REDUCING THE CARBON FOOTPRINT IS MORE THAN A CSR ACTIVITY

For sustaining the ecological balance, at least one-third of our land must be covered with forests. Over felling of trees, hindering the natural process of pollination and germination and diverting land have taken their toll on forests already. All though land allocation for infrastructure development is a necessary evil in our present context, we at Rajpath Infracon staunchly believe the responsibility of regenerating and mantaining the green cover firmly lies with the developers.

 

 

Deforestation has led to the loss of species, abruptions in the water cycle, soil erosion, and degrading the quality of life of humans. In addition to harming biodiversity and infringing on the rights and livelihoods of local communities, forest destruction at this huge scale is disastrous for the global climate. Research shows that forests play an important role in curbing climate change and we are are already facing the imposed due to that.

The only way to control the damages that mankind is prone to be the urgent need for a mass tree plantation drive in India. This needs to especially be pronounced in arid regions, or in locations where infrastructure development is progressing on a high scale.

 

Tree plantation is important as they support life by providing habitat to different species such as squirrels, bees and birds. Trees cleanse the climate by absorbing carbon dioxide from the environment and releasing oxygen. Certain varieties also absorb odors and pollutant gases (nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone) and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark. The trees cool the environment through their leaves by absorbing the sun heat. Thus, there occurs overall cooling in the atmosphere. Tree plantations also avert soil erosion due to water flow and winds. The tree plantation along roads provides shades to houses and streets.

 

 High levels of carbon emissions, other gases, and pollution in our atmosphere create a warming effect, which is called global warming. Global warming is a big concern in every part of the world. Right now, polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate, not to mention increased worldwide natural disasters. This creates problems for natural habitats, wildlife, and even humans! Trees are important in helping to save energy by providing shade in urban environments, as they can lower temperatures in cities. Some estimates say the shade from a single tree can save the same amount of energy it takes to power 10 room-sized air conditioners for 20 hours a day!

Global warming is compounded with The Greenhouse Effect, caused due to deforestation on a large scale leading to heating in the earth’s temperature. Did you know as a tree matures, it can consume 22 lbs of carbon dioxide per year (among other greenhouse gases like ozone), and release enough oxygen for us to breathe for 2 years?

Increased carbon emissions affect climate change and trees help absorb the carbon dioxide. We at Rajpath Infracon do not just talk about the climate crisis; we have decided to become agents of change! Besides emphasizing the importance of preserving the exisiting green cover, we take initiatives to execute tree plantations along every state and national highway project.

 

 

 

We also recognise besides providing health benefits and providing medicine, trees and plantations also provide social and economic opportunities in the rural areas, such as creating jobs and helping to raise people out of poverty and achieve sustainable development, which ultimately improves our environment.

 

According to WHO, a carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the amount of carbon dioxide produced through the burning of fossil fuels and is expressed as a weight of carbon dioxide emissions produced in tonnes. In other words, it corresponds to the whole amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced to (directly and indirectly); support a person’s or organisation’s activities.

Hence a cognizant and intentional attempt to reduce in energy consumption due to tree plantations goes a long way when it comes to shrinking our Carbon footprint. Reducing our carbon footprint can slow the effects of climate change, thereby reducing the adaptation pressure placed on plants and animals. We should care about reducing our carbon footprint because our planet’s future quite literally depends on it. Reducing our carbon footprint is important because it mitigates the effects of global climate change, improves public health, boosts the global economy, and maintains biodiversity. When we cut carbon emissions we help ensure cleaner air, water, and food for our generation and for generations yet to come. We may not be able to drastically cut down our energy consumption for practical reasons, but we can certainly compensate for this by taking up tree plantations and sustaining and nurturing them.