What is Carbon? And why is it so bad?
The word carbon is being thrown around a lot recently. It has several meanings to
everyone. To some it refers to its chemical state as element number 6 or its material
state as diamond and graphite. However to us at the University it refers to the amount of
Carbon Dioxide released when we burn fossil fuels for power, heating and water.
Carbon itself is really important to the Earth and exists in all living humans, animals and
plants. It also exists in non living things such as rocks. So why is it so bad? The answer
is that it’s not, BUT it is the amount now going into the atmosphere which is causing lots
concern. Over the last 150 years we have been burning fossil fuels at an exponential
rate which has led to more carbon in the atmosphere as CO2 and at high concentrations
is adding up as the main green house gas which is trapping heat in the atmosphere.
This you may think isn’t that important, but it is! Because of the extra locked in heat we
are seeing the ice caps melt to their lowest ever recorded level, we are seeing weather
patterns alter significantly as our climate is being altered, and we are seeing a rise in
acidic conditions of the world’s oceans.
Still don’t think it’s that important? As climate and weather changes it will have other
severe consequences for us all. We are seeing animals and wildlife become extinct, and
our Earths biodiversity suffer. This is expected to lead to issues with food supply. For
you, it will have significant issues for your daily lives both professionally at work and
socially at home. With climate changing and weather expected to become wetter, we are
going to see increased flooding to homes and businesses leading to increased costs.
So how do we change from total doom and gloom? Simple change our daily habits to be
that bit greener and more sustainable. We can’t get away from the fact we need to use
fossil fuels for our daily needs however the amount we use can change and the amount
of pollution produced can be reduced!
Think about how much energy you need –
Electricity - Don’t leave lights or equipment on when you leave a room or not being
used, turn them off. Switching on and off doesn’t affect the equipment, they are
designed to be turned off!
Heating – Wrap up in layers before putting the heating on or take clothes off when
feeling too warm. An extra layer or jumper can warm you up in no time! If you need the
heating on, set it at 20/21C. There is no benefit putting the temperature higher in the
long run. No control on thermostat, think about using radiator vales to control the
temperature. Between 3 & 4 will be sufficient.
Water – when both using water as heating or cooking with – measure what you need.
Only need 1 cup worth of water, measure the amount in the cup you are going to use!
How simple is that. When boiling water put a lid on it! Not only does it save energy, but
also saves time!