Our Carbon Footprint May Be All That's Left Of Us Soon

We may not have as much time as once thought. Recent studies show, along with an ever increasing level in greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere; a corresponding dramatic decline in the ability of the Earth to soak up those man-made emissions is also occurring. Prior to this recent study, half of all man-made emissions of carbon dioxide have been absorbed by "carbon "sinks" on the land and in the sea.

Anthropogenic (man-made) emissions of carbon dioxide are rising three times faster than in the 1990s; the levels are at the highest levels they've ever been in the last 650,000 years causing the Arctic ice cap is melting three times as fast and the seas are rising twice as rapidly. This rise can be traced back to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution 250 years ago, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Once again, after the Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide levels started to increase in 1960. Over the last five years, the rise in emissions was four times greater than for the preceding 10 years. Scientists measure carbon dioxide levels at different periods in our history by analyzing gas samples trapped in the frozen bubbles of deep ice cores.

"This is incredibly important. It is bad news because we can't do much about these natural carbon sinks, but the good news is that we can increase the efficiency of fossil fuel use. I would say this is a wake-up call. Things are happening much faster than we expected," -- Dr Le Quéré

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One T-shirt Leaves 9-lb Carbon Print.

There are ways we can all contribute to slow global warming without too much sacrifice, except maybe to the American ego. America is a country, where bigger is better and a symbol of success to many, consequently we waste and “we waist”.

Most of the people who buy large homes do not use or need the space their homes provide. Smaller homes built less efficiently leave a much smaller carbon print than larger more efficiently built homes. I bet many of these large home owners do not use half the rooms in their houses...that these rooms are primarily for show and must only be admired from afar, as if they live in a museum. Many of my friends believe their homes are not only a symbol of success but their "masterpiece"...there must be a less costly way to exhibit one's "masterpiece". Having said that, this is one reason I've chosen to remain anonymous...I want to keep the friends I have.

I'm in the habit of always leaving my computer on all day, but according to this report I should turn it off when not using it. "Stand-by mode" (power consumption when the device is not active with producing output but instantly available to do so) account for 75% of the carbon emissions per home.

New York City is one of the greenest cities in the United States if not the greenest. The reason for this is people are less likely to own cars, they are more likely to live in high rise buildings, which increases efficiency because numerous housing units in one building rely on one power source instead of thousands of units spread out over a large area, each requiring their very own power source as in most suburban communities. Also, studies have proven that city dwellers have much smaller waists than those who must drive everywhere they go.

Clothing increase carbon emissions because of the washing and drying most clothing requires. If we let the sun dry our clothes we cut down substantially on that 9-lb carbon print one t-shirt leaves. In addition, recycling clothes also cuts carbon emissions because there is a high cost to manufacturing clothes as well.

There are many more things we could all do to lessen this problem and maybe, at the same time, add to the quality of our lives.

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