The EcoHomeLife Explains series explains commonly used terms around sustainability simply and briefly. In this part of the series we answer the question: is a carbon footprint bad for the environment?
You probably have heard the term “carbon footprint”. It’s been part of the discussion about sustainability for a while.
If you want to live a more sustainable life and reduce the impact you have on our planet, then knowing what your carbon footprint is can help.
But is a carbon footprint bad for the environment, and should you worry about yours? Let’s find out…
What Is A Carbon Footprint?
To find out if a carbon footprint is bad for the planet, let’s first find out what this term actually means.
The Cambridge Dictionary online defines it as:
a measurement of the amount of carbon dioxide produced by the activities of a person, company, organization, etc.
Cambridge Dictionary online
So this means, if, for example, we drive a car or use a computer, our carbon footprint becomes bigger.
The idea is that if you know your carbon footprint, you can make adjustments to reduce it, which will be better for our planet.
But here is the thing, the term was coined by oil giant British Petroleum, better known as BP. Their aim was to shift the blame for climate change away from them and on to us people.
BP wants us to ignore the fact that they are one of the largest fossil fuel companies in the world and instead focus on our own contributions to climate change. This allows them to continue making huge profits while harming our planet.
Don’t get me wrong, I do think that we all have to make changes to our lives to live more sustainably. But BP and other fossil fuel companies have a primary role in causing climate change.
The truth that BP doesn’t want us to know is that unless they change the way they operate, none of the actions we as individuals can take will make a meaningful difference.
Scientists have made very clear that we have to stop burning fossil fuels if we want to stop climate change. This means companies like BP have to move away from what they are doing and towards renewable energy.
This costs money, so they prefer to make us think that we are the ones that have to make changes.
Knowing all this, we might as well wonder: is a carbon footprint bad for the planet?
Is A Carbon Footprint Bad For The Environment?
The concept of the carbon footprint, as a way to measure how much carbon dioxide the actions of an individual or organisation produces, is not bad. At least in theory.
However, it’s extremely difficult to actually calculate how much carbon dioxide any action releases. So none of the carbon footprint calculators out there are anywhere near accurate.
But that doesn’t mean that we should just continue our destructive ways. We should all try to live more sustainable.
However, the main focus should remain on the fossil fuel industry to change. And this will only happen if governments around the world will implement the right laws and policies.
All we can do is to vote for those parties that will commit to doing that.
So is a carbon footprint bad for the environment? Yes, it is, but our individual carbon footprint is much smaller than those of big corporations, especially in the fossil fuel industry.
Rather than worrying about our carbon footprint and using carbon footprint calculators, we should take a pragmatic approach to making changes towards a more sustainable lifestyle.
Changes To Make For A More Sustainable Life
There are big changes you can make, but most of them will be expensive, such as buying an electric car, installing solar panels or a heat pump.
If you can afford to make these changes, great! But if not, don’t worry there are small changes we can all make to live a more sustainable life:
- Walk and cycle more: for those small errands, like popping to the shops for a pint of milk, walk or cycle. Not only will this be better for the planet, but also your health. Only use your car if you absolutely have to, use public transport if you can’t walk or cycle.
- Reduce your energy use: switch off the lights if you are not in the room, create a sustainable laundry routine, switch off electric appliances rather than leaving them on stand-by, turn down the temperature of your hot water by 1°C, etc. Not only will that help the planet, it will also save you money.
- Reduce your waste: buy fruits and veg individually rather than pre-packed, use zero-waste shops, sell items you don’t need any more but are still ok to use, recycle whenever possible, etc.
- Buy second-hand: clothes, furniture, books, phones, washing machines, etc. can all be bought second-hand.
- Create a wildlife garden and grow your own fruit and veg
- Switch to more eco-friendly products: shampoo bars, body bars, eco-friendly make-up, eco-friendly razors, eco-friendly cleaning products, sustainable dental care products, eco-friendly period products, etc. There is a wide range of eco-friendly products out there which can help you live a more sustainable life.
- Eat less meat: it’s not necessary to become vegetarian or vegan, but eating less meat is proven to be better for the planet. Start with having one meat-free meal per week and see how you go.
The answer to our question “is a carbon footprint bad for the planet?” is yes. But not having one is impossible. All we can do is make sure it is not too big.
By making some (or all if you want) of the above changes you will live a more sustainable life.
