How to Calculate Your Carbon Emission

Want to determine how much your daily activities impact the environment? Understanding your carbon footprint is a great way to be more conscious about the things you do and the lifestyle you lead. Greenhouse gas emissions are a hot-button topic, but it's important to discuss.

Everyone impacts the planet in some way, and greenhouse gases are responsible for some of the biggest environmental issues our home faces today. That includes climate change, global warming, pollution and more. Using a carbon emission calculator will help you understand where you stand today and what you can do tomorrow.

The Carbon Emissions Formulas

There are many ways to comprehend your carbon emissions. Companies typically use an advanced carbon emission calculator for data emission management. But you can do a few easy calculations at home for more insight into your lifestyle.

These calculations aren't an exact science. Emissions management is a complex beast! However, these equations can give you a rough estimate of your impact.

Start by looking at your monthly gas, electric and oil bills. Those are your biggest contributions to greenhouse gases. They're indirect emissions, but they count nonetheless. Once you have those figures:

• Multiply your electric bill by 105
• Multiply your gas bill by 105
• Multiply your oil bill by 113

Set those figures aside and move on to your travel habits. Planes and automobiles are some of the worst offenders in the fight against reducing greenhouse gases. If you have an electric car, you can skip this part! But for most people who run traditional internal combustion engines, you'll need to look at your yearly mileage.

Multiply that number by 0.79.

Now, think about the flights you've taken in the last year. Multiply the number of flights that lasted less than four hours by 1,100. For flights that were over 4 hours, multiply by 4,400.

Do you recycle? If you don't recycle paper, add 184. If you don't recycle aluminum or tin, add another 166.

Now, add all those figures up to get your total carbon emissions. Ideally, you want to be less than 16,000. A total of up to 22,000 is normal; anything above that means you're a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

Read a similar article about tools for downstream oil and gas here at this page.

Why Oil and Gas Companies Should Focus on their Methane Reduction Efforts

There’s been a lot of focus on the effect of pollutants in the atmosphere over the last decade, and the oil and gas industry has taken notice. In addition to attempts at reducing carbon emissions, companies that serve the oil and gas industry have also taken to efforts to reduce methane.

Methane is a gas that can be released through several processes in the oil and gas industry, and it tends to stay in the atmosphere for about a decade if it is not directly remediated. On top of that, methane is believed to contribute to ground-level ozone, a known contributor to the entrapment of environmental heat. All told, methane can be considered a threat to the planet in that it can cause temperatures to rise by stopping the disbursement of natural heat. This can result in a dangerous warming effect, and as heat builds up, it can be detrimental to climates around the globe.

What is Being Done About Methane in the Atmosphere?

To reduce the amount of methane in the atmosphere, it must first be measured. A midstream oil and gas platform can help in this effort since a midstream oil and gas platform can provide companies with information about how much actual and estimated methane has been produced within a given time period. These platforms may also help to integrate equipment used to directly remove methane from oil and gas production processes.

In addition, equipment used to remove methane may be able to monitor the amount of methane currently in the atmosphere. This gives oil and gas producers a better understanding of what will be involved in reduction efforts going forward.

Methane and the Future of Oil and Gas

While it doesn’t appear that oil and gas are going anywhere anytime soon, advances in electric vehicle technology may curb the need for oil and gas in the future. Additionally, new fuel mixtures and additives can potentially reduce the amount of methane and carbon produced by internal combustion engines.

Read a similar article about platform for oil and gas operations here at this page.