Carbon Footprint Auditing and Management - Assignment Example

Carbon Footprint Auditing and Management Contents International Environmental Management and Sustainability 3 1.1 Introduction 3 1.2 Diagnostic Base-line 4 1.3 My Carbon Footprints before Implementation of My Plans 5 1.4 Results of Implementation of My Plan 5 CHALLENGES 8 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES 9 ECO-MAPPING 9 SUSTAINABILITY MEASURES 10 PERSONAL OPINION ON THE MODULE 11 Bibliography 12 International Environmental Management and Sustainability 1.1 Introduction In recent days, global climate change has become more visible in the increasing rate of global warming, shrinking of glaciers, increased rates of river and lake ice melting, drying up of rivers and receding lake levels, higher occurrence of natural disasters, and the irregular shift in plant and animal populations (Narottam, 2008:67). The argument is that as long as carbon and other green houses gases, which account for the global warming effect and the resultant increase in global temperatures, continue to accumulate in the atmosphere, so will the temperatures increase. According to the Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC), over the next century the earth will experience an average increase of 3.0 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit. This revelation, alongside other credible projections, call for consolidated efforts in mitigating global warming and climate change, adopting necessary remedial measures, and coping strategies, especially for the poor societies (Mark, 2005:173). A recent estimation by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) indicates that households account a well over 30% of the carbon emissions in to the atmosphere every single day. It is against this background that putting measures in place to curb carbon emissions at the individual and house hold level is critical to all members of the society. Through the various energy usages in the house, the annual average carbon footprints stand at 5.89 tons of carbon. This is way above the national average of 4.46 tons per household. In simple terms, my operations at the house have resulted to the emission of these tones of carbon, into the atmosphere every year. With the recognition that carbon compounds, especially carbon oxides, are leading causes of the green house effect and the resultant global warming, this is an alarming rate of carbon emission, resulting from a single person. 1.2 Diagnostic Base-line Energy usage for the various activities in the house is the greatest carbon footprint source. Although the house uses electricity, which does not directly contribute to carbon emissions, it indirectly contributes to carbon emission. This occurs during the production of electricity at the power plant. The turbines that produce the electric power run on diesel generators, where as the distribution, step up and step down functions, are all depended on carbon producing fossil fuels. Therefore, any use of electric energy in the house contributes to carbon emissions in a significant direct and indirect manner (Charles, 2011: 45). After a careful analysis of the processes and activities that dominate my carbon footprints, energy usage within the house is the leading activity, with conservation and efficiency measures lagging behind. In everyday, routine operation, revolving around cooking, ironing, electronics, and lighting have a profound effect on the amount of energy that the I spend in the house. Further, routine use of electric powered gadgets like the blower, the lawn mowers, and the washing machine also contribute to the high energy figures at the end of the month. This is made even higher by the heating of the house during the cold seasons, and the use of power to run the cooling systems during the hot weather days (Sarah, 2008: 39). Since all these energy-uses are pertinent, the focus turns to efficiency, conservation and green energy technologies, to contain the energy usages, and reduce carbon footprints. The first step will was to change the lighting system in my house, since all the bulbs in place utilize a lot of energy. Also, I invested in ensuring efficiency through taking purchasing newer electronic gadgets. Concerning the green energy technologies, some months ago, I indeed installed a photovoltaic solar panel to heat up water for the showers, which is a great stride towards reducing electricity consumption (Gunnar, 2007: 111). To sum it up, the calculation of my carbon footprints has opened up my thinking and understanding of the whole issue, exposing the plain truth that my activities as an individual are not helping in curbing climate change in anyway. If anything, activities in my house are not environmentally sustainable. 1.3 My Carbon Footprints before Implementation of My Plans From the calculation of my carbon footprints at the direct.gov.uk, my overall footprints stood at 8.05 tonnes, every single year. Out of these, 4.95 tonnes of carbon come from my home. This is a clear indicator that activities in my house are not environmentally sustainable. This is supported by the fact that is lower compared to other users whose footprints stood at 9.27 tonnes per year. Out of this, only 3.97 tonnes of carbon came from home. Since my house is simple, with few appliances, then it simply means that all my activities were leading to high levels of energy loss, through inefficient equipment. Among these are the ordinary lighting bulbs, which are evidently not energy saving. The carbon foot print from my home accounts for approximately 43% of the overall carbon footprint obtained from calculations. 1.4 Results of Implementation of My Plan Below is a breakdown of my carbon footprints, before and after implementing the plan. Breakdown of sections Current CO2 Footprint Projected CO2 Footprint Total Footprint for Home 2.37 0.85 Hot water 2.04 0.26 Heating 2.20 0.50 Lighting 0.53 0.09 Total Footprint for Appliances 0.44 0.37 Kitchen 1.85 0.15 Entertainment 0.13 0.08 Study 0.09 0.04 Other 0.44 0.10 Total Footprint for Travel 3.08 0.25 Vehicle 0 0 Public Transport 0.79 0.25 Flights 0 0 Total Carbon Footprint 5.89 2.01 There are numerous benefits to this plan, which make it a viable pursuit despite the challenges involved. These include energy and money savings in the end, environmental sustainability at an individual level, combating green house emissions at a local level, and ultimately cutting down individual carbon footprints (Amanda, 2008: 26). In the end, the projected carbon foot print cuts will be at around 3.88 tonnes (59%), which is a massive improvement towards sustainability. Therefore, my carbon footprints will go down to about 2.01 tons per year, which is way below the national household average of 4.66 tons per year. The switch from high-energy consuming appliances like changing the bulbs from the 50 watts, to the energy saving 20 watts ones, is one of the measures that enable significant cuts. The energy saving bulbs work through the fluorescence technology, which enables them to minimize minimal energy to produce a lot of light. This occurs as the lighting uses less heat energy, while reducing the flicker effect. Image source: retrieved from www.gcsescience.com Further, the shift from inefficient water heating systems and adoption of conservation measures at the kitchen also results to massive reduction in the levels of power use. The figure below shows a solar water heating system, which will enable massive cuts on energy used for water heating. Image source: adapted from www.reuk.co.uk Based on these factual cuts, it is a worthy venture to modernize my household, ensuring that it becomes eco-friendly. CHALLENGES The process of implementing a sound environmental management plan is a difficult task, especially when there are sacrifices, costs, and adjustments on the normal routine activities. With the priority of cutting down the carbon footprints to a bare minimal, the use of energy efficient technologies is an integral aspect, which comes with inherent costs. To deal with old and inefficient appliances is also costly, involving a several returns to the electronic shops. Further, the use of green energy sources is, perhaps, the most expensive of them all. However, for a long period, probably over the next five years, the total savings because of these initiates will not be equivalent to the costs of effecting the changes. This is because these measures are quite expensive, and have high cost implication, way above the expected savings for the short term. There are many challenges to implementing energy efficiency and saving measures. Key among them is the issue of cost as outlined above. Energy efficient technologies are quite expensive, especially when one has to adapt the green energy technologies. The second significant challenge is the fact that to adapt to these technologies there must be a change in lifestyle, which is a toll order, especially for families. Another great challenge is the lack of support from the concerned authorities, prompting residents to undertake all these initiatives by themselves. Lack of discounting on green energy is a great challenge to adoption of such noble initiatives. BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES The area of energy efficiency is becoming a booming business opportunity for entrepreneur’s world over. In fact, the energy efficiency certification relies on this to operate, advocating for residents and the business community to take up efficiency campaigns. The manufacturers of green energy equipment and technology have grown to a wide business avenue, employing a sizeable population across the world. More recently, the use of new appliances and the re-insulation of houses is a high revenue business venture (Nancy, 2008: 11). ECO-MAPPING After a careful analysis of the processes and activities that dominate my carbon footprints, energy usage within the house is the leading activity, with conservation and efficiency measures lagging behind. In everyday, routine operation, revolving around cooking, ironing, electronics, and lighting have a profound effect on the amount of energy that I spend in the house. Further, routine use of electric powered gadgets like the blower, the lawn mowers, and the washing machine also contribute to the high energy figures at the end of the month. This is made even higher by the heating of the house during the cold seasons, and the use of power to run the cooling systems during the hot weather days (Sarah, 2008: 39). SUSTAINABILITY MEASURES For sustainability purposes, the use of high-level campaigns and advocacy for green energy and conservation initiatives is an integral part. To ensure that the initiative goes beyond the neighborhood, it is important to create a solid campaign flat form, one that offers tangible application of the whole model, while emphasizing on the benefits, both financial and ecosystem gains. Further, the plan will not be viable if other aspects of life still proceed on high-energy demand processes. For instance, cycling to school, walking down the shopping centre, and planting a tree often, are some of the measures that add on the efforts to curtail individual carbon footprints. PERSONAL OPINION ON THE MODULE This module has not only been educative, but also a revelation to the other side of the world. The module particularly played a crucial role in ensuring that I become aware of the implications of my actions on the well-being of the world we live in. Further, the course has helped me on the need to take care of the environment. Lastly, with the requisite skills to calculate and manage my carbon footprints, the module has offered me the best there can ever be. Bibliography Amanda, B. 2008. How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company Aynsley, K. and Sonja, B. 2010. The International Politics of Climate Change. New York: Edward Elgar Publishing Incorporated. Charles, R. 2011. African Climate and Climate Change: Physical, Social, and Political Perspectives. New York: Springer, 2011. Direct.gov.uk. 2012, CO2 Calculator: It’s Time to Act. Direct.gov.uk. Retrieved on 26th April 2012 from http://carboncalculator.direct.gov.uk/index.html Duncan, B. 2008. How to reduce your carbon footprint: 365 simple ways to save energy, resources, and money. New York: Duncan Baird. Greg, R. 2008. Reducing Your Carbon Footprint On Vacation. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group. Gunnar, F. 2007. International politics of climate change: key issues and critical actors. Munich: Scandinavian University Press. Mark. L. 2005. Security and climate change: international relations and the limits of realism. London: Routledge. Nancy, B. 2008. The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Your Carbon Footprint. New York: Alpha Books. Narottam, G. 2008. Climate Change and International Politics. New York: Gyan Publishing House. Sarah, D2008. Reducing Your Carbon Footprint At Home. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group Read More