Global warming is an issue that worries many since its consequences have done nothing but harm the planet we live on. The increase in temperature and the melting of the poles are the classic consequences that many dare to cite but they are not everything. The extinction of some species of animals, the change in ecosystems, droughts, the increase in sea level, the spread of disease, and the aggravation of some natural phenomena such as hurricanes and rains, all these consequences are collectively known as climate change.
The concept of «carbon footprint» is not usually easily linked to that of «global warming«, nevertheless, the carbon footprint is nothing more than the informal way used to refer to the Global Warming Potential. This is directly associated with the calculation of greenhouse gases produced by companies, the products we consume, the events we attend, or even those that are produced by people in their daily activities.
Knowing our carbon footprint is important because it allows us to contribute to the fight against climate change, since, through it, we can know the amount of greenhouse gases we produce with our actions and thus measure the impact we have in the environment.
To measure our carbon footprint, it is enough to meditate on our way of living and investigate the environmental impact of the products we consume. Traveling too often by car instead of using a bicycle, the electricity we consume at home, the water we use, and the industrial processes used to produce the products we consume on a daily basis are potential generators of greenhouse gases that pollute the environment and have a negative impact on it.
There are different methods to calculate our carbon footprint, however, these are usually very complex and tedious to perform, which is a negative point of this indicator. Fortunately, on the web, we can find faster methods such as the carbon footprint calculator, which may not be as accurate but can bring us very close to the actual figure of our carbon footprint and allow us to take action to reduce it.
To lessen our impact on the environment and reduce our carbon footprint, we must be more aware when consuming products and investigate how polluting their manufacturing processes can be. Reduce the use of energy when it is not really necessary to use it and replace our practices with sustainable habits, such as buying organic food, moving on foot or by bicycle if the distances are not long, in the same way, we can also reduce our consumption of plastics in a single-use replacing them with equally useful and even longer-lasting products.