Every story has two sides. In this case, I firmly stand on one side. So forgive me if you’re on the other wishing I would just go away. Global warming is real, very real in my opinion.
The Role of CO2 Emissions in Global Warming
According to the National Resources Defense Council, Global Warming is when carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollution collect in the atmosphere like a “thickening blanket” which in turn traps the sun’s heat and causes the planets temperature to rise.
CO2 is the primary greenhouse gas emitted. It’s part of our natural atmosphere and necessary for the Earth’s carbon cycle; however, there’s such thing as too much of a good thing. With an overabundance of CO2 it can directly influence our environment consequently severely impacting our weather and ecosystem. And today, there is more carbon dioxide in the air than at any point in Earth’s 800,000 years.
Today we see extreme weather changes occurring specifically in hurricanes. In the future, we will see rising sea levels causing coastal flooding wiping away towns we know and love, melting glaciers that can affect the ecosystem and water distribution issues on the planet.
What are the causes?
The exhaust emitted from cars is one of the main contributors to the CO2 count and power plant emissions are the largest, but what if I told you yogurt was another?
Okay so it’s not as big as either of the two examples, however it’s the creation of yogurt that contributes to CO2 emissions.
A study done in April found that the U.S. retail sales of yogurt alone will reach $9.3 billion by 2017. That’s a lot of yogurt needing to be produced over the next 4 years and that can lead to a significant impact of CO2 to the atmosphere.
Yogurt gives off 1.25 kg of CO2 for every 1 kg of yogurt produced. So companies like Danone (in U.S. Dannon) who are number 1 in fresh dairy products and responsible for production of 27.8% of the yogurt market share in the world are creating a lot of CO2.
In order to combat the company’s CO2 emissions, Danone co-innovated with SAP to create a solution focused around sustainable product production. Now, Danone can analyze the environmental impact of their products, including a reduction in CO2 emissions which lead to reductions in both fuel and energy. Using this solution, they marked a carbon footprint reduction of 35.2% from 2008 to 2012. Check out this video to see what else they’re focused on and how this sustainable solution is helping them increase sales without sacrificing.
