More About Carbon Footprint

Page Moved to New Look and Feel - More Carbon Footprint

A carbon footprint is a way of measuring the impact people's daily lives have on the environment in units of the total of carbon dioxide generated, measured in units of carbon dioxide called tonnes. It is meant to be useful for individuals and organizations to conceptualize their personal (or organizational) impact in contributing to global warming. A conceptual tool in response to carbon footprints are CO2 offsets, or the removal of carbon emissions through the development of natural projects such as solar or wind energy or reforestation. A carbon footprint can be seen as a subset of earlier uses of the concept of ecological footprints.

Definition of Carbon Footprint

The carbon foot print is known as the total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases emitted over the full life cycle of a product or service. Normally a carbon footprint is usually expressed as a CO2 equivalent (usually in kilogrammes or tonnes), which accounts for the same global warming effects of different greenhouse gases (UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology POST, 2006). Carbon footprints can be calculated using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method, or can be restricted to the immediately attributable emissions from energy use of fossil fuels.

Carbon Footprint by Age

A number of studies have calculated the carbon footprint of organisations and nations. One UK (2007) study examined age-related carbon emissions based on expenditure and consumption. The study found that on average people aged 50-65 years have a higher carbon footprint compared to any other age group. Individuals aged 50-65 years old have a carbon footprint of approximately 13.5 tonnes/capita per year compared to the UK average of 12 tonnes.