Due to growing concern about global climate change and carbon emissions as a cause, many companies and organizations are carrying out projects to measure and mitigate their carbon footprint.If you’re wondering right now “how do I offset my carbon footprint?”, don’t worry. Below we explain what it is, so that you can advise yourself and you can contribute your grain of sand to the reduction of this phenomenon.
What is the carbon footprint?
Basically, it is the amount of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide, that are released into the atmosphere by a particular activity. This can be an extensive measure applicable to the actions of an individual, a family, an organization or even an entire country.
It is usually measured in tons of CO2 emitted per year. The measurement of this amount can be supplemented by the sum of tons of CO2 equivalent gases, including methane, nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases.
How to reach a zero carbon footprint?
The reduction of a company’s carbon footprint becomes essential.In fact, many of them pursue the goal of achieving a zero carbon footprint. But, to achieve this, companies must first know their current emissions. In particular, they must account for their direct and indirect emissions and convert them into their carbon dioxide equivalents. This way it is possible to get an idea of the impact that a company generates on the global climate.
Therefore, to calculate a possible offset of your carbon footprint in Colombia, it is important to quantify and evaluate the different levels of pollution produced.
Where should a company interested in making this change start?
Before calculating a company’s carbon footprint, it is important to consider why you want to calculate it and how it relates to the company’s overall sustainability strategy. When moving to a more sustainable business model, it is important to first check how this way of functioning fits with the values and strategies of the business. Since this is a topic of general interest, we list some initiatives that an interested company can start exploring.
Sector Oil & Gas
The Oil & Gas sector has every opportunity for improvement, by participating in global collaborative initiatives that promote best practices. These may include, for example, a coordinated comparison table between companies that have unified methodologies for methane gas measurement.
Green hydrogen
Most experts agree that the use of green hydrogen will be critical to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. Therefore, there are certain sectors of the economy whose emissions are difficult to eliminate, and where hydrogen is key. Approximately 70 million tons of green hydrogen are produced worldwide for use in steelmaking, fertilizer production, food processing, and so on.
Renewable energies
Renewable energies, such as wind or solar, are covering the world under a green blanket of hope. At the end of 2017, global installed renewable energy capacity exceeded 1,000 gigawatts; an amount similar to the total installed capacity of electric power of a country like the United States.
However, the additions of wind and solar sources during the last decades represent only 3.6% of global energy production. In this regard, we still have a long way to go.
Single-use plastics
50% of the plastic we use is single-use, so making simple changes could drastically reduce the amount of plastic pollution we produce. Reuse, reduce and reject are policies that should be extended in companies alike.
Water footprint
In the case of a company, we are talking about the total volume of fresh water it uses for its production. This metric allows companies to find out where and when water is used in a business, and therefore where they can try to decrease their spending.
Indeed, leading companies around the world are realizing that they must manage these risks by putting water footprint on their agendas, just as they do with carbon footprint.
Sustainable Development Goals
We are talking about a grouping of initiatives led by the UN that seeks an ambitious goal focused on 2030.
There are 17 in total, and its objective is to raise awareness in social, environmental and economic aspects, which ultimately impact, among other important aspects, on the global carbon footprint. The key to these goals is that everyone can contribute; Therefore, it is a duty to know them and implement measures that favor them from companies.
As we have seen, the carbon footprint is everyone’s problem… And if countries and their industries commit to sustainability, they will pass that value on to their customers and their impact will be greatly reduced.
