What is a carbon footprint?
Every time you switch on a light, drive your car, run water or put out your rubbish you’re making a decision that affects the environment. Natural resources – water, coal, oil, land and fresh air – will run out if we use them up at a rate faster than they can replenish themselves. There are many indications that this is already happening. Each person living day to day on earth has a carbon footprint, producing carbon emissions directly or indirectly, which have a combined negative long term effect on the environment.
The good news is that you can make a difference. Every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity you avoid, saves over a kilogram of carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the number-one contributor to global warming; a process that scientists say has led to a rise in global average temperatures by over half a degree Celsius over the past 30 years and could raise the earth’s temperatures by 1,4 – 5,8oC by the end of the century. Installing an 11-watt compact fluorescent light (CFL) in place of a 60-watt incandescent light bulb will save about 570 kWh over the life of the compact fluorescent – saving more than 570 kg of CO2.
The following needs to be considered when determining your household’s carbon footprint:
- The country in which you live - electricity CO2 emissions are very high in South Africa.
- The type of home - flat, semi-detached or free-standing home.
- Your lifestyle - heating, air conditioning, appliances and lighting setup.
- Your habits - switching off, recycling, showering or bathing.
- Green technology - solar heating, photovoltaic (PV) panels or renewable energy.
- Use of public transport.
- Personal travel with your car (yearly mileage) and via aeroplane (yearly air miles).
- Business travel with your car and via aeroplane.
Did you know?
One ton of CO2 emissions occupies 556m3 of space at 25oC at standard pressure. An Olympic size swimming pool is 2500m3. The average South African household consumes 12.81 tons of CO2 per year. This can fill almost three Olympic size swimming pools!
Click here to download the 'ENERGY' section, or full version, of the Smart Living Handbook - a practical sustainability guide for people and households in Cape Town to make their homes safer and to save money and the environment.
Useful carbon footprint web resources:
Atmosfair
http://www.atmosfair.de
BP (British Petroleum)
http://www.bp.com
Carbon Clear
http://www.carbon-clear.com
Carbon Counter
http://www.carboncounter.org
Carbon Fund
http://www.carbonfund.org
Carbon Neutral Company, The
http://www.carbonneutral.com
Choose Climate
http://www.chooseclimate.org
Cleaner Climate
http://www.cleanerclimate.co.za
Climate Care
http://www.climatecare.org
Earth Day Network Footprint Calculator
http://www.earthday.net/footprint/index.html
Food and Trees for Africa
http://www.trees.co.za
Global Carbon Exchange
http://www.globalcarbonexchange.com
Steadfast Greening
http://www.steadfastgreening.co.za/calculator.php
Sustainable Travel International
http://www.sustainabletravelinternational.org
Acknowledgment: These “Energy Efficiency at Home” web pages are made possible by funding from the Danida Urban Environmental Management Programme (UEMP).
NOTE: Information on this page was acquired from a variety of sources (print and Internet) and the City of Cape Town cannot be held liable for any errors or misinterpretations whatsoever. The City of Cape Town is also not responsible for the content of external websites, nor does it constitute an endorsement of these websites. They are solely intended to provide additional information sources that may be helpful.