How much does my carbon footprint matter?

Question

There is lot of talk us all adopting a greener lifestyle. If we all reduced our individual carbon footprint by 50% how much difference would that make to the carbon footprint of the UK. How much of it is under our direct control?

My question is more about how much can I change things. How much comes industries and things that most people have no direct control over.

I'd like statistics, facts. I want to know if the focus should be some more on individual carbon use or things like changing how power is generated.

Answer 1

Check out the link below. It is a chart of where all the CO2 comes from.

Just do like Gore and the other elites can do. Buy your way out with "Carbon Credits". Then your conscience is clear and all us commoners can sacrifice to save their lavish lifestyles.

http://cait.wri.org/figures.php?page=World-FlowChart&view=100

Answer 2

No one person's footprint in important at all. It is the world average footprint that matters. That is what makes this whole subject so political. Al Gore can jet around the country with a carbon footprint 20 times bigger then me, and it really doesn't matter at all. The only important change is for the world average to go down, even if some individual ones go way up. But then it becomes a moral, fairness issue. And if there is one thing I would not trust to the hands of a politician, it is morality and fairness!

Answer 3

If every one in your country reduced their carbon footprint by 50%-- the total national footprint will go down very significantly-- by about 50%.
that is 1% of global-- a very significant amount. I m sure this will enthuse people from other nations too to follow suit-- and is likely to more or less ameliorate the CO2 issues plaguing the planet

Answer 4

We each make a difference. If everyone had the attitude of "let someone else do it" then no changes would ever happen. It IS up to each of us as individuals to take responsibility for how we treat the very place we live.
Instead of nitpicking percentages wouldn't we all rather err on the side of the worst case scenario than to listen to bitter, selfish people who use such phrases as: "greenies", "climate change doom mongerers", etc. and if those who report a definite climate change down to human action are right, then isn't it better to be "safe than sorry"?

It isn't that difficult to recycle, think about our purchases and how we travel, is it?

Answer 5

Let me answer by giving you a different example. In London, and many other major cities, in the 1700's, it was a fairly common practice to empty your chamber pot (bowl used for human excrement) in the gutter. Now, having one person empty their bodily waste in the street was no big deal. Having a whole city do it was, needless to say, unsanitary and very smelly.

Apply the same concept to your carbon footprint. Just as humans have evolved from squatting in the woods, to chamber pots, to central sewage, so must we evolve our environmental thinking as well.

Answer 6

Your carbon footprint matters as much as everyone else's. Combined they shape the world.

Answer 7

I googled carbon offsets. I read several websites, and all of them asked for a donation. It's a money making scam. The old saying..A fool and and his money are soon parted..The people give to carbon offsets are fools

Answer 8

the UK only contributes 2% of all the worlds carbon emissions

so it wouldnt make much difference

but we have to be seen to be trying
otherwise china will just say "well what are you doing wimey?"

Answer 9

there is nothing we can do about it ,it is to late

Answer 10

It doesn't matter!