Comments on: What is a Carbon Footprint? http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/ Blogging the science and policy of global warming Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:13:20 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5.2 hourly 1 By: Climate 411 » Your Health: Tips for Healthy, Low-Carbon Living - Blogs & Podcasts - Environmental Defense Fund http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/comment-page-1/#comment-1062 Climate 411 » Your Health: Tips for Healthy, Low-Carbon Living - Blogs & Podcasts - Environmental Defense Fund Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:04:09 +0000 http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/#comment-1062 [...] for transportation by walking and biking gives you the best kind of exercise, and also reduces your carbon footprint. Drinking tap water rather than bottled gives you clean water at one-thousandth the [...] [...] for transportation by walking and biking gives you the best kind of exercise, and also reduces your carbon footprint. Drinking tap water rather than bottled gives you clean water at one-thousandth the [...]

]]> By: Climate 411 » Links for Nerds and Smart Dressers - Blogs & Podcasts - Environmental Defense http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/comment-page-1/#comment-770 Climate 411 » Links for Nerds and Smart Dressers - Blogs & Podcasts - Environmental Defense Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:51:51 +0000 http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/#comment-770 [...] Belkin’s Conserve Surge Protector - At the Consumer Electronics Show this month, Belkin showed a new surge protector called Conserve that can shut off six of its eight outlets with a switch, or with a handy remote control (in case you don’t like climbing under your desk). Standby or “phantom” power from devices such as TVs, computers, and battery chargers, can account for up to 20 percent of your electric bill. This device could save you money, as well as reduce your carbon footprint. [...] [...] Belkin's Conserve Surge Protector – At the Consumer Electronics Show this month, Belkin showed a new surge protector called Conserve that can shut off six of its eight outlets with a switch, or with a handy remote control (in case you don't like climbing under your desk). Standby or "phantom" power from devices such as TVs, computers, and battery chargers, can account for up to 20 percent of your electric bill. This device could save you money, as well as reduce your carbon footprint. [...]

]]> By: Climate 411 » Some Cool Tools and Links - Blogs & Podcasts - Environmental Defense http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/comment-page-1/#comment-717 Climate 411 » Some Cool Tools and Links - Blogs & Podcasts - Environmental Defense Thu, 24 Jan 2008 01:25:57 +0000 http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/#comment-717 [...] Power Profiler - Most carbon footprint calculators, including ours, rely on averages to estimate your carbon footprint. But you can get a [...] [...] Power Profiler – Most carbon footprint calculators, including ours, rely on averages to estimate your carbon footprint. But you can get a [...]

]]> By: KiraMarchenese » Blog Archive » Environmental Defense: Inside a Carbon Calculator http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/comment-page-1/#comment-202 KiraMarchenese » Blog Archive » Environmental Defense: Inside a Carbon Calculator Sun, 28 Oct 2007 11:25:49 +0000 http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/#comment-202 [...] Which emissions do you count? For the Yahoo! calculator, we focused on emissions from home energy use, personal driving, and commercial aviation. We could make solid estimates of average emissions from these activities, and there are easy steps individuals can take to reduce those emissions. These three activities account for 9.4 tons of CO2 per person per year, which is about half of the total CO2 emissions per person in the U.S. Some people also refer to the emissions attributable to a person as his/her carbon footprint. [...] [...] Which emissions do you count? For the Yahoo! calculator, we focused on emissions from home energy use, personal driving, and commercial aviation. We could make solid estimates of average emissions from these activities, and there are easy steps individuals can take to reduce those emissions. These three activities account for 9.4 tons of CO2 per person per year, which is about half of the total CO2 emissions per person in the U.S. Some people also refer to the emissions attributable to a person as his/her carbon footprint. [...]

]]> By: Blue Sky Mining » Environmental Defense: Inside a Carbon Calculator http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/comment-page-1/#comment-201 Blue Sky Mining » Environmental Defense: Inside a Carbon Calculator Wed, 23 May 2007 13:16:08 +0000 http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/#comment-201 [...] Which emissions do you count? For the Yahoo! calculator, we focused on emissions from home energy use, personal driving, and commercial aviation. We could make solid estimates of average emissions from these activities, and there are easy steps individuals can take to reduce those emissions. These three activities account for 9.4 tons of CO2 per person per year, which is about half of the total CO2 emissions per person in the U.S. Some people also refer to the emissions attributable to a person as his/her carbon footprint. How do you count those emissions? Greenhouse gas emissions are often higher when you consider gases other than CO2, but non-CO2 emissions can be difficult to calculate. Many carbon calculators ignore all non-CO2 emissions. The Yahoo! calculator includes non-CO2 gases for flying and dietary choices. How much information from the user? The more information I have, the better job I can do calculating your baseline emissions and your savings. What's your current average annual electricity consumption? What state do you live in? How long do you keep each of your light bulbs on every day? What make and model are your appliances? Obviously that approach can get ridiculously cumbersome to users. So instead we often use national averages. Do you include regional differences? Some factors, such as the amount of CO2 emitted per kilowatt-hour of electricity, vary enormously from state to state. The national average emissions rate is 1.34 pounds of CO2 per kWh. But in North Dakota it's 2.24, and in Vermont it's a clean 0.03! We accounted for these differences in our calculators on www.fightglobalwarming.com; Yahoo! uses the national average. [...] [...] Which emissions do you count? For the Yahoo! calculator, we focused on emissions from home energy use, personal driving, and commercial aviation. We could make solid estimates of average emissions from these activities, and there are easy steps individuals can take to reduce those emissions. These three activities account for 9.4 tons of CO2 per person per year, which is about half of the total CO2 emissions per person in the U.S. Some people also refer to the emissions attributable to a person as his/her carbon footprint. How do you count those emissions? Greenhouse gas emissions are often higher when you consider gases other than CO2, but non-CO2 emissions can be difficult to calculate. Many carbon calculators ignore all non-CO2 emissions. The Yahoo! calculator includes non-CO2 gases for flying and dietary choices. How much information from the user? The more information I have, the better job I can do calculating your baseline emissions and your savings. What's your current average annual electricity consumption? What state do you live in? How long do you keep each of your light bulbs on every day? What make and model are your appliances? Obviously that approach can get ridiculously cumbersome to users. So instead we often use national averages. Do you include regional differences? Some factors, such as the amount of CO2 emitted per kilowatt-hour of electricity, vary enormously from state to state. The national average emissions rate is 1.34 pounds of CO2 per kWh. But in North Dakota it's 2.24, and in Vermont it's a clean 0.03! We accounted for these differences in our calculators on http://www.fightglobalwarming.com; Yahoo! uses the national average. [...]

]]> By: K.C. Weber http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/comment-page-1/#comment-200 K.C. Weber Wed, 16 May 2007 00:24:27 +0000 http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/#comment-200 Now, even though I do not feel that our use of carbon based fuel is the main cause of global warming, I feel its use is becoming somewhat ancient. Rather than saying we should do without, let’s take positive action to bring our world up to speed and make it a better place where we will have more energy to live on, not less. Sincerely, K.C. Weber Now, even though I do not feel that our use of carbon based fuel is the main cause of global warming, I feel its use is becoming somewhat ancient. Rather than saying we should do without, let’s take positive action to bring our world up to speed and make it a better place where we will have more energy to live on, not less.

Sincerely,
K.C. Weber

]]> By: K.C. Weber http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/comment-page-1/#comment-199 K.C. Weber Wed, 16 May 2007 00:21:40 +0000 http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/#comment-199 In response to the above comments from youre_only_hope and Dr. Chameides’ comment that global warming is not caused by changes in the sun, I would like to talk about the importance of the sun in a discussion on global warming. First of all, the sun is the largest body in our solar system, several times larger than the largest planet, Jupiter, and many, many times larger than the Earth. Not only is its gravity holding all the planets, asteroids, and comets in orbit, but various forms of its energy constantly go to the farthest reaches of the solar system. I’m not sure how much the sun contributes to global warming, but we can’t be blind and say that it has no effect on the planet’s temperature. If there was no effect, there would be no life on Earth. Visitors to Alaska can see an example of the sun’s energy interacting with the Earth when they see the Northern Lights. This is radiation from the sun interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field around the poles. Another example is when there are strong solar flares on the sun’s surface. At times like this there are often interruptions in the Earth’s communications and electrical power. If an astronaut were in orbit during a time of increased solar activity, the radiation would be dangerous to him. Earth and all the planets are constantly hit by many forms of solar energy, and we are still learning which of them causes variations in a planet’s temperature and climate. In my study of science, I have come to the conclusion that the sun is affecting the Earth and other planets in ways we have not yet discovered yet. Now, my love of science has made me an optimist. The more I learn, the more I realize how fantastic our universe is. It causes me to often see things in very positive ways. In environmental talk, I often hear of all that we need to give up and do without. I have a different viewpoint, however. In my opinion, the do without mentality is no good. We need to think of what we can do to improve our lifestyle not take away from it. Rather than denying that the sun has anything to do with global warming, let’s learn how to tap the sun’s variety of energies in ways that we haven’t imagined yet. Or go the other direction. There is untapped energy at the Earth’s core if we could learn how to tap it. In response to the above comments from youre_only_hope and Dr. Chameides’ comment that global warming is not caused by changes in the sun, I would like to talk about the importance of the sun in a discussion on global warming.

First of all, the sun is the largest body in our solar system, several times larger than the largest planet, Jupiter, and many, many times larger than the Earth. Not only is its gravity holding all the planets, asteroids, and comets in orbit, but various forms of its energy constantly go to the farthest reaches of the solar system.

I’m not sure how much the sun contributes to global warming, but we can’t be blind and say that it has no effect on the planet’s temperature. If there was no effect, there would be no life on Earth. Visitors to Alaska can see an example of the sun’s energy interacting with the Earth when they see the Northern Lights. This is radiation from the sun interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field around the poles. Another example is when there are strong solar flares on the sun’s surface. At times like this there are often interruptions in the Earth’s communications and electrical power. If an astronaut were in orbit during a time of increased solar activity, the radiation would be dangerous to him.

Earth and all the planets are constantly hit by many forms of solar energy, and we are still learning which of them causes variations in a planet’s temperature and climate. In my study of science, I have come to the conclusion that the sun is affecting the Earth and other planets in ways we have not yet discovered yet.

Now, my love of science has made me an optimist. The more I learn, the more I realize how fantastic our universe is. It causes me to often see things in very positive ways. In environmental talk, I often hear of all that we need to give up and do without. I have a different viewpoint, however. In my opinion, the do without mentality is no good. We need to think of what we can do to improve our lifestyle not take away from it. Rather than denying that the sun has anything to do with global warming, let’s learn how to tap the sun’s variety of energies in ways that we haven’t imagined yet. Or go the other direction. There is untapped energy at the Earth’s core if we could learn how to tap it.

]]> By: Bill Chameides http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/comment-page-1/#comment-198 Bill Chameides Mon, 14 May 2007 20:33:58 +0000 http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/#comment-198 ...and here's <a href="http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/03/mars_and_pluto/">how we know that global warming is not caused by changes in the Sun</a>. …and here's how we know that global warming is not caused by changes in the Sun.

]]> By: Bill Chameides http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/comment-page-1/#comment-194 Bill Chameides Mon, 14 May 2007 19:21:23 +0000 http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/#comment-194 Yes, water vapor is more abundant than carbon dioxide, but it's not relevant to the global warming problem. For why, see my post on "<a href="http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/02/28/water_vapor_fallacy/">The Water Vapor Fallacy"</a> Yes, water vapor is more abundant than carbon dioxide, but it's not relevant to the global warming problem. For why, see my post on "The Water Vapor Fallacy"

]]> By: youre_only_hope http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/comment-page-1/#comment-197 youre_only_hope Sun, 13 May 2007 19:54:03 +0000 http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2007/05/10/carbon_footprint/#comment-197 amounts of water vapor in the atmosphere due to the emmissions of greenhouse gases would lead to an increase of the amount of clouds in the sky. With an increased amount of clouds (which are white, and as everyone knows he color white is great at reflecting light and heat) less sun would be able to penetrate the atmosphere, absorbe into the earth, and return to the atmosphere warmer that it origionally came. This is what is funny, when you just use common sense, you can prove that greenhouse gases are not causing the recent warming of the globe, something else is. The SUN! amounts of water vapor in the atmosphere due to the emmissions of greenhouse gases would lead to an increase of the amount of clouds in the sky. With an increased amount of clouds (which are white, and as everyone knows he color white is great at reflecting light and heat) less sun would be able to penetrate the atmosphere, absorbe into the earth, and return to the atmosphere warmer that it origionally came. This is what is funny, when you just use common sense, you can prove that greenhouse gases are not causing the recent warming of the globe, something else is. The SUN!

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