Let's start with the big numbers
Belgium's carbon footprint in 2020 is ± 118 million tonnes of CO2.
It's so huge that we can't realize how big it is, right? If we switch in kilograms, it gives a total of 118 billion kg of CO2, the equivalent of 3 millions cars doing a world tour...
So, frankly, is planting a few trees useful? No. And yes.
Obviously, if we take such figures, we do not see how a single person can change anything with an action. Actually, she can't.
On the other hand, if everyone acts, we are able to achieve objectives that all the policies put in place since 1990 have not achieved. Each of us can offset the footprint of a car or heating, some equipment, one or another trip... And only with that, we easily reach an annual carbon footprint of 4 to 7 tonnes.
Even if we count 3 tonnes only by person
the CO2 footprint of 20,000 km with an average car, or 800 l of fuel oil › 2,400 kg of CO2
1 smartphone › 80 kg of CO2
1 return trip to Barcelona by plane › 570 kg of C02
= 3.050 kg of CO2 which can be 200% offset in 10 years with 120 trees.
It's not much, isn't it? No, it's huge.
If each active person plants the trees to offset 200% of this very average footprint, we can neutralize more than 40 million tonnes of CO2 each year...
This is 100% of the efforts to be made to achieve Belgium's objective for 2030 in terms of greenhouse gas reduction!
Alone, no. Each one, yes.
It's everyone's action that matters.
You can start taking action here.
Share also this post to encourage your network to take action by clicking on the 3 small dots at the top of the post.
THANKS.
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Calculation nd references:
* population in Belgium (source : Stabel)
total population: 11.490.000 inhabitants
active population: 6.718.841 inhabitants aged from 20 › 65 years
** carbon footprint / year in Belgium
statistical average per Belgian: Belgium's CO2e footprint divided by the number of inhabitants › 118,000,000 t CO2e / 11,419,000 inhabitants = ± 10 t CO2e
Estimated personal footprint: the CO2e footprint of 29,000 km care or 800 l fuel oil + 1 GSM + 1 return trip by plane › ± 4 t CO2
*** GHG reduction target for 2030 = - 35% compared to 1990 GHG emissions.
GHG 1990 = 146,411,000 tonnes of CO2
GHG 2030 = 80,526,050 tonnes of CO2 (objective)
GHG 2020 = ± 118,00,000 tonnes of CO2
Objective of reduction = - 37,500,000 tonnes of CO2
Image Kalise Veer | Unsplash
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