Today’s world is changing fast and whether or not it is moving towards the worse or the better, largely depends on our collective decisions and everything we do as human beings. We are now already in the middle of a climate crisis that has seriously affected the lives of every species on Earth.
Not only Indonesia, but countries worldwide have also experienced a rise in extreme weather conditions such as wildfires, more intense tropical storms, severe drought, floods, and infectious diseases. Yet, climate catastrophes will only get worse in the future if we as individuals, corporations, and governments do not measure, offset, and limit our carbon footprints now as a battle against global warming.
What is a Carbon Footprint?
A lot of what we do in our daily activities consumes energy and causes pollution. The energy we use for transportation, electricity, plastics consumption, up to fast fashion production mostly came from mining and burning fossil fuels which emit a large number of greenhouse gases. Cattle farming and landfills full of human waste also discharge much CO2 and methane into the atmosphere. The series of carbon emissions of human activities is therefore called Carbon Footprint.
Corporations and illegal businesses that commit environmental damages, like deforestation and wastewater pollution, are definitely responsible for their much larger carbon footprints. Therefore it is critical for us to be mindful of the things we do and the amount of carbon footprint we have.
What Should We Do?
Practicing regular Carbon Tracking and Carbon Offsetting is one of the many recommended actions to reduce the carbon footprint from our activities. Carbon tracking refers to tracking the amount of carbon CO2 produced by a particular activity at a particular point in time. Individually, you can track your carbon footprint by calculating the amount of carbon emitted by your food consumption, transportation, electricity usage, plastic consumption, and many others using a Carbon Calculator
Once you’ve calculated the amount of carbon you contribute to the climate crisis, the next action you can take is to offset them. Carbon offsetting means reducing the number of carbon emissions in the atmosphere in equal proportion to our production. The carbon emission you produced can be offset by shifting to renewable energy or through nature conservation and restoration, such as adopting our Blue Carbon Package (BCP). Every seedling of Mangrove tree and seagrass in a BCP adopted and planted will absorb much heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere during their growth and development.
The Multiple Benefits for the Greater Good
Keeping a good habit of tracking and offsetting our own carbon footprints offer a range of positive benefits to ourselves and to our planet, check these out!
1. Climate Change Mitigation
As explained above, global warming caused by the ever-increasing amount of toxic greenhouse gases in the air has resulted in climate change threatening human civilization. Besides limiting your own emissions, carbon offsetting is an option to slow down more temperature rise.
2. Preserving Biodiversity
In Indonesia alone, there are hundreds of wild species of plants and animals being at a high risk of extinction due to habitat loss and climate change. Offsetting your carbon emission by supporting conservation efforts, like what we are doing at CarbonEthics, may help to nurture new habitats for ocean wildlife.
3. Giving Social Support to Coastal Communities in Need
CarbonEthics partners with local coastal farmers in Kepulauan Seribu to plant every purchased carbon offsets Blue Carbon Package. Thanks to you, this employment has helped them to cope with the pandemic.
4. Healthier Environment
This is definitely achievable if together we choose to consistently support carbon offsetting projects that eliminate pollution, develop renewable energy, and conserve natural resources.
5. Unique Gift Alternative
Did you know that carbon offsetting with us can be fun? Get a customized certificate as a gift for yourself or your loved ones every time you do carbon offsetting with us! Visit our shop to find out more. Let’s keep in mind that we are all responsible for the wellbeing of our planet. The more emissions we track and reduce, the bigger chance we have to slow down the climate crisis from getting worse and save future generations.