All of you have calculated your emissions and you have surely discovered the unexpectedly high impact of some of your behaviors (eating meat, flying to a sunny destination, etc.) on your total footprints.
Are there any behaviors that you are really willing to change or to improve for the sake of the environment? What challenges do you encounter or think you will encounter while trying to change these things? What help, support, and insights from others would make your life easier with these new behaviors?
Let's discuss these issues and make our pledges here!
Now It's Time for Action >
Developing countries need to pitch in
I found it interesting that the places that cause the biggest carbon footprint (America and a portion of Europe) are at the least risk. The countries that cause carbon footprint do not care about the damage they cause. They are unbothered because the carbon they release harms other people and not them. In the US, we are endlessly consuming goods that are made in China, which takes a huge toll on their country. We are carelessly destroying an entire country, and that needs to change.
In my opinion, people in developed countries that are causing the carbon footprint carry a huge amount of responsibility for the damage caused. They need to do something to fix that. Here in the US, we all need to collectively work together to go green, or at least greener. For example, people should make an effort to take shorter showers, unplug electronics when they are fully charged, carpool, and only buy things we really need. This way, we could help out the countries that are struggling.
I agree that we need to cut down our carbon footprints because we are harming the earth in ways that will greatly affect future generations. We need to work more on creating a safe, affordable battery powered vehicle. Most of our footprints are so high because of our transportation methods. If we can cut down on the production form cars, this would greatly help not only the U.S. cut down our footprint, but other countries if we can produce these cars and potentially apply the sciences behind the cars to other transportation methods. With a few more years, I think scientists and engineers will be able to work out the issues and improve electric cars and find a green source to power these cars. However, the government would have to become involved in this to cut back high taxes on electric cars and get approval to build more charging stations and start adopting electric cars. There is a great amount of work to put into this until electric cars can start making their way into the world, but if electric cars can be safely achieved, the world will greatly benefit form it.
I totally agree about the countries that have a big carbon footprint need to cut back! We need to realize how many people see the effects of our endless emissions. Climate change is real, and it can have some drastic effects. Lots of people will be in danger if the problem continues.
Lots of people who live in countries that are part of the problem would see the effects of global warming. People in countries like Vietnam and Thailand would have 8% of the population exposed to coastal flooding. Asia as a whole has been emitting a big share of the Earth’s carbon dioxide, and they would definitely be at risk. People in Kazakhstan, who emit on average over 18 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, would be at risk for droughts, floods, and an overall extreme climate.
Although a lot of people at risk have a big carbon footprint themselves, some of the people who contribute the least to the problem will be affected by it the most. People in western Africa who emit less than .25 tonnes of carbon dioxide would see many of the effects of global warming. There would be lots of peopl e injured, left homeless, and displaced after floods, droughts, and extreme temperatures. People in China, who would be in the most danger, only emit about 1-3 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. People inside and outside of these countries need to cut back on carbon dioxide emissions, because they will see the consequences otherwise, and, more importantly, other people who are not responsible will see them even more.
Works Cited
@kqedlowdown. "Eight Great Multimedia Resources for Teaching about Climate Change." The Lowdown. Web. 29 Sept. 2016. https://ww2.kqed.org/lowdown/2015/11/30 … resources/
"The Carbon Map." The Carbon Map. Web. 29 Sept. 2016. <http://www.carbonmap.org/#Extraction>.
Forgot to cite my sources
Works Cited
Eric-schaal. "5 Problems Standing in the Way of Electric Vehicle Adoption." The Cheat Sheet. N.p., 24 Jan. 2015. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.
http://www.rff.org/research/publications/replacing-oil- alternative-fuels-and-technologies