Carbon footprint

Carbon footprint is a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide or CO₂ emitted through the combustion of fossil fuels; in the case of an organization, business or enterprise, as part of their everyday operations; in the case of an individual or household, as part of their daily lives; or a product or commodity in reaching market. In materials, is essentially a measure of embodied energy, the result of life cycle analysis.

A carbon footprint is often expressed as tons of carbon dioxide or tons of carbon emitted, usually on a yearly basis. There are many versions of calculators available for carbon footprinting.

This is directly related to the amount of natural resources consumed, increasingly used or referred to as a measure of environmental impact. Carbon dioxide is recognized as a greenhouse gas, of which increasing levels in the atmosphere are linked to global warming and climate change.

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol sets forth a methodology by which voluntary emission reduction can be monetized in the form of a carbon project. These standards involve the use of an environmental proof called additionality.

A carbon label - which shows the carbon footprint embodied in a product in bringing it to the shelf was introduced in the UK in March 2007 by the Carbon Trust. Examples of products featuring their carbon footprint are Walkers Crisps, Innocent Smoothies and Boots shampoos.

CarbonCounted, which launched in early 2007, is a Canadian based GHG carbon label system that allows companies to link with and leverage their supply chain. By displaying the CarbonCounted footprint on a product, a supplier is publishing their footprint and committing to emissions reduction.

Activities that affect the carbon footprint of individuals

The following activities affect the carbon footprint of individuals, according to the various calculators available:

Car travel: depends on distance driven, fuel, fuel efficiency, and number of passengers per vehicle.
Air travel: depends on distance and number of flights. Take-off and landing use large amounts of fuel, so two short flights produce more carbon than one long flight of comparative distance. However, long distance flights need to carry larger amounts of fuel which lowers their fuel efficiency. Therefore only some calculators distinguish between short and long distance flights, while others just count total miles or hours of flight. Emissions per mile and passenger are roughly equivalent to a mile and passenger in car travel.
Boat travel: depends on distance travelled, fuel efficiency, and size of the boat. Can produce anything from only a third to up to 8 times more carbon dioxide than an airplane traveling the same distance^{[citation needed]}.
Other motorised transport such as bus or train: normally counts for less per person than either car or air travel.
Electricity use, if provided by non-renewable resources. Some calculators ask for figures from utility bills, while others estimate the amount from size of household and usage patterns (such as whether you leave equipment on standby overnight).
Home heating: depends on fuel source and amount used.
Food miles: how much food you buy from non-local sources.
Diet: meat-eater, vegetarian or vegan, conventionally farmed foods or organic produce.
Embodied carbon in the products and services consumed: depends on such factors as the energy intensity of the industrial process and transportation costs. There is a labeling system called CarbonCounted that helps consumers select products that have lower carbon emissions during production and transportation to market. Carbon emissions from consumable products represent over half of the average western household's emissions.
Carbon intensity in the usage of the products consumed: for example the energy efficiency rating of the freezer or computer used.

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Activities that affect the carbon footprint of individuals

See also

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