Carbon emissions and how to prevent them

It has not been long since we celebrated Pahela Falgun and happily welcome the spring in full bloom. But when putting a foot outside, does it really feel like spring? Do you really hear birds chirping, or see flowers blooming? Instead, mostly you get burned by the sun.

The reason behind our shortening winters and almost disappearing spring seasons to an everlasting summer is of course, global warming. This is something we all witness every day, but unfortunately fail to properly ward off. Global warming is mainly caused because of the increased amount of carbon emissions which help trap the sun's rays in the atmosphere, making it reside in the earth permanently while increasing earth's temperature exponentially. 

There are numerous reasons as to why we produce so much carbon footprint, from producing electricity to power our homes and devices, to using everyday transportation. It is not something we can completely avoid, nor something we should overlook either. We can't go full rebel and shut down power houses and stop using motor vehicles, but we can become more cautious and careful in our use of these to help reduce whatever amount of carbon footprint we may leave behind. The first priority should be to identify the biggest contributing factors and then plan a course of action.

The largest contributor to our carbon footprint is said to be electricity production. They take up tons and tons of natural resources to meet the increasing demand. Our task is very simple, which is to use as little electricity as possible. Simple steps such as turning off the lights and fans when leaving a room, not keeping electronics on standby, disconnecting gadgets from power outlets and not powering up the air conditioner or iron too much are some basic changes around the house we can make. This will save us a whole lot of energy and reduce our carbon footprint and not to mention our electricity bills too. Another way is to change our appliances entirely. Buying energy efficient appliances saves up a lot of energy, reduces carbon emissions and also lowers our bills.

Another big contributor of carbon is right inside your house right now; there may even be more than one, and this one does not even need electricity to be harmful in the first place. A refrigerator is far more harmful than most other appliances. The insides are insulated with gases amongst which carbon is one. Old refrigerators have CFCs in them; after they were banned for their contribution to global warming, HFCs were used, which are comparatively less harmful.  But should we stop using refrigerators? Of course not. Appliance manufacturers are coming out with eco-friendly refrigerators these days, so one can easily trade their old fridge for these new ones. Very old refrigerators are more prone to carbon emissions, so if yours is more than 10 years old, it should be replaced. 

Another domestic way we are emitting carbon every day is our stoves; keeping them on even when not in need results in wasted natural gas in the process. You can even shift to induction stoves for a change. Similarly, replacing light bulbs for LEDs, old television sets and monitors to LCD screens etc also helps.  

These changes may be a bit on the costlier side, but they pay off in the long run. 

The one way we can emit less carbon when outside is to use our transport wisely. Walking or cycling is definitely a good option, but this is not always realistic when on long journeys. Little things like turning off the engine when at red lights, using air conditioners wisely, and opening up windows for a change can make a marked difference.

Last but not least, opting for solar power or at least replace your old bulbs with energy saving ones. Both help save electricity, and offset our carbon emissions.

All these are just small individual steps, but when done in mass numbers, they can bring about a lot of change to our climate. 

By Anisha Hassan