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Can someonr explain thr math of how someone is supposed to be able to be even close to net zero carbon footprint? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by Kage520@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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I just got a CO2 meter and checked the levels in my house and went down a rabbit hole trying to address the issue. Apparently it would take 249 areca palms to offset the carbon RESPIRATION of one adult.

So okay 249 trees just for me to breathe, not to mention the rest of the bad things we all do.

So how can this math ever balance? 249 trees just to break even seems like an impossible number. Then all the flights I have been on, miles driven, etc.

I feel like that's... Way too many trees. Is it hopeless or am I missing something?

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[-] Skua@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Is that second sentence something you have numbers for or a guess?

[-] beaubbe@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

For fun, a rough estimate is 20% of an animal's mass in carbon. A cow is around 600kg (1000 pounds). That means 120kg of carbon. Carbon being 12g per mols, that is 10'000 mols of carbon. Turn that all in CO2, that makes 10'000 mols of CO2 which is 44g per mols, so 440 kg of CO2.

As methane (CH4), it is instead (16g per mols) : 160kg.

A cow produces 100kg of methane a year so a cow's biomass is not sufficient to compensate for it's methane production over its life.

Plus, when you eat the cow, you are the one farting that carbon back in the athmosphere anyway.

Still, cattle is 10% of the global greenhouse gas emissions.

this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2023

125 points (89.3% liked)

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