Have you ever wondered how your daily habits impact the planet? From your morning
coffee to your evening commute, every choice contributes to your carbon footprint. But
what is a carbon footprint, and why should we care about it? Welcome to The
Environmentalist*, your column for understanding the natural world. Today we introduce
the carbon footprint.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a carbon footprint is the quantity of carbon
dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions that come from a person’s activities. It can also be measured
beyond the individual through carbon footprints of buildings, corporations, or even
countries. Carbon footprints include direct emissions, like fossil fuel combustion for
heating, manufacturing, and transportation, as well as indirect emissions produced by
consumed goods and services, like electricity or food. But how is it calculated? Carbon
footprints are the sum of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG): emissions resulting from every
stage of a product or service’s lifetime, considering production, manufacturing, use, and
end-of-life.
Let’s think about a loaf of bread. We need wheat, which requires fertilizers, which
generates greenhouse gas. The wheat needs to be harvested, milled, and processed into
flour, requiring both electricity and fuel for the machinery. More ingredients are
incorporated, leaving their own footprint. The dough is then baked, using fossil fuels or
electricity. The bread is packaged, possibly in plastic, and transported to your local
supermarket. Finally, you buy and toast it, then discard the packaging, which releases
methane as it decomposes. This all leaves a carbon footprint.
It’s important to note that your carbon footprint does not equal that of big companies.
According to The Guardian, 57 companies are linked to 80 per cent of the world’s
global CO 2 emissions since 2016, while about 100 companies are responsible for 71 per
cent of emissions since 1988. It is not you nor me that are causing climate change.
To get the necessary data to calculate a specific carbon footprint, supply chain mapping,
data collection, and calculations need to be performed, making it a challenging process that
can’t be done by one person alone. Thankfully, some tools exist to help us. The Global
Footprint Network has a “footprint calculator” where you answer questions regarding your
lifestyle. The web page gives you the number of planets humanity would require if every
person on earth lived like you, your CO 2 emissions in tonnes per year, and the percentage
your carbon footprint represents in your overall ecological footprint. To clarify, an
ecological footprint represents how dependent we are on natural resources, telling us how
many environmental resources are needed to support a specific lifestyle or industry; this is
not the same as the carbon footprint.
Don’t let yourself be overwhelmed; as consumers, we still have the power to choose to buy
more consciously while recognizing the part we play in stopping our climate crisis. As
The Lorax once said, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is
going to get better.” So, let's care.
