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Greenhouse Gas Control
Noticed the weather changing from mild to wild recently? Still doubting the connection between man-made emissions, global warming and weather extremes? Well whether you are a nay-sayer, doubter or believer, most will concede that recent drives towards eco-friendly environments are just good sense and will save you money too.
Greenhouse gas emissions constitute the main source contributing to climate change. The main gases being CO2, methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). The countries with highest emission levels of these gases are USA, Russia and China, followed by Germany, England and India. All of these countries have ratified the Kyoto Protocol apart from USA.
We hope you'll want to check-out your own carbon footprint from the below links and set targets to reduce it.
Offset your Carbon emissions by sponsoring a tree at our woodland.
Want to know more about Carbon Credits or Trading, click here.
NF3: The Greenhouse Gas That Nobody Knew
You're heartsick about global warming, so you've just paid $25,000 to put a solar system on the roof of your home. How do you respond to news that it was manufactured with a chemical that is 17,000 times stronger than carbon dioxide as a cause of global warming?
It may sound like somebody's idea of a bad joke, but in October 2008, a study from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography reported that nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), with a global warming potential of 17,000, is now present in the atmosphere at four times the expected level and rapidly rising. Use of NF3 is currently booming, for products from computer chips and flats-screen LCDs to thin-film solar photovoltaics, an economical and increasingly popular solar power format.
Moreover, the Kyoto Protocol, which limits a half-dozen greenhouse gases, does not cover NF3. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change now lists it among five major new greenhouse gases likely to be included in the next phase of global warming regulation, after 2012.
According to Linde Gas, fluorine has zero global warming potential and no atmospheric lifetime. But it's also highly toxic and reactive. So instead of being shipped in bottles like NF3, it must be generated on site using special equipment. Although Linde Gas manufactures NF3, they say that fluorine will become essential in thin-film solar manufacturing, because faster cleaning times mean a substantial boost in productivity.
Carbon Sinks
A carbon dioxide (CO2) sink is a carbon reservoir that is increasing in size, and is the opposite of a carbon dioxide "source". The main natural sinks are (1) the oceans and (2) plants and other organisms that use photosynthesis to remove carbon from the atmosphere by incorporating it into biomass and release oxygen into the atmosphere. This concept of CO2 sinks has become more widely known because the Kyoto Protocol allows the use of carbon dioxide sinks as a form of carbon offset.
Oceans are natural CO2 sinks, and represent the largest active carbon sink on Earth. The process (biological pump) that oceans use is shown on the schematic. 
This sounds great, but nature's carbon 'sink' is smaller than expected. What we should realize is that nature's sink is being reduced by deforestation and forest fires, whilst mankind's production of CO2 has exceeded the 'sink' resulting in a net increase in greenhouse gases.
Trees & Soil Absorb CO2
One effective way we can combat greenhouse gas emissions is to plant trees. Trees absorb carbon dioxide while they grow and trap it for years to come. On average, over 30 years, a tree planted in Australia will absorb 230kg of CO2. A tree can absorb up to a ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
Trees also help to combat salinity, reduce soil erosion, clean underground water systems and provide habitat for wildlife.
Soil is the largest carbon reservoir in the UK, which stores about 6 billion tonnes of carbon. About 3 billion tonnes of this total are stored in peats and other organic soils which are found mainly in Scotland and which cover about 30 per cent of the UK's total land area. Forests and woodlands contain some 90 million tonnes of carbon, 30 million tonnes of which are stored in conifers and some 60 million tonnes in broadleaves and mixed woodland.
The UK Forestry Commission has lots of information here.
Carbon Labelling
| Carbon Labelling is being launched in the UK where the number on the label is the amount in grammes of CO2 (and other greenhouse gases) used in the product's manufacture, delivery and disposal. Walkers crisps will be among the first products to carry such a label, along with certain ranges of Boots shampoo and Innocent smoothies. It not only gives information about the carbon 'footprint' of the product, but it shows the company's commitment to reduce the figure. If companies fail to reduce the footprint over a two year period, the label may be withdrawn. | 
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Carbon Links
Find out more on carbon labelling, credits, footprinting, climate change and who is doing what:
Whether you are a Local Planning Authority, consultancy or an individual, the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) are the leading provider of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) quality assurance services in the UK.
If you would like to find an appropriately qualified auditor to undertake specific environmental auditing, try IEMA auditors at technical@iema.net or telephone (+44) 01522 540069.
Other organisations who can audit a businesses energy use and suggest ways to reduce the energy used for substantial cost savings include The Carbon Trust or Environmental Information Exchange.