Going carbon neutral

Are you carbon neutral?

In this country, if you ask the question chances are you would be met with blank stares, as if saying, what are you talking about? Or shall we change the topic? Try it.

It shows that we are still along way towards a culture of clean energy and energy efficiency.

Going carbon neutral as an individual is all about the good old, energy conservation and being energy efficient. Aside from the updated semantics, becoming carbon neutral takes on a new advocacy-- that of helping to mitigate global warming in your own small way by deliberately changing your lifestyle towards that goal.

The jury is still out whether global warming is caused more by human activities or natural events—one can argue from both ends of the political spectrum. Or whether global warming is intrinsically bad or there might even be hidden benefits to it, according to the devil advocates (For example, global warming could free up vast tracts of tundra for agriculture).

Whatever. But the incontrovertible scientific evidence does indeed point to measurable average global rise in temperatures at least since the rise of civilizations. The body of evidence ranges from paleotemperature measurements of ice cores in Antarctica to ocean currents and to migratory behavior of birds.

Let’s go back to becoming carbon neutral.

Carbon neutrality refers to energy policies and practices that effectively result in zero net emissions of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are alleged to contribute significantly to global warming. Any effort to help reduce these gases will offset the effects of global warming.

Carbon neutrality works through a combination of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, researching and utilizing renewable energy resources and offsetting whatever emissions one cannot avoid producing.

There are two groups of ways to become carbon neutral. One, by reducing your own carbon emission by deliberately avoiding activities that emit carbon gases and by becoming energy efficient. And two, by offsetting what you produce by some carbon-reducing activities somewhere around the globe.

Offsetting could also mean you pay companies to maintain carbon reduction projects worldwide like tree-planting program or the use of renewable energy sources which would nullify your carbon emissions.

Large-scale offsetting is probably familiar here in the form of tradable carbon credits granted to renewable energy projects such as the Bangui Bay wind project and the methane gas electricity generation project in San Mateo. These projects have been implemented through the so-called Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol. The mechanism is essentially trading an institution's excess carbon emissions with another’s surplus to lead to a net zero sums.

Offset projects can be classified into two types: avoided emissions and sequestration. The first category seeks to avoid emitting greenhouse gases by using less fossil fuel and switching to renewable sources for power generation.

The second category, sequestration offsets, involves removing an equivalent amount of CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it for a given time. Carbon sequestration proposals range from capturing the carbon dioxide emissions of coal power plants to research on how forests and grasslands management could be improved to increase soil uptake of these gases.

The voluntary offset market has developed into a major market which is triggered by increasing carbon compliance demands especially in more developed societies. Europe and Japan have been the largest buyers and China the largest seller. In 2006, the estimate of the regulated market is placed at $US21.5 billion and voluntary markets at about $US100 million for the first three quarters of 2006. The bulk of the purchases come from corporations with substantial carbon footprints that are looking to minimize their financial risks ahead of tightening regulation.

Examples of carbon offsetting projects are the following: solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power, fuel efficiency, fuel substitution (switching to a fuel which emits less carbon). Co-generation (generate electricity and heat from one source), efficient lighting (replacing incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps), materials switch (replace input materials of industrial processes to one with less carbon emission), construction of green buildings (which are energy and materials efficient), green transport (use of LPG and hybrid cars), utilization of industrial waste (e.g., co-generation), biomass power generation (use of farm residue to generate power), reforestation and efficient pasture management.

Becoming carbon neutral requires a complete change in outlook aside from having the right information.

In the meantime, one can readily take the path to becoming carbon neutral by making improvements right within your home. Some of the things you could do at home include:

* Choose white goods such as freezers, washing machines and air conditioners with high efficiency ratings.

* Replace incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and other low energy light bulbs. Try to give up your halogen lamps.

* Switch to a power supplier which uses renewable energy if possible. At the moment this is not feasible, but this might be coming your way soon.

* Improve the insulation of your room if you have an air conditioner. Switch off air conditioner earlier; with proper insulation, coolness of the room will persist longer.

* Observe proper recycling of materials

* Don’t leave appliances and lights turned on when nobody is using

* Don't waste water.

* If appropriate, install your own renewable energy systems, such as solar panels in your home.

One could add to the list.

Becoming carbon neutral is not that difficult. Aside from having that feel-good feeling of somehow helping the environment, one can save or make money on the side.