How does your ecological footprint (or carbon footprint) contribute to global change?

Question

How does your ecological footprint (or carbon footprint) contribute to global change?

Answer 1

my size 8 doesn't

Answer 2

I like to recycle by returning carbon to the atmosphere for the benefit of living things and unlocking the building block of life from the bonds that held it deep under ground for millions of years.

Answer 3

it makes it worse.

i've started driving a more efficient car, but it's still not good.

we've a rather large house, which i think we'll trade in a few years, but not in this market.

i'll likely get a car that gets better mileage, but it's my guess that in 2-3-5 years, cars will become available that are dramatically better than what's available today.

i do note that the ostrich contingent (That hasn't been proven) got here first.  :-(

Answer 4

That hasn't been proven to have any impact on the globe hun, stop spreading the propaganda please and do something real to improve the world.

All you carbon footprint people need to get more education. Cap and trade is just that....Cap the amount of carbon output to some level that someone likes....because there isn't any real science behind it....then trade carbon emmisions from a low producer (in the way of credits) to a high producer.

I'm sorry to tell you this but you losers in the "new" enviromentalism movement need a clue. Way back , even in the 70's that I recall...we didn't just whine about pollution and "trade credits" . We enacted tougher standards and reduced pollution because it was too high. People use to complain that their lungs hurt in L.A. after they got home from work. You don't see that anymore. Pollution has been reduced, water and air quality have been greatly improved. Carbon footprinting is foolishness gone amuk. IT hasn't even proven carbon dioxide to be a real threat except in a controlled laboratory experiment. But besides that, the system doesn't reduce your carbon footprint, it merely trades it between people, while the enviro-whacko's make bank on the process of "trading" them.

If you really want to make an impact, come up with a new technology, change over your use of electricity and gas to include reduced portions or go all solar, wind, reuseable containers, but stop with the incessive whine about people and their carbon footprint. The UK have been doing this for over 3 years, they believed the hype and after 3 years of what they have given up, they are mad as h**l because its not enough to change anything and are having the feeling they've been dooped. If you want to lower yours, have fun, but to get all in people's face based on your false beliefs that the planet is in a crisis. There is no crisis. Life goes on, things change, technology gets better and changes how we do things. It won't change over night and there's no reason we should be forced to live our lives "your" way.

Answer 5

If all 6 million people on the planet lived like me, we would need 3 planets, I emigrated to Canada from the UK in October so the flight made my carbon footprint very large. My grandfather died recently and we flew back for the funeral which doubled my carbon footprint for this year.

I can't yet drive though and I walk to work, whilst at college last semester I used public transport and we recycle as much as we can. We have no air conditioning at home.

When I leave college I hope I can do more to reduce my carbon footprint by installing/using the following:

Solar powered hot water (and eventually a solar panel roof)

Hybrid vehicle

Extra wall and loft insulation.

Double Glazing

Buying products with biodegradeable or recyclable packaging.

Of course by then I will be a qualified Environmnetal Scientist which I hope will help reduce the carbon footprints of others.

Answer 6

Taking a scientific approach, I researched several scientific databases. After reading the NASA data where they talk about how the surface temperature of all nine planets in the solar system is rising in direct relationship to their distance from the sun (except Jupiter which is also warming from it's own internal heat), and how they measured that - I don't worry about global warming anymore.

I can't change the heat output of the sun nor the solar cycles, nor can I change the surface temperatures of the other planets. These things are simply beyond my power to even influence.

Answer 7

Everything we do or consume has an affect on the planet. The type of house we have, the amount of energy we use, the items we buy to furnish our homes, the food we eat and where it is located, the cleaning products we use, and our landscapeing choices.

The idea behind a carbon footprint is to reduce the impact on the world as a whole. These changes have an affect with or without global warming or climate change.

If you increase the energy effeciency of your home and your transportation you are helping conserve resources. If you buy sustainably harvested wood or recycled  products for your furnishing you are conserving forests. If you buy recycled paper products you are conserving forests. If you buy food grown near your home or grow it yourself you are saving the fuel that it takes to ship it from other areas. If you buy organic food and cotton your are reducing the amount of chemicals that can cause harm to ecosystems and humans. If you use natural cleaners with no phosphates you are reducing the pollution in our water supplies. If you reduce the amount of packaging you buy you are helping extend the life of your landfill. If you recycle you can help conserve metals, forests and petroleum and well as the energy used to make items from virgin fibers.

I've found many of the changes I've made in my life to reduce my "footprint" has brought me great joy. We do more things as a family and now that gas prices are soaring and it is hitting peoples wallets, friends are asking me about changes they can make. Almost all of the habits I've adopted have saved me money as well as creating a healthier environment for my family and the world.