my carbon footprint
POSTED BY: 1kiki
UPDATED: Friday, May 24, 2024 04:23
VIEWED: 3477
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I did kind of wonder - I go out of my way to conserve water and energy, my car gets high mpg and I don't drive much, and I recycle. So, according to the calculator at the So Cal Gas Co website:
My Carbon Footprint 5.2 Tons CO2/year
National Avg: 24.4 Tons CO2/year
Conservation works.
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The trees are not impressed.
Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen
I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.
" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall
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Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
I did kind of wonder - I go out of my way to conserve water and energy, my car gets high mpg and I don't drive much, and I recycle. So, according to the calculator at the So Cal Gas Co website:
My Carbon Footprint 5.2 Tons CO2/year
National Avg: 24.4 Tons CO2/year
Conservation works.
I have to ask as the measurement of carbon foot print isn’t consistent between various resources and I wonder what data comparison was made by the SoCalGas Co to suggest 5 tonnes of CO2 emissions was "good"?
The numbers I (sort of) trust come from the US Department of Energy's Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) which are based on data collected from country agencies by the United Nations Statistics Division since 1990.
CDIAC identifies that the average annual carbon dioxide emissions [tonnes] in the USA is about 17.50 per capita/per year (Canada about 14.70 per capita/per year).
However, the CDIAC also identifies the average annual carbon dioxide emissions [tonnes] for the average household in the USA is about 5.52/per year (in Canada 5.24/per year).
If the CDIAC is an accurate source for data, then a 5.2 tonne footprint isn’t exactly low as it is within the range of the average US household’s CO2 emissions.
The UN states that to stop further CO2 damage the average household would need get down to about a 2 ton (or less) annual average by 2020.
My household CO2 emissions for 2014 were 11.38 tonnes; which included 2.27 tonnes for a round trip to Africa. For me to get to 2 tonnes per year means I would have to walk to work 97% of the time (its only 17 km so no biggie), stop heating my home about mid/late December, use only a single light bulb, never watch TV or use a computer and never cook anything and grow all my own food (and be a vegan).
Sort of puts things into perspective that the countries that currently meet the 2 tonnes or less are the poorest and most underdeveloped third world countries on the planet and that have temperate climates.
Oh let the sun beat down upon my face;
With stars to fill my dream;
I am a traveler of both time and space;
To be where I have been
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Kiki the Old Sow: "I calculated my carbon footprint today."
Sniggy the Piggy: "Why would you do that?"
Kiki the Old Sow: "Because I care about the Earth and wanna do my part."
Sniggy the Piggy: "You're too good to be true. You're like a saint."
Kiki the Old Sow: "I'll show you how to reduce your carbon footprint if you like."
Sniggy the Piggy: "Before you start, can we roll around in our feces for a while."
Kiki the Old Sow: "Damn you. At least pretend to respect the science!"
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Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
I did kind of wonder - I go out of my way to conserve water and energy, my car gets high mpg and I don't drive much, and I recycle. So, according to the calculator at the So Cal Gas Co website:
My Carbon Footprint 5.2 Tons CO2/year
National Avg: 24.4 Tons CO2/year
Conservation works.
You conserve water...so you never take a shower? And FYI, in New York State we have to recycle, we have to separate our paper, plastic and glass. I also drive a 2012 Ford Focus that I keep well maintained and gets over 34 MPG. I don't know what my carbon footprint is but I'm doing fine and not even trying.
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Deverse
I'm not that concerned about whether the So Cal Gas Co numbers are exact. It's only an estimator after all.
What I'm assuming is that their calculation compares apples to apples - that the calculation that got the 24.4 tonnes national average is the same calculation that got me the 5.2 tonnes estimation.
I live a normal, modern lifestyle in So Cal. Aside from having a drought-tolerant landscape (which is also very low care, an important factor), driving an old but efficient econobox and being mindful to combine my trips, recycling, and other similar low effort measures, my life is comfortable and convenient.
If I can live a comfortable convenient life whose carbon footprint is far below the national average, it seems like reducing household carbon emissions to a fifth of their current levels is well within reach. And that kind of reduction is well on the way to helping global warming.
And I have to say I'm having a hard time figuring out how people - on average - use so much. I can't imagine using 5x more than I do now. And if I'm at the low end, then there is someone out there with an annual footprint of 45 in order to generate a 24.4 average.. It boggles my mind how they could possibly manage to generate such a large number.
SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.
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1KIKI,
I just found the numbers a bit off as 24 tonnes is an awful lot of CO2 for one household - and I'll explain why.
I live in Canada and heat with natural gas for about 6 months of the year and do keep an eye on use. 2014 was an especially cold year here and this year its been colder than -25C since the second week of January. I also keep an eye on electricity, especially in the winter when the sun comes up at 9am and is back down at 3 pm for about 4 of the 6 winter months. The air conditioner gets used, but only for a few days a year, typically in July/August when either my wife or I work nights and it is very hot (above 30C) and its hard to get a good sleep during the day.
I also run two vehicles (my wife and I both work and different shifts, so about 1/2 the time we take separate cars) that are reasonably fuel efficient (12L/100km - or 3 US gal/62 miles) and don't let either idle much in the winter (at -40 or so they need to idle a few minutes just so the transmission and steering pump can kick in and work properly).
The 3 largest parts of my household foot print are natural gas, electricity and vehicle fuel and my total household foot print estimate for 2014 was 11.38 tonnes (less 2.27 for the Africa trip so its closer to 9.11 tonnes). The other criteria (food, clothing, entertainment, etc.) in the estimate for a foot print do not add up to a lot but would be very difficult to reduce.
I cannot figure out how someone (a household) could possibly get to 24 tonnes in a year. Given that it is a national average - a fair number would need to be much higher than 24 tonnes.
Even if I added my two children to my household (their cars, etc.) it would not double the household foot print. And while the house is well built and insulated (it meets the R2000 standard) we don't keep temperatures uncomfortable or are fanatical about electrical use or specifically conservative on vehicle fuel, it would be exceedingly difficult to get my household foot print up to 24 tonnes.
As I said, it just seemed that the 24 tonne per household figure was quite high.
I will say that I do expect to be significantly lower in foot print in the next few years. The retirement home we have planned is geothermal, solar and wind power for heat and electricity. While I doubt we will be off the gas/electricity grid, it'll be interesting to see how low a foot print will be.
Anyway, interesting subject to dabble in at least until the Canadian government implements a carbon tax (likely after the next federal election). The estimates are the tax will be (start anyway) at about $30.00 per tonne and modeled after the province of British Columbia's current system of carbon taxation. Should be interesting to see what happens.
Oh let the sun beat down upon my face;
With stars to fill my dream;
I am a traveler of both time and space;
To be where I have been
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Hm. Interesting information. Thanks.
SAGAN: We are releasing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, increasing the greenhouse effect. It may not take much to destabilize the Earth's climate, to convert this heaven, our only home in the cosmos, into a kind of hell.
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