Green Living Knowledge

It is easy to reduce carbon emission by simply making small changes to your daily lifestyle.

Clothing: Buy one instead of five new clothing per season can reduce up to 80% of CO₂e*.

Eating: Maintain a light diet with less meat and plenty of vegetables, e.g. consume 90g potatoes instead of a 90g piece of steak can reduce around 90% CO₂e*.

Accommodation: Use portable fan instead of a 1HP air-conditioner for 8 hours can reduce up to 95% CO₂e*.

Commuting: Take MTR from Chai Wan to Kennedy Town instead of using private car can reduce up to 99% of CO₂e*.

*Carbon dioxide equivalent

Let’s practise low carbon living to save the earth!

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Source: Council for Sustainability Development

The greenhouse effect is caused by greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane in our atmosphere. As they trap and redirect heat between the sun and the Earth, temperature is being regulated. However with the excess greenhouse gases produced from human activities, greenhouse effect intensifies, causing the world temperature to rise thus global warming.

As temperature continues to rise, melting of glaciers at the Artic and the Antarctica may cause sea level to rise too. For people living in low-lying area, relocation to a new place because of serious flooding is not uncommon. Whereas under such extreme and unforeseeable weather, cultivation becomes more difficult for farmers and food supply will be unreliable as well. Lastly as the climate warms up, it is possible that germs grow more actively, posing a threat to our health.

When the temperature rises, the distance between particles in the air expands. As a result, the air’s capacity to hold water molecules also increases. Later, as the vaporised water molecules cool down, they turn into raindrops.

In 2008, a remarkable precipitation occurred in Hong Kong, with 145.5mm of rain recorded in an hour – almost twice the record high of 88.6mm in 1886.

Although it seems the North and South poles share similarities in climate, the migration of polar bears to Antarctica would severely impact the eco balance of the continent. The survival of penguins and sea seals might be threatened as they could be hunted by the polar bears, and thus face the risk of extinction.

Many human-related activities – for example, industrial processes, energy production, transportation, even our daily consumption patterns – cause carbon emissions and global warming. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the carbon footprint produced by cattle-rearing accounts for 18% of the world’s total CO₂ emissions, owing to the production of animal feed and the transportation of animal products.