Carbon Footprint Explained
The term carbon footprint refers to the sum of greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide and methane, released into the environment directly or indirectly due to our actions. It is the main reason for human-induced climate change. The amount of carbon dioxide produced by us depends on our life choices and activities like travelling, consuming food, consuming electricity and many more. Canadian author Alexandra Shimo-Barry has developed a formula to determine your carbon footprint.
There are nine steps to follow in order to calculate your carbon footprint:
- Multiply your monthly electric bill by 105
- Multiply your monthly gas bill by 105
- Multiply your monthly oil bill by 113
- Multiply your total yearly mileage on your car by 0.79
- Multiply the number of flights you’ve taken in the past year (4 hours or less) by 1,100
- Multiply the number of flights you’ve taken in the past year (4 hours or more) by 4,400
- Add 184 if you do NOT recycle newspaper
- Add 166 if you do NOT recycle aluminium and tin
- Add 1-8 together for your total carbon footprint
A carbon footprint between 6,000 to 15,999 is considered ideal, and 16,000 to 22,000 is considered normal. Anything beyond 22,000 is not good for the environment