Close Window

What is a “Carbon Footprint?” And Why Should We Care?

by Ted Thompson

Lately, we hear the expression “carbon footprint” thrown around as if it is something to be concerned with, anxious about, perhaps even ashamed of. We may not be sure what this shadowy threat is, but it certainly sounds sinister. Something to do with greenhouse gases, we’re told. As citizens of an increasingly global neighborhood, we are exhorted at every turn to reduce our carbon footprints. Most of us would probably be agreeable to that, within the parameters of our own lifestyles and convenience, if only we knew what a carbon footprint is.

The EPA defines carbon footprint as “the impact of human activities on the environment in terms of the greenhouse gases produced, measured in terms of carbon dioxide.” But what’s so bad about carbon dioxide? Carbon dioxide is emitted and eliminated through a variety of planetary processes in what is referred to as the “carbon cycle.” It is an essential function of the biosphere, fundamental to the cycle of life itself.

Billions of tons of carbon dioxide are emitted annually through volcanic eruptions, plant decay, even through animal respiration. On the flip side of the carbon cycle, those same tons are removed from the environment by the oceans, by plants and trees, and by other means. As in most global mechanisms, when it comes to carbon dioxide our planet tries to maintain a natural balance.

Now enter man, and all his doings. All his travelings. All his stuff.

We dearly love firing up our machines, don’t we? Going places. Doing things. Making stuff. As we learned in second grade, everything we do and all we create requires some form of energy. The convenient energy choice for modern human activities, including most manufacturing, is fossil fuel.

To put it simply (although nothing about it is simple), mankind’s burning of vast quantities of fossil fuel creates more carbon dioxide than the planet’s carbon cycle can remove. Indeed, carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, and in such prodigious quantities it contributes to the gradual (or not so gradual) warming of the planet.

Footprints are things we leave behind, impressions we make on the paths that we follow. Our carbon footprint is the global impact, in the form of excess carbon dioxide, which is left behind by all the choices we make. All the things we do. All the stuff we create – and use – and then throw away.

Reducing our carbon footprint – lessening our individual and collective impact on the global carbon cycle – by making better choices in what we do, what we use, where we go and how we get there, can ultimately bring back the balance our planet naturally seeks. Remember, a lot of people doing just a little can make a big difference.

And by the way…your carbon footprint? If you’re typical, it is about 12 to 15 tons of carbon dioxide per year!

Ted Thompson is a freelance writer and consultant. This article submitted by the Environmental Writers Project of the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District. For more information, visit www.nwaedd.org/waste or call 870.741.6536.

Close Window