Footprints is an integrated approach to addressing global climate change that is built on the strength of the Philadelphia Zoo’s award-winning conservation programs and our expertise in education.

From greening our own operations to developing carbon offset projects to engaging corporations, schools, and individuals in efforts to protect and provide wildlife habitat; Footprints offers ways to mitigate climate change, provides opportunities to act and helps to ensure a healthy future for our planet.

Naturally occurring greenhouse gases (GHG), water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone absorb long-wave solar radiation emitted by the Earth and then reflect some of it back – “the greenhouse effect.” But increases in GHG due to human activities have formed a heat-trapping blanket around the Earth’s atmosphere and led to “global warming,” which in turn has resulted in climatic changes occurring around the world at a rate that is outpacing wildlife’s ability to adapt. Polar bears for instance, though good swimmers, are not designed to travel the increasing distances between melting ice floes.

Burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) in particular has lead to a significant increase in the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere. Individuals and organizations, through their use of energy, generate CO2 emissions – these emissions are generally known as a “carbon footprint.”

The average American generates about 25 tons of CO2 emissions annually. By reducing the amount of energy we use, changing the source of our energy and simultaneously removing CO2 from the atmosphere through carbon sequestration, we can reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and diminish its effects on global ecosystems and wildlife.

To learn about carbon offset projects at the Zoo and worldwide, click here.