The entire volume of greenhouse gas emissions, or the gases in our atmosphere that store and release heat and contribute to climate change, is estimated by a carbon footprint. Results are often reported in terms of carbon dioxide equivalence (for instance: 5 tons of CO2-equivalent), even though the measurement really takes into account the production of a variety of different global warming gases, including methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases. The CO2-equivalency measurement makes it simple to make apples-to-apples comparisons across various activities, events, or business sectors that could otherwise be challenging. Use https://www.carbonclick.com/personal-footprint-calculator/ simple calculator to calculate your carbon footprint
The life-cycle evaluation
A life-cycle assessment considers a broader range of environmental consequences, whereas a carbon footprint concentrates on greenhouse gas emissions. Consider a life-cycle analysis as a “cradle-to-grave” measurement of all the resources and energy needed to create and maintain the good or service.
Consider an automobile, for instance. The sourcing and processing of raw materials used in production, assembly at the manufacturing facility, transportation to the showroom, and eventually the scrapping of the vehicle when its days are up would all be considered in a thorough life-cycle assessment. And that’s before taking into account the effects of routine maintenance and the amount of fossil fuels used when driving the automobile during its lifetime.
WHICH EFFECTS CLIMATE CHANGE DOES CARBON HAVE?
The heat radiated by the sun and the surface of the Earth is trapped by carbon dioxide and released into the atmosphere. High quantities of greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide, threaten to elevate the average surface temperature of the globe to unacceptable levels while also having a variety of life-threatening effects when we burn fossil fuels and clear forests.
Since the middle of the 18th century, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased by more than 40%; according to climatologists, current levels are the highest in about 14 million years. Increased ocean acidification, increasing sea levels, more frequent and severe storms, and a mass extinction of species are some of the cumulative repercussions of rising carbon dioxide levels, which feed future temperature increases.
The cumulative effects, which include increased ocean acidification, rising sea levels, more frequent and intense storms, mass species extinctions, food scarcity, and increased economic inequality, will be felt globally as carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, fueling further temperature increases.
