It is now widely accepted by the scientific community that the build-up of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is the main greenhouse gas that causes global warming. Global warming results in rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and an abnormal climate cycle which in turn have a profound effect on wildlife and people worldwide.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is not the only man-made greenhouse gas -- it is simply the one that has accumulated the most in the atmosphere and is presently having the greatest cumulative warming effect on our planet. Human sources of carbon dioxide primarily include the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), and deforestation. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased 30% since pre-industrial times.

The other gases responsible for global warming are: methane (CH4), emitted by agriculture, ranching, landfills, and energy exploration; nitrous oxide (N2O), produced by various agricultural and industrial practices, including the use of nitrogen fertilisers, nylon production, and the burning of organic material and fossil fuels; tropospheric ozone (O3), ozone in the lower part of the atmosphere, created by the reaction of sunlight with human-produced pollutants from vehicles and power plants; chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and other halocarbons such as per fluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hex fluoride (SF6), and hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs) -- chemicals used in refrigeration, air-conditioning, and other industrial processes.

It is now recognised that to slow down global warming, human beings will have to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions on an urgent basis before tackling the effect of the other gases.

With the Family Carbon Calculator you will be able to compute your family’s contribution to the total global emission of greenhouse gases (measured in units of carbon dioxide). This will give you a sense of what your individual impact is on global warming and which parts of your lifestyle deserve the greatest attention. Armed with such information you can more readily take effective action to minimise your personal impact on the climate.

Preparation:  With help from your parents/guardians, collect the information required for the Family Carbon Calculator (FCC) using your electricity, gas and travel and transport  bills. This data has to be for the whole year. If some bills are missing you can compute the figure for 12 months based on the average monthly/bimonthly bill. Fill the details into the form that will pop up when you click here, and you will find out your carbon contribution.

Compiled from various sources by Shailendra Yashwant