Until not so long ago, a normal eco-friendly citizen of this planet just had to sort garbage into the right bins and recycle. The goal posts have now shifted a long way from that, what with people having to face the inconvenient truth and doomsday forecasts about global warming, climate change, rising seas, abnormal and extreme weather conditions, and natural resource depletion. The upshot of all this is that eco awareness is now effectively being equated with a carbon neutral lifestyle.
The idea isn't that hard to grasp. Once every single individual and entity learns to take responsibility for carbon emissions caused by their own activities, there is no more problem. The reality is obviously a little bit harder, since being carbon neutral isn't exactly a strong priority for most people.
But the bigger problem is that people don't care, which may be because they don't know about this existential crisis facing the planet or they think it's just some climate scientists and tree-huggers looking for publicity. It's why a lot of efforts undertaken by various governments and non-profit organizations focus more on awareness campaigns than on passing regulations or laws. Events like Earth Day or Earth Hour are not just about saving resources for that brief period of time, but more about engaging large sections of the population and teaching them the importance of conservation and the dangers of not doing so.
But let's say a person who's now eco-aware wants to lead a green and carbon-neutral lifestyle. It can be done using two methods. The first one is to reduce emissions as far as possible. The second way is to offset whatever there is left over with carbon credits.
Reducing emissions is done by looking at every single aspect of a person's life and activities, and finding ways to make it less harmful to the environment. For example, those who want to eliminate the impact of their vehicle usage can buy electric vehicles and install a solar power generation system to charge the car battery using clean power. It's not easy or cheap to make this transition, but it ends up providing a zero-carbon and free mode of transportation that doesn't need gas.
At home, there are a whole slew of green practices and technologies that can help people reduce their consumption and make it less harmful. Green (as in LEED certified) designs and energy retrofits will reduce power usage and save money. Dual-flush tanks and artificial grass will save water. Use of local and sustainable produce in meals will reduce the emissions associated with food and drinks.
Businesses and companies have a corporate responsibility to make the workplace an eco-friendly place for employees through use of natural materials in products that can be recycled, and through various other green practices. Factories with their own solar arrays on rooftops will run on clean power, and paperless offices will reduce deforestation. Pollution can be controlled by recycling industrial waste that would otherwise end up in the rivers and oceans or go to landfills.
Even those who do all this and a lot more besides will still end up with at least some carbon in their column. That's where the credits come into the picture. Do everything possible to reduce personal and corporate emissions, and balance the rest by paying for it. The seller will take the trouble to generate clean power, plant trees or something like that which cuts emissions by an equal amount.
The idea isn't that hard to grasp. Once every single individual and entity learns to take responsibility for carbon emissions caused by their own activities, there is no more problem. The reality is obviously a little bit harder, since being carbon neutral isn't exactly a strong priority for most people.
But the bigger problem is that people don't care, which may be because they don't know about this existential crisis facing the planet or they think it's just some climate scientists and tree-huggers looking for publicity. It's why a lot of efforts undertaken by various governments and non-profit organizations focus more on awareness campaigns than on passing regulations or laws. Events like Earth Day or Earth Hour are not just about saving resources for that brief period of time, but more about engaging large sections of the population and teaching them the importance of conservation and the dangers of not doing so.
But let's say a person who's now eco-aware wants to lead a green and carbon-neutral lifestyle. It can be done using two methods. The first one is to reduce emissions as far as possible. The second way is to offset whatever there is left over with carbon credits.
Reducing emissions is done by looking at every single aspect of a person's life and activities, and finding ways to make it less harmful to the environment. For example, those who want to eliminate the impact of their vehicle usage can buy electric vehicles and install a solar power generation system to charge the car battery using clean power. It's not easy or cheap to make this transition, but it ends up providing a zero-carbon and free mode of transportation that doesn't need gas.
At home, there are a whole slew of green practices and technologies that can help people reduce their consumption and make it less harmful. Green (as in LEED certified) designs and energy retrofits will reduce power usage and save money. Dual-flush tanks and artificial grass will save water. Use of local and sustainable produce in meals will reduce the emissions associated with food and drinks.
Businesses and companies have a corporate responsibility to make the workplace an eco-friendly place for employees through use of natural materials in products that can be recycled, and through various other green practices. Factories with their own solar arrays on rooftops will run on clean power, and paperless offices will reduce deforestation. Pollution can be controlled by recycling industrial waste that would otherwise end up in the rivers and oceans or go to landfills.
Even those who do all this and a lot more besides will still end up with at least some carbon in their column. That's where the credits come into the picture. Do everything possible to reduce personal and corporate emissions, and balance the rest by paying for it. The seller will take the trouble to generate clean power, plant trees or something like that which cuts emissions by an equal amount.
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