What is Carbon Footprint and How is it Measured?
As awareness of climate change grows around the world, so does our desire to do something about it. It can be difficult for everyone to understand how we as individuals can help reverse such a huge, global problem, and how our daily lives are connected to the survival of polar bears. Yet every individual action has consequences that affect the planet. We know that our lifestyles are releasing harmful gases into the atmosphere, disrupting weather and climate patterns, vegetation, and human health, while making the world warmer.
Here, we call the good, bad, and measurable effects of our individual and societal actions a carbon footprint.
Below, we have compiled what a carbon footprint means, how you can measure it, and the common sources of carbon emissions.
In its simplest definition, the “Carbon Footprint” is the total measure of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere by a person’s lifestyle.
According to Mike Berners-Lee, a professor at Lancaster University in England and author of the book The Carbon Footprint of Everything, “A carbon footprint is the total of all greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the production of a product or the performance of an activity.”
In short, the greenhouse gas effects of the products we buy, from the energy sources we consume in our homes, to transportation, food and kitchenware, to our clothes, cars and television sets, constitute our carbon footprint. We can say that a person’s carbon footprint is the total of the products they buy and use, the activities they undertake, etc.
For example; a person who regularly consumes beef will have a larger food footprint than their vegan neighbor. However, if the meat eater cycles to his office nearby, the total carbon footprint of the neighbor who drives to work every day may be larger than him.
In his book, Berners-Lee writes that the average global citizen has a carbon footprint equivalent to 7 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. However, the size of an individual’s carbon footprint tends to increase with their income. For example, the average Briton has about 13 tons, while in the United States it is about 21 tons per person. In short, the average American produces the annual footprint of a Nigerian in just a few days.
Calculating your carbon footprint is not easy at all. Berners-Lee calls it a “basic but impossible” metric. For example, consider the personal carbon cost of boarding a commercial airline flight. On one hand, the calculation is simple: We measure how much fuel an aircraft burns and how many greenhouse gases it emits during the flight, and divide it by the number of passengers. However, first-class passengers take up more space, and you also need to account for how much cargo the aircraft is carrying. Because of this complexity in calculating your carbon footprint, Berners-Lee admits that in these cases, “it’s never possible to get it completely right.” But the good news is that having a broad idea of what your carbon footprint is—awareness—is enough to reduce your carbon footprint!
Every food item produces a carbon footprint, as the fruit you eat is most likely trucked to your local fruit vendor. Cooking requires gas, a source of household greenhouse gas emissions. Have you purchased an eco-friendly product delivered to your door? It was likely transported to your home in a fuel-powered vehicle. So, today, it’s nearly impossible to eliminate your carbon footprint!
In the next few years, it looks like our ability to reduce our carbon footprint will be the deciding factor in our fight against climate change. Here are some tips to help you reduce your carbon footprint:
• Choose local products.
• Use sustainable means of transport such as public transport, cycling or walking, and buy environmentally friendly vehicles.
• Buy energy-efficient appliances.
• Tell those around you about the importance of reducing your carbon footprint to raise awareness.
• Reduce waste: Reuse and recycle your packaging and, if that’s not possible, throw it in appropriate recycling containers.
As long as the world economic system is dependent on fossil fuel production, it seems unlikely that the global carbon footprint will be reduced. At this point, instead of fossil fuels, countries investing in clean energy and promoting green energy have the potential to create a greater impact than most individual wars against the climate crisis.
In short, our future depends on green energy!