People constantly talk (and write) about the CO2 emissions generated by industries, cars, governments, companies. But what about the polluting emissions of our daily life? Do we know how much carbon dioxide we emit? Are we little or very polluting? Because we must not forget that we all have our small share of the blame for climate change. Using the car, taking airplanes, wasting water or using electricity are daily actions that contribute to a greater or lesser extent to climate change. It is easy to calculate the carbon footprint to know how much we pollute. Then it’s about reducing our own footprint.
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How to calculate emissions
If gas is consumed (either for heating, for hot water or for cooking), the annual consumption in cubic meters must be multiplied by 0.002 and the result will inform us of the tons of CO2 that we emit. Regarding electricity , you have to multiply the kWh consumed annually by 0.00039. It must be taken into account that, if green energy is contracted, that is, from renewable and clean energy plants, the carbon footprint is practically non-existent.
Car use is undoubtedly another source of carbon dioxide emission. To calculate how much is polluted when traveling with our vehicles, we have to multiply the liters of gasoline consumed in a year by 0.003. It is also polluted on air travel . And a lot. The environmental impact of a round trip between Madrid and Barcelona is ten times greater if it is done by plane than if it is traveled by train. As in the case of energy for the home, if biodiesel (or an electric car) is used, the environmental impact is almost zero.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the annual emission rate per person should be 1.40 tons of carbon dioxide . On the Cero CO2 website (sponsored by Ecología y Desarrollo y Acción Natura) a guided calculation of emissions can be made. It would also be necessary to take into account, in some cases, the energy consumed at work. As we can see, every gesture counts.
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