Students from around the world calculated their class mean and standard deviations for their footprints and posted them on our world map.
Do you see differences across the globe? If so, why do you think those differences exist?
Did you use the calculator to try to reduce your footprint down to the average from a citizen of another country? What changes would you have to make to lower your footprint in this way? Are you going to try and take some of these actions in your daily life?
Student Footprints >
How Does Air Travel Affect Global Warming?
As I calculated my carbon footprint, I noticed that my CO2 emissions increased by very large amounts any time my answer to a question indicated lots of travel. Through additional observation, I have concluded that travelling definitely raises the amount of pollution we produce more than almost any other category. In the end, almost half of my total emissions were in fact produced by travel. So, cutting back on how many times we travel by airplane, would therefore decrease our pollution rate by a very large margin, and benefit the Earth. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t travel at all, but they should try to decrease the amount of times they fly in an airplane every year. Generally, many people don’t have appointments that require flight to attend, and mainly fly for luxury purposes, so I hope decreasing their travelling rate shouldn’t prove be too much of a problem with a little cooperation. The problem is that people who aren’t as informed as others, don’t realize the impact they are having on the environment, and therefore don’t take that extra step to try to limit their pollution rates.
Even though not everyone may have seen this, many websites are putting out articles on the issue of travel by airplane, and the effect it is having on our environment. In an article about global warming, one such website, The Guardian, states very clearly, that, “There's no way around the fact that flights are bad news for the environment.” Another website, DavidSuzuki.org, expresses similar thoughts, calling plane flights, “...the mode of freight transport that produces the most emissions.” The site, written by David Suzuki, award-winning scientist and environmentalist, admits that, “ ... we urgently need to reduce our impact…”, and lists several ways to help control our carbon footprint. Suzuki suggests using phone calls and online chats to keep in touch with far away relatives, and video conferences to communicate with business partners instead of embarking upon long and wasteful flights. In conclusion, flights are a large contributor to global warming, and should be limited if possible. The fewer times you fly, the smaller your carbon footprint will be, and the healthier the world will be in the long run.