1. Reducing personal carbon footprints
Why?
We are all responsible for adding greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) to the atmosphere. The increase in the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere is a result of human activity and the principal reason our climate is warming. Minimising the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) that releases carbon dioxide, the dominant greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere is an urgent priority. As a nation our target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to “net zero” by 2050 based on 1990 levels. This is enshrined in the Climate Change Act (2008). The 2024 average carbon footprint for 2024 is 8.8 tonnes.
How?
- Measure your carbon footprint and identify how best to reduce it, year on year, using the WWF calculator https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/. There are other similar calculators but we recommend this one as it is quick and very user friendly.
- Follow the advice given on how to reduce your footprint. It has four sections: home, food, travel and stuff, gives an estimated value for your carbon footprint,indicates whether your total is higher or lower than the national average and provides advice about how you can reduce it section by section.
