Residential And Commercial Consumption
...However, there are quite a few things that we can do today, with the current level of technology available, to help aid in the fight to fix the damage caused. When you discuss the damage that has been done, the issue of carbon stabilization comes into play. Carbon stabilization has to do with the current and ideal levels of atmospheric CO2 (Carbon Dioxide). As the plan currently stands, the attempt is to cap the level at 500 +/- 50 ppm, or less than double the preindustrial concentration (280 ppm). However, in order to obtain this goal, the emissions of carbon must be held at the present level, 7 billion tons of carbon per year (GtC/year), for the next 50 years. This "sensible horizon" has prompted the creation of stabilization wedges for the environment. These wedges are, in essence, suggestions that could fix the amount of carbon being released into the atmosphere. For the purpose of this group's research, the wedge we shall be discussing has to do with the energy consumption of commercial and residential electricity. This wedge alone could contain enough power to set in motion a change that could further benefit the planet we inhabit.
The reduction of electricity consumption within the residential and commercial aspects of our lives is one of the easiest wedges to form. There are not only many ways to save the extra electricity we use daily, but many of these ways simply require a slight lifestyle change, or a couple of extra dollars at the register. However, there are also ways to add to the reduction of commercial and residential electrical energy use before a home owner has any say in it. More efficient buildings can be made, using better building codes, and these buildings themselves can be outfitted with efficient appliances, mainly those that have earned an energy star rating. This could cut carbon emissions by ΒΌ in buildings and...
View Full Essay
