Carbon Footprints Flashcards
What is a carbon footprint
Total amount of co2 and other gases emitted over something’s entire lifecycle
Benefits of carbon footprints
People Can find out how environmentally damaging certain things are
Identify the most polluting activities (try to reduce it)
Problems with measuring carbon footprint
Measuring it is really hard (sometimes impossible)
What do we need to take into account when measuring carbon footprint
How the raw materials were sourced
The manufacturing process
Total amount of power used over its lifetime
How it’s disposed of
How it was transported
How can we reduce carbon emissions
Use renewable energy (wind,solar,tidal)
Use a more efficient manufacturing process (uses less energy and less waste)
Governments can introduce laws or tax companies based on how much they emit
How does carbon capture technology work
Captures the co2 before it can escape into the atmosphere
Stored deep underground
Difficulty’s trying to reduce emissions
Renewable energy is more expensive
If governments prioritise the environment the whole economy may suffer
Makes international agreements difficult (no one wants to agree to something that will hurt its economy
