Calculating Your Carbon Footprint

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Recommended: My carbon footprint summary

Introduction: Over the years footprints have been used to tell the details of the species that marked it. In the case of carbon footprint it is the amount of Carbon Dioxide or other carbon compounds (green house gases) emitted into the atmosphere by human activities. By simply going about our daily lives of driving to work or running home appliances we are producing more CO2 because each is powered by energy that rely on the combustion of fossil fuels. The burning of fossil fuels by humans emits 98% of the CO2 in the atmosphere making it the largest source of Carbon dioxide emissions and so it is a major cause of global warming (Dowdey, 2013). Fossil fuels include coal, petroleum, and natural gas (Sciencedaily.com, 2013). Carbon dioxide releases have increased intensely in the last 50 years and it is still increasing by about 3% each year. Because CO2 can remain in the atmosphere for 100 to 200 years its concentration eventually increases and causes the Earth’s temperature to rise (Rohrer,2013). The UAE: The United Arab Emirates is a very important oil producer making it one of the 10 largest oil and natural gas manufacturers in the world, and so it has a huge carbon footprint even with its low population (Todorova, 2013). The UAE’s dependence on fossil fuels to run cooling systems through the entire year, and the use of desalination plants to produce drinking water has raised their concerns on the environmental effects. With the rising costs of oil and their climate concerns the Ministry of Environment is determined to reduce energy consumption with any way possible (Ees.ae, 2013). Effects: Solar energy reaching the earth’s surface is released back into space as infrared. CO2 and other Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb some of that solar energy emitted from the earths’ surface and radiate some of it back to the earth’s surface. This greenhouse effect is causing the average global temperatures to rise, mostly in temperate and polar areas than in the tropics that’s why ice is starting to melt. So, the more the carbon dioxide in the air the greater the risk of increased global temperature. (Agnostic, 2013) How to reduce it (include UAE): To reduce ones carbon footprint is to simply reduce the consumption of energy of each individual. Do your part by being aware of your actions and find out the factors that contribute to global warming and then proceed to help in protecting the environment.

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