Whether you are an individual, an organization,
a business or a government, there are a number of steps you can take to reduce
your carbon emissions, the total of which is described as your carbon
footprint. You may think you don’t know where to begin, but by reading this,
you have already begun.
1. Make a commitment:
Reducing your carbon footprint is no different
from any other task. Telling people you will reduce carbon emissions may seem
simplistic, but even simple actions like announcing your commitment to go
carbon neutral can be effective, while the simple act of asking for ideas can
lead to creative and innovative solutions. Several countries have
indicated in recent months that they will go carbon neutral, led by Costa Rica,
New Zealand and Norway. The United Nations system itself, led by
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and guided by the UNEP-led Environment
Management Group, is moving towards carbon neutrality. UNEP is also
facilitating carbon neutrality in all sectors and all regions through its
climate neutral network.
2. Assess where you stand:
It is likely that carbon will eventually be
judged as an atmospheric pollutant and regulated accordingly, with consequent
costs—and opportunities—for all sectors of society. Knowing where and how you
generate greenhouse gases is the first step to reduce them. For individuals and
small businesses, online calculators and internal assessments can help start
the process. Larger organisations may need specialised advice and tools, such
as the new ISO 14064 standards for greenhouse gas accounting and verification,
or the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, provided by the World Resources Institute and
World Business Council for Sustainable Development, which is an accounting tool
for government and business managers to understand, quantify, manage and report
greenhouse gas emissions.
3. Decide and plan where you want to go:
Based on your assessment of climate-related
risks and opportunities, a strategy and action plan can be developed. Targets
help focus efforts and also provide a benchmark for measuring success. Most
homes or businesses can reduce energy use by 10 per cent—which almost always
results in a 10 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions—with a one year
payback or less. A plan to reduce carbon emissions will first focus on the type
of energy and the way it is used; for example electricity for buildings and
fuel for transport. Reducing this energy can create instant savings. An
effective tool is an energy audit. Many electric utilities and government
energy offices now offer an audit as part of their efforts to reduce carbon
emissions.
4. De-carbon your life:
There is a broader way to think about carbon and
climate. Everything an individual, organization, business or government does or
uses embodies some form of carbon, either in products themselves or in the
energy and materials it takes to make them. Buildings, fittings and equipment
are all proxies for carbon; ‘carbon copies’ can be chosen based on the least
amount of impact they will have on the climate. Integrating climate friendly
criteria into decision making can trigger a ripple effect. If consumers,
manufacturers and lawmakers all think ‘low carbon’ and ‘climate friendly’
savings in carbon emissions will multiply. Take packaging as an example. US
retail giant Wal-Mart worked with one of their toy suppliers to reduce
packaging on just 16 items. The toy suppliers saved on packaging costs while
Wal-Mart used 230 fewer shipping containers to distribute their products,
saving about 356 barrels of oil and 1,300 trees. By broadening this initiative
to 255 items, the company believes it can save 1,000 barrels of oil, 3,800
trees, and millions of dollars in transportation costs. Another example: you
can buy paper or wood products that adhere to internationally certified
standards. The Forestry Stewardship Council (www.fsc.org), for example, is an
international non-profit organisation promoting responsible management of the
world’s forests. The FSC trademark is increasingly recognised as an
international standard for responsible forest management. More than 90 million
hectares in more than 70 countries have been certified according to FSC
standards while several thousand products are produced using FSC certified wood
and carrying the FSC trademark. Switching to recycled or sustainably sourced
paper can also lead to considerable savings, reducing both landfill use and
carbon emissions. Using recycled paper can save 1.4 tonnes of CO2 for every
tonne of paper and cardboard. Other ways of reducing your carbon footprint
include wasting less time and energy on travel. Cities can improve public transport
options, companies can encourage low carbon habits (by ceasing to subsidize
parking or investing in hybrid technology company vehicles), and individuals
can car pool or use public transport. Sometimes simple actions can produce a
shift. Secure bicycle storage and changing and shower facilities, for example,
are often inexpensive compared to other parking structures but create a strong
incentive for those who can commute by bicycle. In larger cities with adequate
public transport, a monthly or yearly pass can be offered instead of parking
facilities. Paris and Vienna, for example, offer a public bicycle system that
reduces greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion.
Read rest of the article through this link http://www.coolplanet2009.org/climate-change-news/twelve-steps-to-lower-co2-emissions.html
- Khadija Al Mousa
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