Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

By Author: GE3S
Total Articles: 6
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Today, it is becoming common to hear about climate change, a topic that many people talk about, but few realize the impact of this phenomenon. As the causes of the phenomenon of climate change are attributed to the high levels of human industrial activity in particular, and consequently, the percentage of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rises with it.

Carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) from diverse human activity are directly related to the degradation of the world environment. Accordingly, it is essential to measure the rates of carbon dioxide emissions from these activities, from which the extent of negativity contributes to increasing environmental loads.

"If you can't measure it, you can't manage it," said management expert Peter Drucker. From this point of view comes the importance of measuring these carbon emissions resulting from human activities using (carbon footprint), because if not measured, then how do we know how to manage and control them!

A carbon footprint can be defined as an indicator by which the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the production, use, and end of a ...
... product or service is expressed. It includes carbon dioxide - the gas most emitted by humans - and others, including methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases that trap heat in the atmosphere causing global warming.

The carbon footprint is used at several levels, where it is used to express the rates of carbon dioxide emissions at the level of the individual, institutions, countries or even at the level of the production of a specific product or at a particular level of activity, and is often expressed in units of tons of carbon dioxide emissions )Ton / Year(.

Currently, organizations are moving towards achieving a sustainability strategy through their responsible sense of the environment.
As companies around the world measure their carbon footprint, inform stakeholders, and use the results to communicate their sustainability measures.

The idea of "sustainable consumption" has emerged, which depends on the idea that both individuals and institutions consume goods and services that have little impact on the environment.

The carbon footprint can be calculated by capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in a specified period, usually on an annual basis, as the data must have a fixed period. Data is collected from a variety of different sources, which differ from one institution to another, including travel, logistics, and operations, to obtain a complete and accurate footprint.

Also, the appropriate emission factor must be determined for each emission source to calculate the tons of carbon dioxide (tCO2e).
After analyzing the results of the carbon footprint, organizations are working on a strategic approach to reduce these emissions and set sustainable environmental goals. It can include ways to reduce the carbon footprint of enterprises, such as driving more energy-efficient cars, and where employees use public transportation, and the use of energy-saving devices in the enterprise.

An insulator can also be installed in the organization’s offices to reduce heating and air conditioning costs, and urge employees to consume food that does not require a significant amount of transportation and others.

Organizations can also offset CO2 emissions by investing in projects such as tree planting or investing in renewable energy.