Offsetting the carbon footprint is a mission that people and companies must assume as our primary task. The timing couldn’t be more propitious if you take into account the worrying results recently released.
The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) annual greenhouse gas bulletin warned about the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere. The study reflects that in 2020 they reached the highest levels of the last 3,000,000 years.
The concentration of carbon dioxide in 2020 was 149% higher than the parameters that existed before the era of industrialization. The quarantines induced by the COVID-19 pandemic were useless, as the numbers take the world away from its climate goals.
How we generate a carbon footprint
All human beings generate carbon footprints, which are the greenhouse gases (GHG) that we emit through our daily activities. If you use fossil fuels in vehicles or machinery, you generate chemical reactions during production processes, whether using electricity or the computer.
The Nature Conservancy is a worldwide NGO that conducted a study to find out how much CO2 humans emit annually. Their calculations showed that on average they are four tons per person and that figure quadruples if you live in a developed nation.
Planting trees to offset carbon footprint
Planting trees is one of the best ways to reduce or offset carbon footprint, due to its ability to absorb CO2.A 20-year-old hectare of forest is capable of capturing the equivalent of what a person generates each year. Additionally, a single tree is capable of producing oxygen for 20 individuals.
This happens because, during photosynthesis, a natural process in plant species, a plant captures CO2 to generate carbohydrates. These are the energy trees use to grow and stay healthy. Eliminating CO2 emissions in the atmosphere has the power to reverse global warming.
But the benefits are not only environmental for the planet. Every day more advantages are being promoted for those who plant. In the case of legal entities, governments are providing benefits called ‘carbon credits’. Through them you can access credits or exemptions in the payment of taxes.
We can all plant trees
It is a task that can be carried out directly or simply outsourced through environmental companies specialized in the subject. Giving trees is also an ecological alternative to relate to your environment. With this you will be helping communities to offset carbon footprint. If we do not all commit, then the consequences will be irreversible for life on the planet.
