Everything around us, from a cell phone and computer we use to a T-shirt we wear, has its own carbon footprint. Flights and car trips we take per year, or meat and dairy products we consume also leave a carbon footprint on the environment.

In simple terms, a carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced to support our activities and lifestyle during a year, expressed as carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent.

A greenhouse gas has the ability to trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. The primary greenhouse gases are water vapor (H2O), methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and ozone (O3). A healthy concentration of these gases in the planet’s atmosphere is necessary to maintain habitable temperatures. Without them, the average temperature of the Earth’s surface would drop to 0°F, and this would make our planet uninhabitable for most species.

However, when the concentration of greenhouse gases increases, it makes the average global temperature higher. It is this effect that occurs inside greenhouses which is why these gases are called greenhouse gases.

This rise in temperature leads to global warming, which has disastrous effects on the planet we live on. So the smaller our carbon footprint is, the better it is for the planet and our future. These are the effects of global warming:

❌ melting of the ice caps

❌ disruption of rainfall patterns, leading to floods or droughts, which affects the crop yield and can lead to crop losses

❌ intense and more frequent storms

❌ risk of species survival in higher temperatures

❌ loss of biodiversity

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