On Wednesday 20 May, German cabinet ministers will keep a distance from a higher CO2 price. [EPA-EFE| Andreas Gora/Pool] A study published in July 2017 in Environmental Research Letters showed that the main possibility for individuals was to: reduce their own carbon footprint, having one less child (“an average of 58.6 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) per year for industrialized countries, followed by car-free living (2.4 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year), air traffic (CO2 equivalent of 1.6 tonnes per transatlanti) and the introduction of a plant diet (0.8 tonnes of CO2 per year). [30] [31] The study also showed that most public resources devoted to climate change focus on measures that have a relatively modest impact on greenhouse gas emissions, and concludes that “an American family that chooses less than one child would provide the same level of emission reduction as 684 young people who opt for full recycling for the rest of their lives.” [31] The voluntary market in North America is shared among members of the Chicago Climate Exchange and the Over The Counter (OTC). The Chicago Climate Exchange is a voluntary but legally binding emissions system in which members must commit to reducing emissions on a limited basis and acquire allowances from other members or offset excess emissions. The OTC market does not include a legally binding system, a wide range of public and private sector buyers, and specific events that want to become carbon neutral. Being carbon neutral refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by rebalancing a measured amount of carbon released by an equivalent amount sequented or offset, or by an emission credit sufficient to make up for the difference. With its Green Agreement, the EU wants to become the world leader in the fight against climate change and encourage other countries to more actively implement the Paris Agreement on climate change. The context of Europe`s tenacity on this issue is that the United States has completely withdrawn from the agreement, that Russia is extending its coal and oil development plans and that China and India are pursuing a fairly weak environmental policy. These four countries account for more than half of global greenhouse gas emissions, while the EU accounts for just over 10%. According to a 2018 EU report, block emissions have fallen significantly over the past two decades, but still account for 9.6% of global CO2 emissions each year. The carbon footprint of an individual, nation or organization can be measured by an assessment of greenhouse gas emissions, a life cycle assessment or other computing activities called CO2 bills. Once the size of a carbon footprint is known, a strategy can be developed to reduce it, for example through technological change, improved energy efficiency, improved process and product management, changes in public or private markets (GPP), CO2 capture, consumption strategies, CO2 offsetting and others.
[9] Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are gases that increase the Earth`s temperature due to their absorption of infrared radiation. [6] Although some emissions are natural, the rate of production has increased due to humans. These gases are emitted from the consumption of fossil fuels in deselectricity, heat and transport and are emitted as by-products of production.