One of the greatest problems facing humanity is global climate change. Global climate change is the increase in average
global temperature, caused by an increase in greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are the blanket of gases surrounding
the earth that allow the world to be inhabitable. This layer of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases works
in the same way that a greenhouse does, by trapping heat energy inside the atmosphere. Unfortunately, since the
Industrial Revolution, people have released more of these gases into the atmosphere, thickening the blanketing layer. This
thicker layer traps more heat, leading to dramatic changes in the earth's climate.
In order to reduce to potential climate change, the amount of greenhouse gases being released need to be reduced.
One starting point to reducing the amount of greenhouse gases that you release is to find your carbon footprint. The carbon
footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases that is emitted over the full life of a process. Although it is called the carbon
footprint, it is a measure of the total greenhouse gases released, converted to the equivalent amount of CO2. This number is
not completely accurate, but it is a good estimate of the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere through our
activities. Once you have found your personal carbon footprint, you can begin to work to reduce it. One way to reduce
your carbon footprint is to look closely at each product you use, and find a more carbon efficient version.
This paper can help you with that.
In this paper, you will find a comparison of the carbon footprint o...
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Pacific Institute (2008). Bottled Water and Energy: A Fact Sheet. Retrieved July 31, 2008, Web site: http://www.pacinst.org/topics/water_and_sustainability/bottled_water/bottled_water_and_energy.html
Pimental, David & Marcia. "Energy use in food processing for nutrition and development." Retrieved July 31, 2008, from http://www.unu.edu/unupress/food/8f072e/8f072e06.htm
Neustaedter, Randall (7/18/2004). Plastic Water Bottles. Retrieved July 31, 2008, from Holistic Pediatric Association Web site: http://www.hpakids.org/holistic-health/articles/108/1/Plastic-Water-Bottles
Images
http://jamaicaplainforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/low-carbon-diet-earth.jpg
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To begin, the article, “Water Water Everywhere-in Bottles,” the author uses logos to show that the water bottle industry and the soda industry are competing. Because there are so many different brands of water, the water industry is set to outsell the soda industry. The article shows many facts about water bottles and how they compare to soda such as, “Between 2000 and 2014, capita bottled water consumption more than doubled to 34.02
Many have always questioned if bottled water or tap water is better for themselves and the environment. Bottled water has many conveniences and is needed, or even wanted, by many people in the United States and all over the world. Water bottles is just not a want for some, it is a necessity. This essay will convince you of the reasons why bottled water is superior to tap water. Not only will you find out why it is superior but why it is important to always have bottled water available to everyone.
The emission of carbon dioxide has contributed to 80% to the heating of the earth atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is produced due the burning of fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal and oil. The burning of fossil fuel is very important in our society today, because it is used for cooking, used to produce electricity, for heating, for cooling and also for transportation. The industrialization has led to the use of fossil fuel for running machines and driving cars. The building of fossil fuel contributes towards 80-90% of the carbon dioxide we find in our atmosphere today. When the ecosystems are altered and vegetation is either burned or took out, the carbon stored in them is relinquished to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (What causes global climate change, 2005). Methane is another gas being produced in the process which all have served to increase the greenhouse effect in our atmosphere. Methane is produced from the cultivation of rice, from the burning of coal and from cattle, it has increased by 145% due to human
"Bottled Water is Cause for Concern, Environmental Advocates Claim" by Penny Stern, MD, for Reuters, reprinted at http://www.gue.com/news/1999-04A.html
My research question: Is the convenience of bottled water worth all the sacrifices in terms of money, resources, health and damage to the ecosystem?
In conclusion, the impact I personally have on the planet has surprised me. My personal ecological footprint is much larger than I expected. However, there are measures I can take to drop my current consumption rate, such as altering my recycling choices, making better purchasing decisions, and adopting the reduce, reuse, and recycle concept throughout my household. By altering my habits and consumption rate, I can affect my local community tremendously in a positive way for the planet Earth.
I am really surprised with the result of my ecological footprint because I had no idea how my habits consume so many natural resources. Besides I cultivate some green habits as living in a house which has switched all the lights to fluorescent bulbs in order to reduce carbon dioxide pollution, unplugging my devices when they are not using to save energy and washing my dishes by hand instead using the dishwasher to save water and energy, this actions aren’t not enough to have a good footprint and I have so many things to do to improve it. Here are three actions that you could take to reduce my ecological footprint.
One should be mindful, not wasteful, and attempt to purchase and eat as little as necessary. Cutting back unnecessary food intake overall will help reduce an ecological footprint in itself.
For ever water bottle made, non-renewable resources are wasted to produce an unnecessary luxury. For the bottled water Americans enjoy, seventeen million barrels of oil are used (excluding transportation), which could fuel more than 1.3 million cars for a year. Most water is imported and exported from places that are thousands of miles away, like Fiji. Although oil is controversial in nature, for every one liter of water produced, three liters are used; the excess water wasted can supply clean water to the world’s poorest countries. Moreover, the energy used in bottle production can supply energy to over 190,000 homes. The resources that can be replaced by ceasing the production of water bottles can solve many global problems faced by a growing population.
According to the “Competition in the Bottled Water Industry in 2006 Case,” bottled water industry became the one of the world’s most attractive beverage categories, as more and more people began to focus on health and fitness. Consumers start realizing the need of proper hydration, and they began purchasing bottled water instead of drinking tap water, because they were worried about safety of tap water, which tasted like chemicals. Actually, tap water contained chemicals, such as chlorine and fluoride, which are harmful for human body; however, this problem was solved when the bottled water was brought to the market. Due to bottled water’s convenience, purity, and portability, and safety, bottled water industry began to rise rapidly. During
The data provided by IBWA (International Bottled Water Association) reveal that bottled water has become extremely popular in the US market. More that $11 billion dollars has been spent for the consumption of bottled water and its consumption increase three times in the last 10 years. The market of bottled water in the United States is the second largest apart from the soft drink. In 2006, the U.S consumption of bottled water was more than 32 billion liters compared to 20 billion liters consumed in 2001. Yearly, an individual in Houston consumes average of 90.5 liters of water more than global average of 24.2 liters. Such growth in the consumption of bottled water is presumable consumers’ perception about safety, purity and convenience of bottled water. Typically, increasing public awareness of bottled water makes 50% of Houston population to drink bottled water and approximately one-third of Houston population drink bottled water regularly. Since 1976, there has been an increase in the market of bottled water in Houston and the United States as a whole. (See Fig 1).
Humans and animals breathe out Carbon Dioxide, often referred to as the greenhouse gas, as a waste product. Plants take in this CO2 and use it to make food. This is called photosynthesis. During this process oxygen is released which is then breathed in by humans and animals. This procedure is repeated over and over and a natural balance is obtained. However this natural balance is disrupted by human activity. People of the world are putting more than 5.5 billion tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. 75% of this is caused from the burning of fossil fuels. These fuels are burnt all the time to run factories, power plants and vehicles. The main sources of CO2 emissions are electric utilities, residential buildings, industry and transportation. The other 25% is induced by the destruction of the world's forests. The reason for this is that there are less trees and plants to take in the CO2 but there is just as many, if not more, humans and animals to breathe it out.
Every day the world around us is changing ever so slightly in many different ways. Humans can affect the environment through our day to day lifestyle without even noticing the change. An ecological footprint is a measurement of how much a person uses the environment around them to live their life. This given measurement can help one to see their impact on the earth. It is an important tool to understand what actually a human does to change the habitat near them. My ecological footprint results gave me a perspective of how my daily life can impact the world I live in, as well as, how I as an individual can change my actions to make less waste on earth. It is also useful for each person to know their own ecological footprint since no one live
Being convenient enough for everyday use and even tasting better to some, plastic bottles are a popular way of consuming beverages. They are convenient and to some people, can even taste better. However, the process of manufacturing and transporting the millions of bottles produced is detrimental to the environment. Continued use of plastic bottles could exponentially hurt the planet.
Global Warming One of the most substantial problems in the world today is global warming. This gradual warming of the earth is in occurrence at an extremely slow rate but it is happening. Many scientists believe that as human’s work and release greenhouse gases into the earth’s atmosphere, it can become dangerous for the long lasting life of humans and our environment. “Unless we take immediate action, the impacts of global warming will continue to intensify, grow ever more costly and damaging, and increasingly affect the entire planet - including you, your community, and your family” (“Global Warming Impacts”).