Carbon Footprint (Essay Sample)

Reducing Carbon Footprint
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Institution
Conservation and global warming are becoming heated topics globally. As the Australian business environment grows, concern for the environment has also increased. Consequently, organizations are becoming more aware of their carbon footprints to help them reduce emissions. Such awareness ensures that companies remain compliant and economically efficient. Lack of compliance leads to stiff penalties that may reduce the profits made. Businesses that adopt environmentally-friendly practices gain competitive advantage because the public perceive them as concerned on matters regarding the environment.
A carbon footprint refers to the cumulative number of greenhouse gas emissions brought about by companies, individuals or a particular commodity. However, the total value of carbon footprint cannot be effectively calculated because carbon dioxide is emitted from natural sources and processes such as photosynthesis. It also becomes an uphill task to get the exact values of other greenhouse gases. Thus, it is calculated as the total amount of carbon dioxide and methane gas emitted in a defined population or system. It worth noting that greenhouse gases production is a result of land tilling, food manufacturing and consumption, fuels, infrastructure and human services.
The Australian wine making industry has increased its carbon footprint management efforts. Currently, five wine companies dominate the industry; controlling about sixty per-cent of the market. They are Orlando Wyndham, Casella, McGuigan-Simeon, Constellation-BRL Hardy and Berringer-Blass (Hertwich & Peters, 2009). Australian wine-making industries use various methods in managing their carbon footprints that enable them remain successful in their management efforts. However, they should adopt a ‘Global Sustainable Sourcing Initiative’ to remain sustainable and competitive in the future
Introduction
Hoffman (2007) asserts that climate change is, arguably, the most severe problem on the planet. Measures should be taken to minimize greenhouse gas emissions to allay the impacts of climate change. Many nations, including Australia, have devoted to emission reduction targets. According to Benjaafar, Li & Daskin (2013), the commitments need the cooperation of businesses, individuals, governments and an ability to measure greenhouse gas emissions accurately using eco-efficient methods to work effectively. ‘Carbon footprint’ is a term used for the measurement of the amount of emissions associated with consumption and commercial activity. Consequently, this paper seeks to discuss the methods used to reduce emissions within a country. The Australian wine-making industry has been used as a case study. It also gives a proposition for the Australian wine-making industry.
Various methodologies have been pragmatic in the decrease of the carbon footprint. They include improved techniques of production, consumption stratagems and technological advancements. There are a number of online calculators used in the estimation of carbon footprint. They achieve so by asking question such as the foods one eat and products consumed by a particular individual. The management of carbon footprint is done by processes such as wind energy and reforestation. All the ways referred in the latter scenario is termed as counterpoising of carbon. The key factors that influence carbon levels include fuel usage, population of people in a particular region, economic yield and carbon concentration contained in the economy (Benjaafar, Li, & Daskin, 2013).
Cutting down the amount of energy utilized in production and reducing use of fuels that generate emissions are significant methods to manage levels of carbon footprints. For example, investment in green electricity is becoming a common method that reduces the amount of emissions generated. People have realized that sustainable energy can be found in renewable energy sources. Wind, wave power and solar energy are examples of green energy that are becoming more common. They are cheap and lead to fewer emissions than the expensive non-renewable sources of energy (Perry, Klemeš & Bulatov, 2008).
The major source of release of carbon is from the transport sector activities. The activities include the utilization of the gasoline oil and public movement. It is worth noting that the services release least amounts of carbon emission and other greenhouse gases. A natural method that reduces emissions from the transport sector is less driving. Biking or walking to one’s destination rather than driving saves money on gas, burns less fuel and releases fewer emissions into the air.
Mass transportation or carpooling is the other method. Perry, Klemeš & Bulatov (2008) state that it is whereby neighbors share vehicles when they are going to the same place, and helps reduce the emissions that would have accrued if each had driven to their destinations using their vehicles. However, Hayward (2007) points out that if movement by foot is not desirable, people can always share cars or use public means of transport. There have been other measures to curb the levels of emission of gases by reduced use of automobiles. Efforts are in place to develop and field vehicles that use environmentally-friendly fuels such as electric and wind energy. Fuel-friendly vehicles reduce the amount of emissions released because they use less fuel than fuel guzzlers.
Foods consumed such as red meat and other manufactured commodities contribute to carbon emissions substantially. As a result, environmentally-friendly consumption patterns are used to reduce the emissions released. For example, kangaroo, pork and chicken meat produce fewer emissions compared to traditional red meat. Traditional red meat emanates from livestock such as cattle and sheep which are ruminants. Being ruminants, they produce large quantities of methane that packs about seventy-two times the punch of Carbon-dioxide over a twenty-year period. Hertwich and Peters (2009) suggest that at average consumption levels in less than five years, a family’s carbon releases from beef outweigh the running and construction costs of a 4WD vehicle.
The commonest methods used in reducing the human carbon footprint is the concept of reuse, recycle and reduce. In manufacturing, packaging materials can be recycled by selling one industry’s obsolete inventory to another industry searching for unused materials. Nothing is disposed of to the soil while degradable ferrous materials are sold at a reduced price as early as possible (Wiedmann & Minx, 2008).
Reuse in a business or homestead entails the utilization of reusable items such as thermoses for day to day coffee rather than disposable items. In case the reuse option is unavailable, the disposable items are recycled after use. When a single home recycles almost half of its household waste, it can save about one thousand, two hundred tons of carbon dioxide every year (Piecyk & McKinnon, 2010).
The other method option for reducing the carbon footprint in the home is using less heating and air conditioning. One can minimize his or her heating costs by more than twenty-five per-cent through insulating the walls and installing weather caulking around windows. These measures help reduce the quantity of energy required to cool and heat the house. At night, one can reduce the heat and moderate temperatures at all times. For example, setting the thermostat two degrees lower in the winter and higher in the summer saves about one ton of carbon-dioxide annually. Moreover, when purchasing washing machines, air conditioners or electronic air appliances, one considers their water and energy use. Weidema, Thrane, Christensen, Schmidt and Løkke (2008) assert that the more energy-efficient an appliance is, the lower the carbon dioxide impact. As a result, it contributes to fewer emissions in the long run.
Moreover, the other method is the adoption of a more plant-based diet. The choice of diet significantly influences one’s carbon footprint. Animal protein sources, (especially red meat), long-distance foods, rice (produced in methane-emitting paddies), and heavily packaged and processed foods contribute to high carbon diet. For example, the average American diet gets twenty-eight per-cent of its food calories from animals. An animal-based diet increases the amount of greenhouse gases released by approximately 1.5 tones as compared to a plant-based diet.
Nevertheless, afforestation and reforestation methods are used in the reduction of emissions. Deforestation is accounts for about 15- 20% of carbon emissions globally. As a result, reforestation and afforestation are significant for the reduction of emissions internationally. Forests act as carbon sinks hence help in carbon sequestration. It is a process that facilitates the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. According to Wiedmann and Minx (2008), despite the forest releasing some Carbon dioxide as it breathes, a sustainable forest absorbs more carbon than that that it releases. Consequently, industries that produce a lot of carbon emissions plant trees to absorb the excess carbon released.
Biomass cogeneration is another method significant in saving fuel, and reducing carbon footprint. Wiedmann and Minx (2008) point out that the cogeneration entails the use of a power station or heat engine to simultaneously generate useful heat and electricity. Biomass, on the other hand, refers to biological matter that can be burnt to produce energy. Biomass cogeneration enhances the utilization of less fuel. It is more fuel efficient, about 50-70% more efficient, hence reduces the amount of fuel used. Besides, it reduces the biomass that may have been wasted. Consequently, it leads to fewer emissions since little biomass is used in the production of ...