Introduction
The carbon footprint agenda was an agenda that was initiated in order to curb some of the issues that came with the emission of greenhouse gasses. It was defined as the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted by a company, individual or particular event. These gases could be emitted in several ways and maybe from either direct sources or indirect sources. For example, it could be emitted during transport (automobiles), during the manufacturing process, during fuel consumption and many other ways.
What other companies are doing
Many companies have tried to reduce carbon dioxide emission through ‘going green’ in order to ensure the mitigation of carbon footprints. This included the venturing into alternative projects that could be friendly to the environment (Barlow, 2012, p. 3). These include the use of solar power, wind power and the encouragement of such activities as reforestation (planting of more trees). This process of reducing greenhouse gas emission is referred to as carbon offsetting. Carbon footprint effect has been successfully mitigated through the decrease of the amount of energy needed during production. This has been suggested as one of the most effective ways of reducing a carbon footprint. Another way of mitigating this issue is through depending less on the sources of fuel that emit carbon.
Some companies in the concrete industry have devised ways of reducing the product’s carbon footprint. One way they have done this is by replacing the cement in the concrete mixture with other materials that are less carbon-costly. These include waste products such as blast-furnace slag and coal ash (Fountain, 2009, p. 3). Another way that they have done this is through the production of new brands of cement and special raw materials that would cut down the emission of carbon dioxide permanently. The concrete industry has also found ways of recycling concrete. This is by using it in place of crushed stones in construction. In addition, others have added other materials that reduce the amount of concrete per volume. This is through the use of materials such as carbon fiber and plastic foam. This helps to reduce the overall carbon cost.
The automobile companies have also ventured into the production of electric vehicles in order to reduce carbon footprints (Stenquist, 2012, p. AU1). Several other companies that have attempted to reduce carbon emissions include PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and BP (Martin, 2009, p. B1).
Impacts of carbon footprint agenda
Since many companies are becoming aware of the harmful effects of carbon emissions on the environment, they have sort of reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. They have also resorted to being less dependent on fuels that emit huge quantities of carbon. This has also led to the choice of alternative fuel sources.
Ethical issues
The carbon footprint agenda is an important step towards the reduction of the effects of global warming. This is because carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that has been determined to cause global warming (Hansen et al., 2000). Carbon dioxide has a blanketing effect on the atmosphere, and it traps and reflects heat back to the surface. This translates to the increase in temperature of the oceans and atmosphere. This can generally cause climatic changes that may be unsuitable. One of the effects is the change in the precipitation patterns. This is due to the changes in sea temperatures. This might also have an effect on the level of the sea as it rises. There is also a possibility of the subtropical deserts expanding.
References
Barlow, G 2012, ‘Carbon confusion’, Weekly Times Now, p. 3.
Fountain, H 2009, ‘Reducing concrete’s carbon footprint’, New York Times, p. 3.
Hansen, J., Sato, M., Ruedy, R., Lacis, A & Oinas, V 2000, ‘Global warming in the twenty-first century: An alternative scenario’, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., vol. 97, no. 18, pp. 9875-9880.
Martin, A 2009, ‘How green is your orange?’, New York Times, p. B1.
Stenquist, P 2012, ‘How green are electric cars? Depends on where you plug in’, New York Times, p. AU1.