Footprints 2022 - a shocking start to 2023
On the second day of the new year, I decided to find out more about my personal environmental footprints. To set realistic goals for the new year living a greener life, I need to know where I am at, first.
Tools to Calculate Ecological and/or Carbon Footprint
I tried a few free data resources/tools online, and preferred the?Ecological Footprint Calculator?from?Global Footprint Network?and the?Climate Footprint Calculator?from?Nos Gestes Climat. Both have great visual representations and are relatively easy to use, although they are also different in some ways and each has its own advantages. Here is a key comparison:
Ecological Footprint v. Carbon Footprint
Before we look into the assessments, there is a distinction between ecological footprint and carbon footprint.?The carbon footprint is calculated in?carbon dioxide (equivalent) emissions?and quantifies the greenhouse emissions of an individual, a population or an activity, while the ecological footprint is calculated in?surface area (global hectares or number of planets)?and measures the surface area necessary for the consumption of an individual, a population or an activity.
Inputs on Lifestyle and Assumptions
Back to the assessments, which require input based on their questionnaires, which I have given mine based on my current lifestyle (which is considered?average lifestyle in Singapore?I think).
I live in an apartment of modest size in the Rest of Central Region (generally speaking, within 10km radius from central Singapore (Orchard area)). I eat a balanced diet (including meat, and red meat only rarely). I do not own a car as yet but use Grab (private car hire service) pretty often, which is very convenient. I used to travel more for work and holidays, but since the Covid hit, I’ve only clocked around 20 hours of flights last year. I do consider energy efficient in choosing my appliances, amongst other factors. Last but not least, I shop on average once or twice a month for fashion and miscellaneous.
Results — Surprise, Surprise
Living in a developed economy which is well-known as the “Garden City”, I would have thought that my carbon footprint, benchmarked against global averages, should be somewhat average if not better. How wrong was I. Below are the screenshots of my results from both assessments:
Note that the results from both assessments on my personal carbon footprint are somewhat similar, i.e. 11–12 tonnes of CO2e per year. That probably means the assessments are somewhat accurate, if not at least?consistent.
Interpretation of the Results:
As seen from the results, what I thought to be?an average lifestyle in Singapore has much higher ecological and carbon footprints than the global average.
According to Global Footprint Network,?the footprints calculated are often larger than our expectations because of the automatic allocation of societal impact on individuals which are beyond individual lifestyle choices.?That might have explained the heavy attribution of Ecological Footprint to Goods and Services in the breakdown of the results. The allocation of the societal impact might be global one and is not country-specific because the assessment did not ask about my location.
When it comes to the carbon footprint, it seems that?air travel is the highest contributor?based on the breakdown from Nos Gestes Climat. For only 20 hours of flights last year, I have single-handedly contributed 4.4 tonnes of CO2e (more than 30% of my total carbon footprint), and that is just for a less-travelled year.
The other two top actions recommended that could significantly reduce my carbon footprint includes becoming a vegan and go to work by public transport:
How do I Feel and What to Think?
Honestly,?my first reactions to these results were disbelief and despair. It seems that it would require tremendous efforts to change my personal lifestyle to make some measurable difference in my footprints.
Would it be reasonable to expect no overseas travelling at all for someone living in Singapore (which is a small island with no train alternatives to neighbouring countries at the moment)? Would it be possible to suddenly become a vegan for the environment for someone who believes in a more balanced diet? Even if I did miraculously implement the top three actions (which would translate to about 50% reduction in my total carbon footprint), by my own individual effort, I still could not lower my footprints to the goals set by these assessments. Instead of feeling the powerful urgency of change, I felt despair.
It may be difficult to imagine that collectively, we could do much better than what we can achieve individually. Some bank their hopes on new technologies, which have shown progress and promises but the future is always shrouded in uncertainties. Others may look to the governments and supra-governmental organizations to ensure that the macro-targets are achieved eventually at all costs.
I don’t think I am typically pessimistic, but the results from these assessments seem to suggest that some pessimism is actually realistic.?Individual efforts alone are far from being enough.
Should we therefore give up as individuals? No! Regardless of how much is the difference, each effort made counts. We may not be able to rely on these efforts alone to save the future of humanity, but with all the efforts collectively and more, perhaps we still stand a chance.
Despite the somewhat disheartening results, I still want to try my best.?For it is better to die trying than not having tried at all. Knowing my current footprints is the first step, followed by making my own plan to reduce what I reasonably can (which I will share soon). Then share the messages and knowledge with the wider community in various ways. That’s how we shall keep trying.
Life is brighter on the greener side.