The carbon footprint of (nearly) everything

Have you ever thought about how much CO2  you’re using when you boil a kettle, change a baby’s nappy or buy a bottle of wine? It’s unlikely that you have, but things that we do and buy every day can add up to create a  LOT of additional CO2.

People are beginning to open their eyes and see that if we continue to live the way we are our planet won’t be able to cope. This is especially true of the plastic epidemic, which we’re seeing in the news and media every week. The rise in sea levels, the temperature rise, especially seen this February in the UK when temperatures reached 20 degrees Celsius, and shrinking ice sheets all demonstrate that there is a problem that may become irreversible if we don’t do anything about it now.

It’s a growing problem that cannot be ignored. The main issue is that many people think ‘What will turning a light off actually do?’. Well, the answer is, quite a lot if all the households in the world did this. And is there anything else you can do to help ever so slightly? Perhaps your  boiler is 10 years old  and a replacement would be much more efficient. Maybe you don’t recycle junk mail but doing this could save 1.6kg of CO2 per catalogue.

We’ve decided to create a graphic that really puts into context the amount of CO2 everyday tasks and items produce, as well as the impact that big events have had, such as the 2010 World Cup and the Iraq War. Plus, you can find three ways you can reduce your own carbon emissions at home.  

You can get involved with the conversation by tagging  @ViessmannUK  on Twitter and using the hashtag #HowMuchCO2. We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Sources:  https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/