Dylan Choi

HOBY: 7th Global Youth Environment Essay Competition 2023

What footprint will you leave behind? Before contemplating hopes and dreams, the reality is that
all of us will leave a carbon footprint in the world. And that definitely should not be anyone’s
hope or dream.

According to the Nature Conservancy, the average carbon footprint for a person in the United
States is 16 tons (What is Your Carbon Footprint). NASA also has reported that human activities
have raised the atmosphere's carbon dioxide content by 50% in less than 200 years (Carbon
Dioxide Concentration). We produce greenhouse gas emissions and increase our carbon
footprints in our everyday lives: when we drive, burn oil, use electricity and natural gas. These
are just the beginning and only a small fraction of the many ways individuals increase their
carbon footprint.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has reported that “since 1970, CO2
emissions have increased by about 90%, with emissions from fossil fuel combustion and
industrial processes contributing about 78% of the total greenhouse gas emissions increase from
1970 to 2011” (EPA). If numbers were that high in the past, then what about now? What about
ten, twenty, fifty, one hundred years from now?

The US government has declared carbon emissions as a threat that will affect people now and
throughout the future. It also plays an important role in the economy and the economic cost of
carbon emissions is extremely high. According to a study in Nature, experts found that every 1
trillion tons of CO2 translates to a gross domestic product (GDP) loss of nearly half a percent
(Chavaillaz et al). The rising temperatures due to carbon emissions and climate change impact
various industries, especially agriculture and labor productivity, ultimately leading to more
economic problems in many countries. However, if the world collectively works to address these
issues regarding climate change, the total global economic cost would be 240-420 billion per
year by 2030. While this initially may seem like a high cost, that number is projected to be less
than 1% of the forecasted GDP in 2030. Therefore, experts claim that “the benefits of mitigation
would far outweigh the costs of implementation” (Chavaillaz et al).

Moreover, reducing the carbon footprint would also greatly benefit the healthcare sector along
with public health in general. In 2017, there were 1.2 million air pollution-related deaths in
China, which represented 13.2% of the country’s GDP (Sarao). According to reports from public
health officials, there were 23,000 deaths in 2017 as well, representing 7.1% of the country’s
GDP (Sarao). These numbers will continue to rise through 2020, further illustrating that carbon
emissions, this threat, shows no signs of slowing down and air pollution will kill one too many
innocent lives.
Not only are people threatened, but plants, animals, and essentially all living organisms suffer
from the impact of climate change. In terms of biodiversity, climate change affects wildlife both
short-term and long-term and can ruin plant and animal populations and detrimentally impact the
planet’s ecosystem. The National Wildlife Federation states that climate change “disrupts the
ecological balance between plant and animal species by increasing both competition and forcing
relocation” (Climate Change). While these populations have evolved over time, they cannot keep
up with adapting to the current state of the environment which can lead to extinction and impact
the whole ecosystem.

It’s imperative that every single individual and we as a society need to take more action to reduce
carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality to fight this climate change battle. However,
achieving carbon neutrality, the state of having emitted no carbon dioxide, is not going to be easy
because it requires all individuals to make efforts in order to contribute to the common goal, a
goal that is not immediately seen or even felt.

Despite how unattainable this goal may seem, people can make efforts in their day-to-day to help
reduce their carbon footprint. For example, the easiest way to take action is by being more
conscious of daily habits: unplug electronics that are not in use, use low-flow showerheads or
take shorter showers, take the stairs, switch to LED light bulbs. These are very simple ways that
any individual can do in order to help achieve carbon neutrality.

There are various other methods that people can take either directly or indirectly to reduce
carbon dioxide such as utilizing more renewable energy sources that include solar, geothermal
heating, or wind. While this will directly reduce the amount of carbon emitted, an individual can
also easily reduce carbon emissions by using other alternative methods of transportation such as
walking and biking. Changes in lifestyle can make great impacts to reducing carbon emissions
and helping the environment. Adding solar panels to homes and switching to an electric vehicle
are tangible methods that should be encouraged in order to save the planet.

The definition of achieving carbon neutrality is to have a carbon dioxide input which has a ‘net
neutral’ impact on the environment. Having a ‘net neutral’ impact means to not emit any carbon
into the environment (Carbon Neutral). The reason that net neutrality is so significant is because
the greenhouse gasses that are being emitted cause even more global issues: rising sea levels,
deforestation, variations in solar activity, and change in weather patterns. If individuals and
society as whole don’t work together to achieve carbon neutrality, then there will be a
catastrophic snowball effect.

Ultimately, we must take these steps together to adapt a lifestyle that eliminates our carbon
footprint. It is only then that we will all leave behind footprints that save our planet.
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