Carbon neutral, zero carbon, carbon footprint - what do these terms mean, why are they important, and what can we do to get involved?
By Justine Roffey
It's inevitable that people are going to affect the environment around them, but increased technology means that those effects are now threatening the very planet we rely on for life itself.
The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) each of us emits by burning fossil fuels - and that includes by driving a car, taking a flight, even indirectly by choosing bananas that have been flown in from Costa Rica or clothes that were manufactured in a carbon-intensive way - adds up to our Carbon Footprint.
While the majority of the central African continent produces less than one ton of CO2 per person, each individual in the US produces over 15 tons. CO2, plus methane and nitrous oxide, are big contributors to climate change, and their levels affect eco-systems, resulting in rising sea levels and altered local climates. And it's the poorest, least-developed countries (who have contributed least to the problem) that will suffer first and the most.
What's the Cost?
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the atmospheric concentration of CO2 was 280 parts per million (ppm). Today it's 370ppm, and is predicted to rise to over 700ppm by the end of the century. This could mean a global warming of between 1.4 and 5.8°C - equivalent to the change from the ice age to today - so despite global energy demands expecting to double in the next 40 years, we must stabilise concentrations at around 500ppm.
In response to the growing evidence, the government has taken a number of steps to assess the problem and take action. The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change found that the costs of implementing any changes are far outweighed by the environmental benefits. There is an economic cost in not acting - between five and 20 per cent of GDP every year - while reducing greenhouse gas emissions can be limited to around one per cent of GDP. DEFRA has launched a campaign on tackling climate change called Act On CO2 at direct.gov.uk/ActOnCO2
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