What makes a tonne of carbon emissions?

To help you understand how your everyday activities add to the changing climate we have created a table showing what makes a tonne of carbon emissions.

Each of these activities results in 1 tonne of carbon emissions on average.

• Travelling in a plane for 5000 kms / 3100 miles (about 3.5 return trips Sydney/Melbourne; 3 return trips New York/Chicago; 11 trips London/Paris)*
  
• Driving a car with petrol/[US gas] about 4100 kms / 2500 miles
  
• Using a clothes dryer for 15 hours
  
• Turning on 10 light globes (100 Watts) for 68 days
  
• Using a window air conditioner for 75 days
  
• Staying 34 nights in a hotel

* for more detail on the carbon emissions from flying visit Travel Math

If you have any examples of an activity that results in approximately 1 tonne of carbon emissions please add it in a comment!

Are Deep Cuts In Carbon Emissions Optional?

Most people consider sustainable initiatives a necessity, but some believe that carbon offsetting is optional. It is important to consider why carbon offsetting is any more optional than the sustainable initiatives to measure, avoid and reduce carbon emissions. If the answer is the cost to offset carbon and the Return-On-Investment, then the time has come to change our way of thinking.

The current scientific evidence on climate change indicates there is a drastically urgent need to make deep cuts in carbon emissions immediately.

Reducing energy consumption alone will not achieve enough. For as we reduce energy consumption, the energy we save is being consumed by an increase in consumer demand and an increase in global population.

The real solution is to encourage industry to invest in alternative low-carbon solutions. This requires an increase in the price of carbon so that low-carbon solutions such as renewable energy appear economically attractive.

Reducing carbon emission credits in a carbon market can achieve this goal, because it helps speed up the transition to a low-carbon future. Climakind gives organisations access to cancel carbon emission credits (CECs) and works with them to ensure their efforts to the right thing and help stop damaging climate change are recognised. Find out how at http://www.climakind.com/.

Image credits flikr missallphoto's