Monday, September 30, 2019

Are you Aware of your Envronmental Impacts?


Image result for earth co2
Did you know that the Earth’s average temperature is rising about 0.2 per decade (World of Change)? This may not seem like a very dramatic change, but to those concerned about global warm, it is, and you should be too. There are numerous environmental problems that have been affecting the quality of our environment. Some the problems include pollutants from mining, loss of natural resources, and our own carbon footprints.  All these problems cause an increase in CO2 emissions, greenhouse gases, and an overall climate change.
               Carbon dioxide emissions are a huge aspect that results in global warming. There are two types of carbon cycles, the fast carbon cycle and the slow. The slow carbon cycle consists of carbon dioxide cycling between rocks, oceans, and soil over millions of years.  The fast carbon cycle refers the cycling of carbon dioxide between plants and respiration. Much of the carbon dioxide we produce comes from the burning fossil fuels or plant material.  When we burn fossil fuels such as driving a vehicle, mining coal, or heating a house, carbon dioxide gases are moved from the slow carbon cycle to the fast carbon cycle and the carbon gets released into the atmosphere (“The Carbon Cycle”). 
This increase in carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases trap heat for the Earth to absorb. The energy from the sun radiates heat on the Earth and some of the rays are reflected into space, but with the increase of gases, the amount of energy absorbed by the Earth increases and the amount reflected into space decreases. The energy the Earth receive must be equal to the energy the Earth is reflecting into space or the Earth will become warmer or colder (“The Carbon Cycle”).    
One way to can see how much each product we use effects the environment is by doing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of each product we use. An LCA allows for consumers to make an eco-friendly decision by comparing the environmental impact of different products. An LCA quantifies the impact of a products life from “Cradle to Grave” (“Cradle-to-Grave Assessment”).  This expression refers to everything used to make and transport the product including the extraction of the raw materials through the way it was recycled or disposed at the end of its life.  Many companies use LCA to help with marketing, reduce environmental impacts, and evaluating policy regulations.
Furthermore, we can assess each of our environmental impacts by evaluating our own carbon footprints. Your carbon footprint is a measurement your direct and indirect total greenhouse gas emission produced (Carbon Footprinting).  Understanding your carbon footprint can help your figure out what areas your can change to help environmental problems.  Maybe a change you could make would be riding a bike rather than driving your vehicle to work. Maybe you could hang dry clothes rather than using a dryer to save electricity.  These are all things that impact your carbon footprint.
Overall, global warming is a real issue.  It may not seem like a significant number, but over the years, this small number adds up. This small change affects the growth of plants, animals, and ecosystem that humans are not aware of.  We need to be more aware of our effects on the environment.  A good way to start being aware of our environmental impact is to understand our carbon footprint and compare the LCA of products we buy to find the best eco-friendly option.


“Carbon Footprinting Guide: Resources & Guides: Carbon Trust.” Carbon Footprinting Guide | Resources & Guides | Carbon Trust, https://www.carbontrust.com/resources/guides/carbon-footprinting-and-reporting/carbon-footprinting/.

“Cradle-to-Grave Assessment.” Cradle-to-Grave Assessment - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/cradle-to-grave-assessment.

“World of Change: Global Temperatures.” NASA, NASA, https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/world-of-change/DecadalTemp.

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