If you step onto wet cement, you leave a footprint.
It will be there long after the cement has set. Imagine your footprint is the effect you have on the world. It’s how much you use, how many things you throw out, and how much water you use or waste. It’s also what goes into the food you eat and the heat you use and all the other resources you use. Want to help conserve resources? Leave as small a footprint as you can.
How does a carbon footprint work? It’s all about how much carbon dioxide goes into the atmosphere because of you. When you ride in a car, the footprint grows. Why? Because a car’s engine emits a lot of carbon dioxide. But your carbon footprint does not grow if you walk or ride a bike. What about longer trips? Take a bus or a train. They make your carbon footprint grow much less than riding in a car does.
You may be wondering what the big deal is about a carbon footprint. Here’s the big deal: Carbon dioxide traps the Sun’s heat in our atmosphere. That’s called the greenhouse effect. It is the main cause of climate change. Climate change leads to changes on Earth. They can cause droughts and floods. Have you noticed how much you hear about droughts and floods lately? Climate change also causes habitat loss for plants and animals. As the polar ice caps melt, it also causes the sea level to rise.
