Bulacan State University

College of Engineering

CVE 213: Environmental Engineering

Awareness and Mitigation of Carbon Footprint: Path to Environmental Sustainability

and

Unveiling Carbon Emissions: A Holistic and Comprehensive Analysis

Submitted by: Malgapo, Rose Chanel G.

C/Y/S: BSCE -2C

Submitted to: Engr. Sarah M. Faustino

Advancing Awareness and Mitigation of Carbon Footprint: Path to Environmental

Sustainability

Carbon footprint implicates a growing concern regarding the climate change and

environment sustainability that gathers significant attention in this recent year up to

present. Carbon footprint denotes the total amount of various greenhouse gases

(methane, nitrous oxide, and various synthetic chemicals), particularly carbon dioxide,

generated by humans directly or indirectly that provides environmental impact in

individuals, organizations, products, and events. Understanding the current state of the

environment and mitigating carbon footprint is crucial in addressing the climate issues

and achieving a sustainable environment. In the past few years the calculations of

carbon footprint arise and it assesses the emission across the various sectors that

includes energy production, transportation, industry, agriculture, waste management

and other sectors in our country. There’s several methods used for calculating carbon

footprints. World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council for Sustainable

Development (WBCSD) protocol, and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, and Life Cycle

Assessment (LCA) are example of methods used in calculating carbon footprints that

consider both direct (vehicle emissions, burning fossil fuels) and indirect emission

(electricity usage and food production) to provide a comprehensive and informative-

base assessment of carbon footprint.

Numerous factors influence carbon footprint that has an individual’s participation

specifically, the energy consumption patterns, transportation choices, diet, consumption

of goods and services, and waste generation. Urbanization, population growth,

industrialization, and technological advancements also play a significant role in

contributing to carbon footprint. The use of fossil fuel-powered vehicles, electricity from

non-renewable sources, inefficient household appliances, and production and

transportation of goods, including clothing, electronics, and food contribute to carbon

emissions. Additionally, dietary choices, particularly those high in meat and dairy
products, have a considerable environmental impact due to the carbon emissions

associated with livestock farming. With the current state of our environment it is hard to

totally stop the carbon footprint that an individual produces because it has a direct effect

on an individual’s lifestyle, economy, and several aspects but individuals can lessen the

production of carbon footprint.

From another perspective, several studies have assessed the public knowledge

and perception of carbon footprints, revealing varying levels of awareness. Others

remain ignorant of this concern, notwithstanding the fact that certain people and

organizations aggressively work to mitigate and lessen their carbon footprints. The

importance of raising the public's awareness of carbon footprint plays a vital role in

pursuing sustainability and environmental developments. The past few years shows an

evident change in public awareness of carbon footprint and its effects on the

environment. Research, social media, news coverage, campaigns, and educational

efforts contribute in boosting public awareness of the significance of individual

engagements and the consequences of carbon footprinting on the environment.

Businesses, NGO’s, and governments all play important roles in raising awareness with

the enactment of programs to encourage carbon footprint reduction techniques. These

initiatives have raised awareness of the problem among individuals and groups, and

public knowledge of it is growing.

Knowledgeable individuals and sustainable society is being fostered by

interactions, policy developments, and community drives stirred by this increased

awareness. The increasing concern has resulted in discussions, political changes, and

community-led projects aimed at contributing to an environmentally conscious and

sustainable society. By adopting energy-efficient practices, converting to renewable

energy sources, expanding transportation functionality, promoting sustainable

agriculture, implementing waste reduction and recycling initiatives into action, and

pushing for modifications to legislation and global agreements to limit greenhouse gas
emissions, people started to work alongside each other in attempting to reduce the

amount of carbon that every individual produce.

In summary, there has been a significant improvement in the understanding of

carbon footprints in recent years, demonstrating a greater dedication to addressing

climate change and promoting environmental sustainability. The next generation will

profit from a better environment and a more sustainable society if individuals adhere to

promote competence, adopting practical methods into routine, and advocating

sustainable practices.
 Unveiling Carbon Emissions: A Holistic and Comprehensive Analysis

Carbon emissions are a critical factor that contributes to global climate change, it

serves a significant threat in sustainability in general that includes the climate, health

and country’s economic status. It requires an extensive amount of individual

participation from the government, organizations, corporations, and individuals for

dealing with these kinds of crises. The primary contributor of carbon emissions is

human, in which an individual's daily activity entails burning fossil fuels, deforestation,

industrial processes, and agricultural practices that is widely used in the industrial,

transportation, and energy production sectors that additionally partake in contributing

carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Global warming, climate change, and carbon

emission are affected by these pollutants as it traps heat throughout the Earth's

atmosphere. Through this year significant developments took place in individual’s

understanding of carbon emissions and efforts to mitigate their impact that stirred a lot

of advancements and development to lessen the carbon emission production.

Fossil fuels remain to be heavily utilized due to its inexpensive cost that hence

the breakthroughs in renewable energy technology and technological advancements

which results in a major contribution to atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions. Wherein

trees are still cut down for exploitation, urbanization, and agriculture, deforestation

releases stored carbon that contributes to worsening this ecological issue. As soon as

forests are turned into cultivated land, humanity's capacity to store carbon through

photosynthesis is further diminished, resulting in increased emissions.

Industrial activities, including cement production, steel manufacturing, and

chemical processes, also emit substantial amounts of carbon dioxide and other

greenhouse gases. Transportation partakes in the overall carbon footprint particularly

because millions of people use vehicles in our county. Considerable amounts of

greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, are released into the atmosphere when
fossil fuels are burned in vehicles, public utility vehicles and jeepneys, trucks, ships,

airplanes, and jeepney, that indicates an instances of how individuals activities

contributes in carbon emission and also exhibits the human reliance on fossil fuels, not

only for transportation and it contributes to the evident changes in our climate. In recent

years, several practices arises to lessen the carbon emission, for example the

promotion of alternative transportation methods, such as electric vehicles, public

transportation, biking, and walking, which can significantly reduce carbon emissions.

These emissions primarily stem from fossil fuel combustion for energy and chemical

reactions during manufacturing, compounded by the release of by-products such as

methane and fluorinated gases. Agriculture is another significant contributor to carbon

emissions, primarily through methane and nitrous oxide emissions. The use of synthetic

fertilizers, rice growing, and the farming of livestock constitute a few of the main

contributors of these greenhouse gases, proving it challenging to mitigate emissions yet

maintaining sufficient food to satisfy demands. Reducing emissions concerning this

sector requires effective utilization of fertilizer, enhanced livestock management, and

sustainable farming techniques.

An approach which involves the adoption of renewable energy, preservation of

forests, enhanced industrial efficiency, and sustainable agriculture approaches must

take place for reducing carbon emissions. Forestry and reforestation activities contribute

in absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, converting to renewable energy sources,

such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power, may diminish emissions from the burning

of fossil fuels. Emission reductions are further accomplished through supporting

sustainable agricultural practices and improving industrial processes to lower their

carbon intensity and every individual must show willingness. In order to attain significant

emission reductions and mitigate the long-term effects of climate change, technological

innovation, global cooperation, and policy interventions are vital. Addressing these

sources requires a holistic approach and strategies involving sustainable practices and

alternative methods to minimize carbon emissions and its impact on the environment.
 This concludes that mitigating carbon emissions is imperative in addressing

climate change. Carbon emissions contribute to the sudden shifts in the current state of

our environment that are associated with environmental, social, and economic

challenges. Through understanding the sources, implications and impacts of carbon

emissions, governments, businesses, communities, and individuals should act

accordingly as a response characterized through reduced greenhouse gas emissions,

enhanced resilience to climate change, and preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity

that increases the chance in achieving a sustainable environment.

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