Stop Global Warming: Calculate Your Carbon Footprint - Do Your Part to Protect The Environment
To first have an appreciation for the impact one is having on the environment, one must first understand how they contribute to Global Warming. The best approach to take to determine how much Carbon Dioxide a person is adding to the atmosphere is to go by a general rule of thumb. For example if you drive a car and you get 20 miles per gallon of gas and drive ten thousand miles a year, you add approximately 9900 pounds of Carbon Dioxide to the environment per year, per vehicle. The easiest way to calculate this process is to multiply 19.8 pounds by the amount of gallons of gas used per year, thus 19.8 x 500 = 9900.
You are probably wondering why you would calculate by such a large number, well the reason is that a gallon of gas weighs about 6.3 pounds and when that gas is being burned up by the engine in your car it basically triples in weight due to the expansion of molecules and the oxygen being absorbed. Remember that oxygen is being converted into carbon dioxide. Not to be an alarmist, but it only makes since that continually pumping CO2 into the environment will undoubtedly have negative consequences. It is my belief that the human race has always found ways to survive the various catastrophes it has either initiated or been presented with. Global Warming is no exception as we are a very resourceful group that has used technology to our benefit in the past.
Technology has already given us Hybrid Cars that run both on gas and electric power, solar power to heat our homes, wind power to generate electricity to light our evening skies, tidal power is now just coming into being very viable and much cleaner fuels to burn in our vehicles. With regards to the environment there is technology that the major industries of the world can use to almost cease all emissions of CO2 and other deadly chemicals they are pumping into the atmosphere. Take a look around the community and region you live in. No doubt you will see some industry with one of those large smoke stacks spewing grey/black smoke into the air and be able to watch as that soot,ash and residual chemical poisons being distributed throughout your home town.
Reality is that there are special filters those companies can place in and on those stacks to significantly reduce the amount of exhaust they discharge. Unfortunately, it is the almighty dollar that restrains those companies from showing any compassion for their fellow man. As a matter of fact there are numerous things that an individual and family can do to reduce carbon dioxide emissions immediately. Those of us in the northern climates need to make sure our homes are properly weather-proofed, which will ensure we don't have to use excess heating fuels. This is only the tip of the tip of the ice berg that we as custodians of our planet can do to ensure our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren experience what this wonderful planet has to offer.
P.S. Please continue to follow my articles as you will find them to be helpful to you and your family. I am not on a crusade to guilt or cajole but ultimately provide information for people to make better decisions for themselves and the planet.
Keith Weir is a social worker by nature and by profession and has been in practise for about 20 years, mainly in Child Protective Services. Although disillusioned by "the system" and having left CPS, he continues to fulfill what he has determined is his mission in life - helping and teaching others to live a better quality of life. Inspired by "The Secret", Keith has dedicated himself to teaching others how to manifest abundance in health, wealth and happiness while minimizing our impact on our environment.
US publishes first global carbon dioxide map - Xinhua
Spongy carbon tubes take the strain - Nature.com (subscription)
European Parliament backs carbon capture and storage - Energy Efficiency News
Times Online European Parliament backs carbon capture and storage Energy Efficiency News, UK - This means that fossil-fuel burning power plants built after this date will have to incorporate carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. ... Integer Research: Future of Europe's Energy Intensive Industries ... US focus on climate could ease financial crisis EU Gives Industries 5 Years Before Carbon Emission Fees Are Instated -