Atrás quedaron los días en los que creíamos que bastaría con cambiar una bombilla o separar la basura. El calentamiento global y el cambio climático no solo aumentan, sino que se aceleran . Ahora bien, se podría argumentar que dejar de vivir es la forma definitiva de reducir tu huella de carbono . Aparte de eso, estas son las mejores formas de reducir su huella de carbono, sin ningún orden en particular (las principales dependerán de su estilo de vida actual).
Contents
Vuela menos
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Si bien los viajes aéreos representan solo alrededor del 2% de las emisiones globales, [1] eso se debe a que solo el 4% de la población mundial vuela regularmente (al menos una vez al año). [2] Pero para aquellos que sí vuelan, ¡generalmente representa más del 50% de su huella de carbono! Entonces, si vuela regularmente, reducir los vuelos es probablemente la mejor manera de reducir su huella.
- Dale una oportunidad a los destinos locales para las vacaciones.
- Preferir trenes o autobuses nocturnos en distancias cortas
- Pague ese extra por vuelos directos más cortos (¡su tiempo también es valioso!)
- Piensa más si realmente necesitas ir a esa conferencia
Conducir menos
Los automóviles son convenientes pero también una fuente importante de gases de efecto invernadero, tanto a nivel mundial como individual.
- ¿Conduce usted mismo al trabajo todos los días? Considere la posibilidad de compartir vehículos , transporte público o andar en bicicleta. Los autos eléctricos no son mejores si la fuente de electricidad es la quema de combustibles fósiles. [3]
- Do you regularly drive long distances? Consider renting a car at destination and getting there by train, long-distance bus or even plane. It's not only greener, but it could be much cheaper if you prevent any problems with your car that will require repair. In many cases it can be more convenient too, since by not driving you can sleep, read, answer emails, etc.
- Do you drive everyday nearby? Consider biking, it's not only greener but also good for your health and happiness!
- Do you live in a rural area?
Eat consciously
Not all foods are created equal! The carbon footprint of different foods on a per-food-calorie basis varies wildly.[4]. Plants produce more calories on the same amount of land and emit less carbon dioxide and methane than animals. Foods with the lowest associated carbon footprints include:
- Grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables.
- Anything you grow yourself without fossil fuel inputs.
- Chicken — Not particularly low footprint but the lowest among meats.
Foods with the highest carbon footprints include:
- Red meat — Meat production requires a lot of land for growing animal feed, which is the main driver of deforestation globally.
- Dairy — Cattle also emits considerable amounts of methane.[5]
- Processed foods — Requiring refrigeration and anything air-freighted or grown in most greenhouses (except Iceland where they are heated geothermally).
Planning meals ahead of time can help avoid the temptation to purchase prepared foods and take advantage of fresh, local food that is in season.
Buy responsibly
- Buy less — Making products takes energy, so buying less products reduces your footprint. Reuse, repurpose and repair.
- Buy local — Transport takes energy, so buying local products reduces your footprint too. Growing your own food is as local as it gets (and fascinating too!).
- Buy wisely — Every product or service you buy supports the continuity of that product or service, so chose wisely the products and companies you support.
Make your home energy-efficient
- Improve insulation — Heating and cooling are the main sources of energy consumption in most homes. In winter, turn down the thermostat a few degrees and wear a sweater instead; in summer, try cooling your room with water. Invest in double-glass windows and if you're building a new house, insulate the floor and roof. Thermal curtains are a great option as you can take them with you when moving away.
- Optimize your appliances — Use grade A appliances such as LED instead of incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. Turn off unused appliances and unplug them to avoid phantom loads.
- Install solar panels — Nowadays they are cheap and easy to install. It may still take some years to recover the investment, but your carbon footprint will drop immediately.
- Build with prefabricated panels — Cement is one of the leading industries in carbon emissions. Making your house with prefabricated panels is not only greener, but also cheaper, faster and with better insulation.
Use birth-control methods
While it could be argued that your children's footprint is their responsibility, not yours, that surely applies only when they are 18 years old or more. So if you're not planning on having children, better not to have them.
Re-evaluate your job
Most of us picked our profession without considering its carbon footprint, or even before we knew of such a thing. So now that you know, perhaps you should ask: does my job increase my carbon footprint, significantly?
- Bitcoin trader? Consider investing in more carbon efficient cryptocurrencies.[6]
- Tech practitioner? See Carbon footprint guide for tech practitioners
Re-evaluate your life
This guide covers many or even most things you should consider to reduce your footprint, but every life is different so there may be crucial items missing. For example:
- Hobbies — Most have a low footprint, like music, gardening or board games. However, a few don't, like aviation or auto racing.
See also
External links
- https://www.carbonfootprint.com/ - Carbon footprint calculator and other resources. Calculators are all fine and useful, but they leave out many factors that are just too complex, variable or uncertain to quantify. Calculating the carbon footprint of your air travel or electricity bill is one thing, but what about your job, hobbies, or consumption habits? Such things can make up a large percentage of your footprint but are nearly impossible to quantify. That being said, using a calculator can be very useful to better understand your footprint and where to focus first. They also tend to include handy links to offset or compensate your footprint.
- uBlock Origin - Browser extension that blocks ads and trackers with minimum CPU usage. Every byte transferred through the Internet requires energy, so preventing unnecessary web requests is a simple way to reduce your footprint. uBlock Origin seems the most efficient.
References
- ↑ https://www.atag.org/facts-figures.html
- ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378020307779
- ↑ That's not to say we shouldn't favor electric cars over a fossil-fuel ones, but transitioning to a greener transportation industry requires both electric vehicles and greener sources of electricity.
- ↑ "The Impacts - 2011 Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change + Health". Environmental Working Group. 2011. "Lamb, beef and cheese have the highest emissions. This is true, in part, because they come from ruminant animals that constantly generate methane through their digestive process, called enteric fermentation. Methane (CH4) – a greenhouse gas 25 times more (CH4) potent than carbon dioxide (CO2), accounts for nearly half the emissions generated in this study's Nebraska beef production model (...). Pound for pound, ruminants also require significantly more energy-intensive feed and generate more manure than pork or chicken (...)."
- ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8567486/
- ↑ https://digiconomist.net/bitcoin-energy-consumption