Do you have a carbon footprint in a size 9?

The article below is from February, but nonetheless a good article to read if you haven't already. Michael Spector explains what exactly a carbon footprint is and the immediate and long-term effects carbon emissions have on our lives.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/02/25/080225fa_fact_specter?currentPage=all

"In 1995, each of the six billion people on earth was responsible, on average, for one ton of carbon emissions. Oceans and forests can absorb about half that amount. Although specific estimates vary, scientists and policy officials increasingly agree that allowing emissions to continue at the current rate would induce dramatic changes in the global climate system."

Specter goes on to discuss the many methods and technology that can be implemented to help reduce and curb the effects of emissions. He briefly discusses the cap and trade system that allows incentives for businesses to be greener than the next guy. This essays touches on the need to reframe the definition of "cost" to the business world and the need to convince corporations, pension funds, and other investors that the price of continuing to ignore the impact of greenhouse-gas emissions will soon greatly exceed the cost of reducing them.