Learning about Climate Change

As an individual, it’s easy to feel that your efforts are in vain or don’t really matter. But without understanding how your every action is a stepping stone towards battling climate change, demotivation is inevitable.  

Please keep reading to know how individuals can be empowered to reduce the emissions of larger industries and companies by simple steps and initiatives in their daily life.

What is Carbon Neutrality?

Carbon Neutrality is the state where there is either no CO2 released into the atmosphere by a company’s activities such as processing and manufacturing or where any CO2 released is balanced out by an equivalent amount being removed or compensated for. 

Compensation for emissions requires major changes which might not be practical or economically viable today. 

Hence, organizations like Dr Earth help empower individual users by integrating and validating their efforts towards a higher purpose where their every effort and contribution matters.

What is A Carbon Footprint?

The overall amount of greenhouse gas emissions (including carbon dioxide and methane) produced by our activities is referred to as our carbon footprint. 

It comprises direct emissions through fossil-fuel burning in production, heating, and transportation, and pollutants connected with the production of power for products and services used. 

Carbon footprints focus on the greenhouse gas emissions connected with consumption rather than the greenhouse gas emissions associated with production. They consider emissions from commodities that are imported into a nation but manufactured elsewhere, as well as emissions from transportation, shipping, and other sources.

Becoming Carbon Neutral As An Individual

An individual's carbon neutrality indicates that your net contribution of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere is zero as a result of a combination of lowering and offsetting your carbon emissions. 

This might appear to be a tedious and tiring process at first sight, but it is of great importance today. It is common to be concerned about how possible or inexpensive carbon neutrality is for them; however, there are many basic and simple solutions to minimize your own greenhouse gas emissions.

How To Reduce Your Carbon Footprint?

Some of the main ways to reduce your emissions are through choosing simple alternatives in your daily life. These include:

Transportation

With the increase in the necessity for transportation, people tend to use private vehicles without bothering about efficiency. Choosing eco-friendly options like public transportation is hard; following speed limits, speeding up gradually, and avoiding idling can help. 

Inevitably, driving individual vehicles less or using energy-efficient green vehicles are the ultimate solution. 

Worldwide air travel, longer flight trips contribute to larger emissions than driving. In cases where this isn’t possible, carbon offsetting is essential.

Food Consumption

Meat and dairy processing for consumption causes over 57% of global carbon emissions. 

This doesn't mean that you have to cut off all meat and dairy products from your diet. Your food choices matter a lot, and cutting down the amount by simply choosing to not eat meat one day in a week creates a huge impact. With alternative, plant-based substitutes, it might not be as hard as you think. 

Another simple step is simply purchasing local produce and food products that are in season rather than contributing to emissions due to food transportation from far-off places.

Electricity

Adopting and adjusting to an energy-efficient power system in your home not only helps save the planet but also reduces your utility bills. 

Ensuring proper insulation, turning off appliances, lights, air conditioners, and heaters while not in use, selecting the colder setting on washing machines while doing laundry, and simply air-drying wet clothes can help curb your electricity usage massively. 

Unplugging electronics and making sure that they aren’t turned on unnecessarily help reduce your use of electricity as well.

Main Takeaways

The only method to really become carbon neutral on your own is effectively reducing carbon emissions and contributing to planting more trees or to offset your remaining emissions through carbon offsetting or financial contributions to programs that reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas levels. 

The 4 key actions are Reducing, Reusing, Recycling, and Conserving. 

Remember that you're not alone in your journey. Dr Earth is an online platform that connects like-minded individuals striving for carbon neutrality and helps integrate their efforts and empower them. Not just that! Your efforts can also reap you Earth$oins, which you can trade in for exciting, eco-friendly rewards! The more you contribute, the better they get.

Find your responsibility here and know more about innovative ways to reduce carbon emissions. Together, we can fight with purpose and make a greater impact!