A carbon footprint is a method used to measure the amount of carbon dioxide that we release from what we use annually. It also shows the amount of emission of greenhouse effect gases produced from our daily activities. Environmental organizations have made an initiative to create websites where people are able to calculate there carbon footprint easily, for instance I used the two websites http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/ and http://www.myfootprint.org/ and answered a series of multiple choice questions. It is significant to put in mind that there is no exact standardized measure in which carbon footprint is measured, in the sites above its was measured in earths. The questions in the survey included electricity usage, the type of transportation and consumption of food. After answering all the questions the websites gave a number which represents how many earths we need to live in a balanced environment.
We were asked to take the average of both websites. My carbon footprint was 14.65. Compared to my `classmates’ footprints I was ranked third place out of five, as the highest was 23.17 earths and the lowest was 13.96 earths. Surprisingly compared to the UAE carbon footprint which is 34.78 my classmates and I ranked low.
To conclude I would highly recommend that students help in educating people about the effect of carbon and greenhouses gases in order to raise awareness amongst our communities. Moreover, it is better using renewable resources than using non renewable ones. Finally, sharing rides to college will decrease the amount of cars used and therefore the amount harmful gases produced.
Bibliography
Ecological Footprint Quiz by Redefining Progress. 30 Apr. 2009 http://www.myfootprint.org/.
WWF Footprint Calculator. 30 Apr. 2009 http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/.
