 4 tons. To have the best chance of avoiding a 2℃ rise in global temperatures, the average global carbon footprint per year needs to drop to under 2 tons by 2050. While these numbers may sound abstract and meaningless, the greenhouse gasses we release into the atmosphere have profound consequences. Forests, oceans, and other natural carbon storage areas become overloaded and lose their effectiveness. Biodiversity and wildlife in these areas’ numbers are decreasing, we are disrupting ecological balance and the world is losing its balance.
The emissions of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere are one of the leading causes of the climate crisis. These gasses act as a blanket on Earth, creating a greenhouse effect. In this greenhouse effect, high gas emissions will eventually lead to global warming. Before the industrial revolution the world's average temperature used to change like 0.5 degree in a year, after that, we raise it more than 1.5 degree in a year with our carbon footprints. This shows us the disaster in the near future, which is called a climate crisis.
These effects don't affect nature; they directly threaten those of us who live in nature. Carbon emissions reduce our oxygen, cause sea levels to rise, disrupt the balance of nature, and pollute our air and water. Changes in the world's equilibrium, such as extreme warming and pollution, lead to the emergence of various diseases and pose a serious threat to our health.
Moreover, a high carbon footprint leads to economic losses. A high carbon footprint indicates that we will suffer long-term losses in our resources because a high carbon footprint shows us our consumption of resources and energy is high and our efficiency is low. We might choose to pursue income in the short term, protect against expenses, and sometimes take the easy way out, abandoning sustainable alternatives. We use fossil fuels as our energy source, opt for our own cars over crowded buses, buy cheaper products instead of energy-efficient ones, and use drying machines instead of hanging our clothes to dry by natural ways, often realizing the consequences too late.
These seemingly simple choices we make result in the depletion and deformation of our natural resources such as minerals, water, and greenery. The depletion of natural resources significantly affects our basic needs, including food and agriculture; conditions like drought, floods, and extreme temperatures reduce crop productivity and lead to food security problems. Scarce production makes it harder to access food and harms economic markets.
The frequency of these natural disasters that closely affect agriculture can also burden economies significantly with property losses, health expenditures, food production damages, and more.
These are just some of the consequences of a high carbon footprint on our world. In my opinion, saving a destroyed world is a more challenging and expensive path than preserving the existing one. Therefore, it's crucial to address how we can prevent these issues on both an individual and corporate level while discussing the problems caused by the carbon footprint.
To limit these damages and challenge climate change, reducing the carbon footprint and adopting more sustainable lifestyles are essential. To summarize these under some key points:
1- Reducing Energy Consumption:
Energy consumption is one of the major contributors to carbon emissions. Using energy-efficient products and shifting towards renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels are essential steps for both companies and individuals. For companies, improving energy efficiency in areas such as heating, lighting, and production machinery is a significant stride. Generating and transforming their own energy can also be a profitable and efficient practice for large corporations.
2- Reducing Waste and Recycling:
Companies can minimize their environmental impact by enhancing their systems to reduce waste and innovating in recycling. As individuals, it is our responsibility to segregate our waste, generate less waste, and choose recyclable and minimally packaged products.
3- Sustainable Alternatives:
Changing some of our daily habits to embrace sustainable transportation, food, and products can significantly reduce our individual carbon footprint. Examples of new habits include reducing air travel for leisure, opting for local market shopping over imported products, and selecting non-waste, durable, and sustainable products.
Companies can encourage the use of public transportation and remote work under this category, as well as prefer sustainable and vegetable-based foods in their cafeterias while providing solutions to reduce waste.
4- Education and Awareness Programs:
Companies can raise awareness and conduct education programs in the field of environmental sensitivity and carbon footprint reduction. By organizing programs and training, they can benefit both employees and customers. This not only reduces the carbon footprint at the company level but also promotes the reduction of carbon emissions with the company. Furthermore, companies engaging in such initiatives demonstrate their commitment to the "Sustainable Development Goals" and the importance they place on these objectives. Developing countries are aware of the significance of the climate crisis and have begun to take measures to reduce carbon footprints within their companies. Starting these efforts early as a company will facilitate adaptation to future changes without harming the company economically.
As individuals, we should embrace these education and awareness programs and make an effort to learn and share information as global citizens. This world belongs to all of us.
5- Supporting Afforestation and Nature Conservation Projects:
Reducing our carbon footprint to zero is extremely challenging at the company level. Companies that embrace this concept often focus on minimizing their carbon footprint by keeping their carbon emissions low. This can sometimes manifest as supporting afforestation or nature conservation projects. Additionally, collaborating with companies that have a low carbon footprint is important from this perspective. As individuals, prioritizing products and services from companies dedicated to preserving nature is a powerful individual action.
6- Avoiding Waste:
Although this is a part of all the previous points, it's worth emphasizing separately. If you believe you're running late to reduce your carbon footprint as an individual or a company, the most crucial action to take is to avoid waste. The consumption frenzy leads to the daily production of thousands of products, which in turn results in carbon emissions. Buying unnecessary items negatively affects both personal finances and the trajectory of our world. Avoiding waste and refraining from consuming unnecessary products is in our hands.
Orbiba Robotics is a company dedicated to producing autonomous agricultural robots with a minimal carbon footprint, powered by renewable energy. Our mission and values call for innovative and environmentally-friendly actions that benefit the world and its inhabitants. We aim to prevent you from searching for your food far away and enable you to obtain it in a healthy manner, while also increasing biodiversity to protect our soil, i.e., our world. Your support in this endeavor is highly valuable and significant to our company.
We as a liver in the world should learn to treat the other livers in the world with respect. We must protect our environment and protect our future. Stay healthy and conscious!
Al Developer
Zeynep Muradaermiş
Resources
https://www.birbucukderece.com/bilimsel-kaynaklar/ipcc-1-5-c-raporu
https://evrimagaci.org/karbon-ayak-izimizi-azaltmak-icin-neler-yapabiliriz-8945
https://www.britannica.com/science/carbon-footprint
https://www.footprintnetwork.org/our-work/climate-change/
https://www.zorlu.com.tr/akillihayat2030/yazilar/karbon-ayak-izi-nedir
