Carbon footprint estimate Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Carbon footprint estimate - Research Paper Example All these average to 8kwh per day in reference to the monthly bill of 240kwh. This translates to 2,880kwh per year, which is generated from coal. According to the Wright, Kemp and Williams (2011), coal, which is the source of electricity in this case, produces about 0.91 Kg of Carbon Dioxide per kWh. Home electricity use therefore contributes 2.62 tons of Carbon per year. Travelling is also a critical contributor to carbon emissions. I commute to and fro a total of 10 Km per day with a public bus that according to Reggiani and Schintler (2005) generates 60g of CO2 for one passenger per Kilometre. From this, perspective, I contribute 0.219tons of CO2 per year through daily commuting. Daily beef consumption is also an important indirect contributor of CO2 among other greenhouse gases emitted by the animals in to the atmosphere. The CO2 is mainly as a result of cultivation, processing and transportation of animal feeds. For example, Rohrer (2007) estimates the CO2 generated to produce 1kg of beef to be 13.3 kg and 0.95 kg for 1 litre of milk. Fruits and vegetables are estimated to contribute 0.7kg of CO2 per kg of food. The daily consumption of 0.5 kg of meat therefore adds up to 2.43 tons of CO2 per year while 0.5 litres per day will contribute 0.173tons of CO2 per year while consumption of 0.5 kg fruits and vegetables per day contributes 0.13 tons of CO2 annually. According to Goodall (2007), natural gas such as methane has been found to contribute 0.23 kg of CO2 per kWh of gas used. Gas has to be used daily for cooking and warming food and I use approximately 8 kWh per day. This translates to 2,928 kWh per year, meaning that 0.67 tons of CO2 are generated through culinary activities in my house, yet some foods such as bread are ready for consumption. Water usage in the house could have been a major contributor to CO2 if measures were not put in place to minimize the number of units used per day.