All times are GMT -6. The time now is So, what's your carbon footprint?
Posted 10-07-2009 at 07:02 AM by Karlos
Here's a thought for you all.
My manager raised an interesting question today in passing regarding "carbon footprint" of cars. He mentioned in passing that he's waiting to see how much carbon dioxide people produce in comparison.
It seemed an interesting idea, so I set out working it out. The first question was, how much carbon dioxide does a person emit generally? Luckily, google had the answer:
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/co...ons-d_691.html
Naturally, it depends on the level of activity:
Sleeping
Respiration (m^3/hour): 0.3
CO2 released (m^3/hour): 0.013
Resting/low activity work
Respiration (m^3/hour): 0.5
CO2 released (m^3/hour): 0.02
Normal work
Respiration (m^3/hour): 2 - 3
CO2 released (m^3/hour): 0.08 - 0.13
Hard work
Respiration (m^3/hour): 7 - 8
CO2 released (m^3/hour): 0.33 - 0.38
So, here's the thing. My daily walk to/from work takes about 40 minutes each way at a good pace and is a distance of about 7km.
I would categorise it as between normal and hard work, so taking the average of the upper figure for normal work and lower figure for hard work, I get:
CO2 released = (0.33+0.13) / 2 = 0.23 m^3/hour.
80 minutes is 1 1/3 hours, so that's
0.23 * 4/3 = 0.307 m^3
Now, the density of carbon dioxide at STP (Standard Temperature and Pressure) is 1.96kg/m^3
Therefore, the total mass of CO2 I'm emitting for that walk is
0.307*1.96 = 0.602 kg
That struck me as pretty astonishing. Now, consider that the total distance walked is 7km (figure derived using google maps), we get:
0.602/7 = 0.086 kg/km
Or, to put it in emissions terms, 86g per km.
Now, compare that figure to the following car emission data:
http://www.carpages.co.uk/co2/
So, I'm only 3g/km better than a Prius that can seat several people?
My manager raised an interesting question today in passing regarding "carbon footprint" of cars. He mentioned in passing that he's waiting to see how much carbon dioxide people produce in comparison.
It seemed an interesting idea, so I set out working it out. The first question was, how much carbon dioxide does a person emit generally? Luckily, google had the answer:
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/co...ons-d_691.html
Naturally, it depends on the level of activity:
Sleeping
Respiration (m^3/hour): 0.3
CO2 released (m^3/hour): 0.013
Resting/low activity work
Respiration (m^3/hour): 0.5
CO2 released (m^3/hour): 0.02
Normal work
Respiration (m^3/hour): 2 - 3
CO2 released (m^3/hour): 0.08 - 0.13
Hard work
Respiration (m^3/hour): 7 - 8
CO2 released (m^3/hour): 0.33 - 0.38
So, here's the thing. My daily walk to/from work takes about 40 minutes each way at a good pace and is a distance of about 7km.
I would categorise it as between normal and hard work, so taking the average of the upper figure for normal work and lower figure for hard work, I get:
CO2 released = (0.33+0.13) / 2 = 0.23 m^3/hour.
80 minutes is 1 1/3 hours, so that's
0.23 * 4/3 = 0.307 m^3
Now, the density of carbon dioxide at STP (Standard Temperature and Pressure) is 1.96kg/m^3
Therefore, the total mass of CO2 I'm emitting for that walk is
0.307*1.96 = 0.602 kg
That struck me as pretty astonishing. Now, consider that the total distance walked is 7km (figure derived using google maps), we get:
0.602/7 = 0.086 kg/km
Or, to put it in emissions terms, 86g per km.
Now, compare that figure to the following car emission data:
http://www.carpages.co.uk/co2/
So, I'm only 3g/km better than a Prius that can seat several people?
Total Comments 8
Comments
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So, how long before we pay emission tax on respiring?Posted 10-07-2009 at 07:18 AM by Karlos 
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Have you ever seen "The great global warming swindle"? It`s very interesting and you should watch it if you get a chance. It has some unbelievable data, and they argue their point very convincingly.
Posted 10-07-2009 at 08:28 AM by Tension
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Climate change is happening and the average temperature rises in the last century are congruent with an increase in global carbon dioxide.
The question is though, how much of it is human induced?
Governments are keen to get tax revenue so motorists make easy targets. This leads to the observation that it's a big money making scam. There's certainly some truth to that if you own a car.
However, a large human population produces a lot of CO2 and and also methane (from farming). The latter is a very powerful greenhouse gas, many times moreso than CO2.
I would say we are having a significant effect on the climate, but it is each and every one of us, not just motorists.Posted 10-07-2009 at 08:48 AM by Karlos
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Global warming is a total load of cobblers if you ask me. Theres far more facts to suggest that it's due to the way the world goes through climate cycles over the period of many years. All we are doing as carbon emmisions go, is blowing on an oil rig fire compared to what is just happening in general. Only thing I like about all this enviromental stuff is that theres a way to not use petrol (or gas for the american reader) and instead rely on hydrogen. That way, the oil can be saved and used for special events like the horse is today (Jay Leno made a good point about all this on Top Gear funny enough).
All I do is just enjoy what power is there and save it (purely on the cost side of things) were I can save it without compromising on my day to day lifestyle.Posted 10-07-2009 at 08:48 AM by tokyoracer
Updated 10-07-2009 at 08:50 AM by tokyoracer (Typo) -
I don't think anybody is contesting that the climate goes through cyclic changes. After all, there is evidence that over a few million years the UK went from a savannah climate all the way through a period of heavy glaciation.
The issue with "human induced" climate change is the rate at which it is happening. Instead of taking millions of years, the present change, whatever is responsible for it, is taking centuries.
That's pretty dangerous for our us regardless of what is causing it :-/Posted 10-07-2009 at 10:18 AM by Karlos
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Some call it global warming, others Climate Change since, whether or not you believe it's getting warmer or cooler, looking at the pattern of weather across the world it's hard to dispute that some sort of climate shift is underway. As previously undeveloped countries such as China begin using fossil fuels, man's impact increases.
The insurance industry was one of the first to complaine when, in the '90s, they identified that their old actuary tables did not accurately predict the potential for claims since the weather no longer fit past models.
Simple things like reusing materials when possible and recycling those you can't, as well as using local products and resources whenever possible, help to reduce your personal impact. And, whether you believe in climate change or not, wise use of resources, whether natural or personal, certainly has its rewards.Posted 10-07-2009 at 12:00 PM by beller
Updated 10-07-2009 at 12:04 PM by beller -
Well,Quote:So, I'm only 3g/km better than a Prius that can seat several people?
don't forget you still need to breathe while driving (you do, do you?). And with all those brainless drivers on the road it's definitely 'hard work'.
Seriously, a considerable part of a normal car's CO2 footprint is caused by its production and its disposal.
And don't forget, the gas you're burning needs to be drilled for, pumped out of the ground, shipped half-way around the globe, refined and carted to your local gas station. Some additional footprint here.Posted 10-13-2009 at 01:03 PM by Zac67
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Work it out for the car carrying two people compared to the same pair of people walking at a fast pace for the same duration. Based on the above calculation the car would actually win on emissions for the journey (not including emissions from production etc).
Posted 10-14-2009 at 10:07 AM by Karlos
