There are many sources of CO2 including emissions from factories and cars, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, and even just breathing emits carbon dioxide or CO2. We can’t stop breathing, but we can cut back on some areas and reduce our carbon footprints individually.

CO2 gasses are harmful as they get trapped in the earth’s atmosphere forming a blanket. This keeps the heat in just like a blanket on your bed. As a result we are beginning to experience the effects of global warming. More severe winter storms, hotter summers in Northern Europe including Southern England and more rainfall.

There are many factors in determining our individual carbon footprint, including where we live, the size of our home, how old our appliances are, the type of car we drive and the amount of air travel we do.

Large homes need more heating and lighting, and bigger cars burn more petrol (gas). Driving with your foot on the accelerator at high speeds also burns more fuel. You will save money and reduce your own carbon footprint by just lowering your speed.

There are carbon calculators that can be found online (www.carboncounter.org) They are simple to use and will quickly show you how big your carbon footprint is.

Just making a few small changes to your lifestyle won’t be to hard and you may be saving yourself money as well as helping to save the planet. Consider walking to the local shop instead of taking the car, if you live in a city get yourself a bicycle. You may find that you can actually get to your destination quicker than if you were sitting in a car or on the bus. Here in the UK many large towns and cities have bike lanes.

Even changing your light bulbs to energy saving bulbs can make a difference. They last much longer than normal bulbs although they can take a few minutes to reach full brightness.

There are organisations that endeavour to help tackle the problem of CO2 emissions, including wind power, reforestation projects, and solar power projects. Visit nature.org and carboncounter.org as well as conservation international.

Working together to individually reduce our personal carbon footprint can only be good for our planet, our future and the future of generations to come