5 Carbon Footprint Facts You Likely Didn’t Know
5 Facts Carbon Footprint Facts You Likely Didn’t Know
Carbon footprints are confusing. What’s a carbon footprint, exactly, and how is yours related to climate change?
Carbon footprints are a handy-dandy metric that makes clear how severely your lifestyle impacts the planet. Your diet, travel habits, and your home’s cooling and heating practices are just some lifestyle considerations that may increase (or decrease!) your unique footprint.
If you live in the United States or another developed country, your carbon footprint is likely around 16 metric tons per year. Yet the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change warns that it’s imperative to prevent a warming of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050. To achieve this, every human on Earth must reduce their carbon footprints to just 2 metric tons per year.
Sounds impossible, right?
The sad reality is that bringing reusable shopping bags to the supermarket isn’t enough. On this week’s episode, we take a good, hard look at the big picture: If we are serious about doing our parts, we must forego the notion that we can continue to live the cushy lives so many of us are accustomed to.
Here’s a preview of this week’s episode:
[5:00] How affluence and environmental impact are uniquely intertwined
[7:35] The 4 behaviors that *most substantially reduce* one’s carbon footprint
[14:00] Why national politics matter to American environmentalism, and what the 2020 election means for global warming
Resources mentioned in the episode:
- Carbon footprint calculator
- The relationship between affluence and carbon footprints
- The 100 most polluting companies responsible for 70% of greenhouse gas emissions
- Show Notes
This episode is generously sponsored by Rent-a-Romper.
Want more episodes like this one? Check out #112: The NItty-Gritty Behind Microplastic Pollution.
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