COVID-19 has impacted many things, from people’s health to how we live our daily lives. Industries such as travel have been disrupted immensely by this unforeseen and invisible threat. This reduction in travel has also reduced the carbon footprint significantly, especially during the early months of COVID. Many environmentalists have noted the immense reduction in air pollution when humans’ consumption of fossil fuels was lowered, albeit temporarily. But what if we could reduce our fossil fuel consumption more permanently?
The biggest cause of global warming is the emission of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. They prevent heat from leaving the atmosphere, resulting in the phenomenon of global warming. The main greenhouse gases produced by burning fossil fuels are carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.
Before COVID-19 hit, people were constantly consuming oil, coal, and gas at unbelievable rates. The carbon footprint continued to rise and global warming progressively worsened. In April 2020, when the virus stopped life as we knew it, carbon emission levels dropped significantly, reaching levels not seen since 2006!
If we can reduce our carbon footprint during a pandemic, then surely we can find ways to do it during normal times. If people can reduce their energy consumption, this would be a good place to start. If people ride their bike instead of using a gasoline-powered car, they will reduce fossil fuel consumption and air pollution. People need to start making a difference as the Earth can no longer take our insults.
Electric cars can help reduce the carbon footprint because they have zero emissions. They don’t produce carbon dioxide, methane, or nitrous oxide like gasoline-powered cars. If people switch to electric cars, we can bring vehicle carbon emissions down to 0%! This would have a huge impact on the carbon footprint.
Wind energy can help reduce the carbon footprint because it produces electricity without contaminating water or polluting air. Wind energy is also renewable energy, as it never runs out. With technological advances, the cost of producing wind energy has markedly reduced for this environmentally friendly energy source. In fact, the cost of unsubsidized wind projects is between $32-62 per megawatt-hour while coal costs between $57-148 per megawatt-hour.
Solar energy can help reduce the carbon footprint because it’s also an environmentally friendly way of producing electricity with 80% lower carbon emissions than fossil fuels. If people put solar panels on the roof of their house this can be a very efficient, renewable and cost-effective method of producing electricity. Solar energy costs have reduced 88% since 2009, with the cost per megawatt-hour now in the $36-44 range which is also markedly lower than coal costs.
Global warming will greatly decrease, reducing the immense amount of emergency surrounding it. If people switch to electric cars or use solar panels on their roof, they can reduce carbon emissions. With the cost of wind and solar energy declining, and the falling costs of electric vehicles, we are on an inevitable shift from fossil fuels to more sustainable forms of energy.
Works Cited
Commission, European. “Causes of Climate Change.” Climate Action - European Commission, 28 June 2017, ec.europa.eu/clima/change/causes_en#:~:text=Humans%20are%20increasingly%20influencing%20the,greenhouse%20effect%20and%20global%20warming.
“Global Emissions.” Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, 7 Jan. 2020, www.c2es.org/content/international-emissions/#:~:text=by%20Gas%2C%202015-,Notes,6%20percent%20to%20global%20emissions.
Kids, Climate. “Meet the Greenhouse Gases!” NASA, NASA, climatekids.nasa.gov/greenhouse-cards/.
Patel, Prachi. “What Would Happen If We Stopped Building Fossil Fuel Infrastructure-Immediately?” Anthropocene, 2021, www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2019/01/phasing-out-fossil-fuels-could-halt-climate-change/#:~:text=Phasing%20out%20fossil%20fuel%2Dfired,warming%20below%201.5%C2%B0C.&text=Delaying%20it%20until%202030%20would,to%20less%20than%2050%20percent.
“Public Transportation Facts.” American Public Transportation Association, 6 Oct. 2020, www.apta.com/news-publications/public-transportation-facts/.
“Solar, Wind and Nuclear Have 'Amazingly Low' Carbon Footprints, Study Finds.” Carbon Brief, 8 Dec. 2017, www.carbonbrief.org/solar-wind-nuclear-amazingly-low-carbon-footprints.
Published January 29, 2021
Written by Raveena Duggal ~ Edited by Deeba Mehr ~ Graphics by Tanya Gu
Comments