Stay cool and reduce your impact on global warming by participating in the Field Museum's Carbon Offset program What is global warming?The Earth's atmosphere is warmed by gases, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane, that trap heat from the sun. While these gases occur naturally, humans emit an additional millions of tons of these gases every day by driving, flying, and using electricity. In fact, we are adding so much carbon dioxide to the atmosphere that the Earth's temperature is rising at an alarmingly fast rate! Scientists found that over the past century the Earth has warmed 1°F and, while that doesn't seem like much, the Earth might warm another 2° to 6°F in the next century. For the sake of comparison, when the last ice age occurred the Earth was only 7°F colder than it is now.  How much carbon do I add to the atmosphere?The carbon we add to the atmosphere can be measured in terms of a Carbon Footprint. Everyday, each of us leaves a Carbon Footprint. Americans leave large footprints in relation to much of the rest of the world. The average American produces more carbon dioxide in a year than can be absorbed by 200 trees! In comparison, the average person living in Africa needs just one tree to absorb their carbon output, the average person living in Hong Kong needs 55 trees, and the average person in Japan needs 100 trees.  What can you do to reduce your Carbon Footprint?While we can't reduce our carbon output to zero, if we each make an effort to reduce our output, by even a small amount, pretty soon two of us will be sharing the Carbon Footprint of what used to belong to just one person. That's cutting our carbon output by half—to 100 trees person. One way for you to begin shrinking your Carbon Footprint is through participation in The Field Museum's Carbon Offset Program. Continue to more About the Carbon Offset Program. >> |
Carbon Offset Home Related Links • ECCo • ECP • Renewable Energy Vehicle |
||
 |
||
| Field Museum Home | Planning Your Visit | Calendar of Events | Exhibits | Education Membership | Research & Collections | Museum Information | Museum Store |
||
| © 2007 The Field Museum, All Rights Reserved 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605-2496 312.922.9410 |
Technical Support webmaster@fieldmuseum.org |
|