Chemistry

This week my contributions to the problem of global warming, and subsequently the size of my carbon footprint are the same as they are every week. My daily routine means that I am contributing a lot to the problem of global warming and adding to the levels of carbon dioxide, methane and chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere. I drive my car every day, to school and to the shops, to see friends and to run other errands. I burn fossil fuels when having a BBQ at home or with friends, and I use chlorofluorocarbons during my daily routine. In order to cut down these levels of use, I would have to change my lifestyle in a number of ways, for example I could take public transport instead or walk to locations that are close to my home, I could switch the products that I use that contain methane and chlorofluorocarbons.

My personal contributions towards air pollution from exhaust fumes and other particles are quite large. As noted previously the exhaust fumes from my car are adding to the air pollution problem. The possible actions that could be taken to lower these levels of contribution would be to change my car for a more environmentally friendly automobile such as the Toyota Prius. I could also decide to ration the use of my car, and use it on alternate days instead of every day of the week.

My personal contributions towards ozone depletion are also fairly large, and they include aerosol use from deodorants and other products that I use that come in a compressed can. Actions to reduce my own levels of contribution to the ozone depletion issue could involve switching to non aerosol based products or to check the products before purchase to ensure they contain no chlorofluorocarbons. Since the problem with the hole in the ozone layer, chlorofluorocarbons have been slowly phased out of most of the aerosol products around the world.

The contributions made to the LA smog problem are again quite big, and could be reduced in some ways. My use of a car, of aerosols, along with having BBQs are things that I do nearly every day, and are things I should try to stop. Rationing my use of these products would help to reduce emission levels.

There is a tree outside my parents house, which has been there since I can remember, and when I was a child I used to climb the tree regularly and play there with friends, we made a tree house and had a lot of fun in this tree when I was younger. I brought the tree a wheelbarrow of composted material from my parents recycled organic waste and spread this around the base of the tree, I then gave the tree a drink of water from the hosepipe and said thank you to it for the oxygen it provides as well as apologizing to the tree for the damage the human race are causing the planet and to many millions of other trees around the world. I felt sad doing this, because the tree outside my parents house is very lucky compared to some trees that are being destroyed for illegal logging, and fossil fuel consumption. I was not aware that this is common in many cultures, but I am not surprised to find out that it is, we in the western, modernized world have forgotten our roots and what made us into the race of people we are, and that we have only begun to destroy the world in this way during the last one hundred fifty years since the industrial revolution. I think it should be commonplace to do this in our culture, and it may make people more aware of the damage we are causing the planet as a race, and may help to combat global warming and the destruction of our forests. I think it would make a big difference to the mentality of people if they were made to say thank you to nature for what it has given us as a species, and I think this idea would help change our collective attitudes and make us more aware as people if we were to adopt this idea and make sure at an elementary school level students are taught to do this as a requirement for their biology classes.