New perspectives in carbon footprint: calculation of vehicular emission of students of a higher education institution

Abstract

The cars are responsible for most emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions, and these emissions are constantly enlarged by the growth of the fleet of vehicles in use in cities. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is associated with serious health problems, in addition to environmental, bringing many losses to quality of life. In this way, this work is proposed to estimate the emission of CO2 emitted by motor vehicles, the path made by the students of a University Center on route from his residence to the institution during the period of one year. The methodology adopted bring an innovation for calculating these emissions because it uses different correction factors according to the average mileage traveled by the vehicle. In addition, there will be calculating the area required to offset these emissions by planting trees in degraded areas, restoring the biodiversity of the regional ecosystem, leading to more sustainable use of local resources and therefore reducing human pressure on the forested areas. (AU)