According to the UN’s report, the global population could reach 9.7 billion people by 2050 and over 11 billion by 2100, having immediate effects on the planet by adding up to the emissions overall. For the past two decades, the CO2 emissions from Asian countries have been recorded very high due to the immense growth in industrialisation and population.
During the past two decades, greenhouse gas emissions from Asian countries, particularly carbon dioxide, have been increasing rapidly, due to industrialisation mainly and population growth on the other hand.
The perception in Asia was that the region was an “impactee” rather than an “impactor.”
How do Household choices affect carbon footprint?
Households, in general, are making a bulk contribution to overall indirect or direct carbon emissions in every country. Broad consumption domains lead to different carbon footprints varying from the size of income, age, family structure and personal habits.
Supply chain emissions from services – such as health care, banking and lodging – and food contribute the following most considerable amounts.
A study conducted by Kaihui Song, Shen Qu and Sai Liang, published in Sept -2020, highlighted the factors contributing to the global Household carbon footprint.
To understand how an individual household contributes to carbon footprint, one needs to look at multiple critical areas of their lifestyle, including the food they eat, housing, travel choices, clothing, and other personal services, which are significant contributors to the greenhouse gas emissions global carbon footprint.
The carbon footprint calculated per capita for Malaysia was 7.98 tons in 2020, growing at an average rate of 3.87% since 1971, from 1.33 tons to 7.98 tons in 2020.
Internal article link:
Being more aware of your carbon footprint can assist you to limit the effect of your consumption on the climate. Here are some tips to contribute positively to our planet – (Read)
Main Sources of Carbon Emissions:
● Food:
Food produces about 8 tons of emissions per household, or about 17% of the total. Worldwide, new reports suggest that livestock agriculture has around half of the man-made emissions.
The foods we choose to consume can significantly impact our carbon footprint caused by various stages in the lifecycles of foodstuffs. Beef and animal products generate the most considerable amount of food-related GHG; lamb follows the lead next in line.
Food with the lowest GHG emissions is plants and vegetables carbon footprints depending and varying on how the crops have been produced. Malaysian households spent about 31% of their monthly expenditure on food consumption in restaurants or homes, followed by housing and transportation at 18%.
● Clothing:
The garment industry is one of the most polluting globally, as there is an environmental cost behind each pair of jeans, T-shirt, sneakers etc., that goes unnoticed.
United Nations Environment Programme records that to make a pair of jeans equates to the emission of around 33.4 kilograms of carbon equivalent, from the production of the cotton to the delivery of the final product to the store. As per the demand per household, the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions maritime shipping combined, and the pace could surge up to 50 % by 2030. A household habit of making donations and buying sustainable clothing can help reduce emissions.
● Personal Transportation:
Another household activity taking the lead in carbon footprints contributing directly to the generation of CO2 is the burning of fossil fuels by private vehicles. In recent years, the number of personal motor vehicles on Malaysian roads has steadily increased, increasing the consumption of fossil fuels. Similarly, the use of public transport also contributes including the flights taken also need accounting for, as these contribute significantly. In this context, Kineflux offers a unique and meaningful solution for reducing emission through transportation, offering sustainable options like AIC technology that facilitates more effective engine combustion.
● Household energy consumption:
The total carbon footprint estimated of urban households is double what rural households emit on average.
Most countries worldwide, including Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia, rely heavily on fossil fuel as the primary source for electricity production, with more than 79% in their energy mix on average.
The use of coal massively increased the CO2 emissions globally, especially in Asian countries, has increased the emissions by 85%. It is worth measuring that energy-related CO2, and other GHG emissions have constantly risen rapidly throughout the last century in Malaysia. Aside from lighting, cooling, and heating, buildings accounted for about 48% of all energy use in developed countries.
Conclusion
When the magnitude of households’ carbon footprints was statistically examined in contrast to the relationships with daily household activities and socio-economic demographic variables in Malaysia, it was revealed that the average household carbon footprint was estimated to be 11.76 t-CO2.
To add up to your effort as you owe to the planet, follow “A beginner’s guide to calculating carbon footprint”–it’s an effort of your contribution to climate change.