This website is a resource that helps people improve their climate impact.
The global carbon budget is the amount of carbon that humans can emit into the atmosphere before crossing the two-degree threshold. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has said that the budget is 840 gigatonnes of carbon. Unfortunately, we’ve already emitted 530 of the 840 gigatons. This red section is 175 gigatons that we’ve already emitted burning coal and some biomass. The orange section is 130 gigatons we’ve already emitted using oil. The yellow accounts for the 50 gigatons from natural gas emissions.
It is estimated that there is another 15 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions from cement production and flaring. The green is 160 gigatons from land-use emissions, mostly deforestation. This leaves a budget of carbon dioxide before we’re permanently committed to 2 degrees of warming.
If nothing is done to reduce the current growth of carbon dioxide emissions, this budget will be used up in 22 years. To avoid exhausting this budget before the end of the century, it is necessary to reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions globally by 4 percent per annum. This essentially means finding a way to live without fossil fuels or capturing the carbon dioxide they emit.
It is annoying that there are not good resources for normal people who want to understand and reduce their carbon footprint.
Shrink that Footprint will help people improve their climate impact.
What Strategies Does Shrink Research
The tips that are most interesting are those that can be adopted by anyone, regardless of their lifestyle or circumstances. These are tips that can help anyone reduce their carbon footprint, whether they are a student, a young family, or someone who has just retired. It could be as simple as planting a tree (of the right type and in the right climate) to donating your old tube TV away instead of trashing it.
Such strategies are easy to do, cheap to implement and fit in well with day to day life.
Where to begin?
Please read whatever interests you!!
Lindsay Wilson
I founded Shrink That Footprint in November 2012, after a long period of research. For many years I have calculated, studied and worked with carbon footprints, and Shrink That Footprint is that interest come to life.
I have an Economics degree from UCL, have previously worked as an energy efficiency analyst at BNEF and continue to work as a strategy consultant at Maneas. I have consulted to numerous clients in energy and finance, as well as the World Economic Forum.
When I’m not crunching carbon footprints you’ll often find me helping my two year old son tend to the tomatoes, salad and peppers growing in our upcycled greenhouse.