Have you ever wondered what the carbon foot print of your dog is? Interestingly enough! A study conducted in the year 2009 by New Zealand’s Victoria University of Wellington, it was found out that pet dogs have carbon paw prints double that of an SUV. These findings were backed by John Barret of the Stockholm Environment Institute in York, Great Britain. Researchers from Victoria University also calculated the carbon footprint of a medium sized cat and found it to be similar to that of Volkswagon Golf and even higher than that of an average human from Haiti or Afghanistan.

When Climate Control is one the most trending topic wherever you go, it is our right as pet parents to understand and thus curb the carbon emissions of our pet dogs and cats in India.

Let’s start by shedding some light on the most talked about subject of carbon footprint and global-warming.

What is a Carbon PAW Print?

A number of greenhouse gases make way for many of our big and small activities. Green house gases like carbon dioxide, methane and ozone cause global warming. Carbon Paw print is the sum total of all emissions of CO2 (carbon dioxide and other green house gases), produced by your pets’ activities in a given period of time measured in units of kg carbon or kg carbon dioxide. This will also include your pet’s share of carbon produced in producing and packaging of pet food and other pet supplies in India or abroad.

Why everybody is talking about Global Warming?

Worldwide Protests to control Global Warming are not over hyped. The world’s climate will reach a state of havoc and catastrophic irreparable changes as soon as the level of carbon dioxide reaches 450 parts per million (ppm). The concentration of CO2 in air as of today is 380ppm, just 70 ppm short and rising at an average of 2 to 3ppm per year. Thus the danger mark will be reached presumably in the next 30 years.

Carbon Paw Print- Staggering Findings

[Image Source: http://class.dogloveit.com/six-amazing-dog-paws-keepsakes/]

Similarly animals/pets are also guilty of the carbon producing sin and in some very direct ways alter the climate negatively. As per an article on salon.com there are about one billion pet dogs and cats across the globe who are thriving on meat based diets and collectively produce about half a billion pounds of pet poop every day. In 1991, the Environmental Protection Agency placed dog feces in the same category of pollutant as oil, insecticides and herbicides among other noxious contaminants.

How can you reduce your Dogs’ and Cats’ Carbon PAW Print?

When taken into actual consideration, the share of pets in climate imbalance is factually minimal. The biggest contributors of Green House Gases are us and our relentless urbanization drive. This must be curbed at all costs and in time to save our exotic planet.