What does carbon neutrality mean?
You’ve probably been hearing that term quite a bit lately during the UN Climate Conference in Paris. Many companies and organizations, are pledging to become carbon neutral. But what does it mean?
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the amount of CO2 naturally expelled into the atmosphere naturally balanced the amount absorbed by the ocean and plants.
That is all part of the Earth’s biological carbon cycle process.
But as the Industrial Revolution era began, we started tipping the carbon cycle out of balance. We dug up additional hydrocarbons out of the ground to power our society. We tore down forests for wood, fuel and agriculture.
And burning all those fossil fuels is expelling CO2 at a rate that’s beyond the Earth’s natural capacity to absorb it, causing an over-accumulation in the atmosphere and destroying our natural carbon sinks at the same time.
And now we’ve reached a point where this surplus of CO2 is causing climate change that may soon be irreversible if we don’t bring the concentration back toward net zero.
So when you hear the terms carbon footprint neutralization, carbon neutrality, carbon sequestration, carbon offset, climate neutrality, etc. these are all different ways of talking about the same core issue.
Reaching carbon neutrality means taking action to reduce and offset the amount of CO2 (and other greenhouse gasses) we create in order to achieve a net zero anthropogenic carbon emission, and of course avert a potential catastrophe.
Know more about CO2 neutrality initiative:
http://universityofcalifornia.edu/news/uc-brings-california-s-climate-change-message-paris
http://sustainability.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/carbonneutrality2025_berkeley.april15.pdf
Gif showing how our planet’s climate is expected to change by 2099
Animation via NASA
http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/climate-models-show-potential-21st-century-temperature-precipitation-changes/#.UyNmXlFdXZG
#climatechange #nasa #CO2neutrality
Good post. We the people (WTP) need to take back this discussion. Starting at the beginning. The politically-infused version seems to be stuck in a carbon sink cesspool.
ReplyDeleteFour key areas for WTP as consumers to react:
ReplyDelete1) Home - how to heat it, where and how do you live? Can you live or request collective transportation access nearby? It should be a key parameter when finding your 'house/flat of your dreams'
2) Vehicle/Car - start asking for and demanding pure EV:s (electrical cars). Refuse fuel-cell (fool-cell) and avoid parallell (serial is slightly less bad) hybrid offers - unless you REALLY need it. Ask yourself - when do I really need a SUV? ...well, as often as you need a hybrid...
3) The Stock Exchange - in the same way as you would avoid defence/ weapon, tobacco or porn industry - you will obviuosly avoid fossil-based business. It will per se be a BAD investment anyhow. Make investments that allows you to look in your childs' eyes and clearly state the purpose of it without blinking. Consider subcontractors to the industry too. They are providing cheap components to maintain production of fossil cars for another 30 years unless YOU act as a consumer and request Pure EV:s e.g. (see point 2)
4) Beef - avoid eating excess of red meat. Once in a while as a treat - no problem, but not everyday. Start by reduce it to once a week. Just try it and the effect is good for all.
Addum
Until transportations are carbon neutral do also consider flying less and eat locally produced food that requires minimum of transportation.
Thanks Carl Widigsson :)
ReplyDeleteSet deep roots. Telecommute. Sorry, just trying to get it down to Twitter size for mass consumption (locally of course)... But seriously, can you imagine the impact of just cutting the rush hour madness in half, or by a couple orders of magnitude? Not only to reduce carbon emissions, but to improve quality of life? Think about it...
ReplyDeleteIn Sweden we talk about always consider the four B:s (4B):
ReplyDelete1) Bostaden - Your Home
2) Bilen - Your Car
3) Börsen - The Stock Exchange
4) Biffen - The Beef
A Quality lifestyle - Twitter-enabled ;)
Bingo! Carl Widigsson
ReplyDeleteI've been preaching climate change since my biology classes in college but the people still acting against it have refused to listen. Then when they got shouted down, they acquiesced in words, signed international contracts, or locally, agreed it's too bad.
ReplyDeleteYet still they do not put it in mind during daily operations. Still the engines idle far longer just so the windscreen will be clear by itself instead of with a scraper, and the interior will be comfortable.
Just one example from up here where it's cold and you warm up your car. You would not believe how long the drive-thru line up at the donut shop gets. You can walk in and get served almost immediately, with plenty of parking yet, but the cars idle in place up to half an hour for their coffee and pastry!
I honestly wonder how we're to make the member countries make good on their promises, whatever they say they'll do. When I first came to Saskatoon the skies were blue from apex to horizon but now they smudge to brown like so many cities.
No government will fix it. It's up to WTP to fix it. Individuals acting optimally, and in large numbers.
ReplyDeleteIf we completely stop digging up carbon and double the amount of forests we back to original dynamics but still would need to deal with the consequences of the dug up carbon we already burnt... so being "neutral" by offsetting digging up new carbon by planting trees we are in debt to plant anyway will not cut it...
ReplyDeleteBut it's better then nothing I guess....
co2 reacts with pressure to temperature - it enlarges the atmosphere ...
ReplyDelete