What is a Carbon Footprint?

Everything around you - from the computer or mobile phone you’re using to the tomatoes in your salad - has a carbon footprint value associated with them. Even the number of flights you take in a year to the amount of dairy you consume will leave a carbon footprint on the environment. In simple terms, the carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced either directly or indirectly to support your lifestyle and activities in a year.

How To measure a carbon footprint?

Carbon is used as shorthand for all the greenhouse house gas emissions released. CO₂ equivalent is used as the measurement unit to compare the carbon footprint of products and activities. Different gases have different global warming potential and persist for other times in the atmosphere, trapping heat. To compare carbon footprints, the impact of all gases is converted to CO₂ equivalents. For example:

CO₂ (carbon dioxide) - Has the potential to persist for 300-1000 years in the atmosphere

CH4 (methane) - Can linger for 10 years in the atmosphere; 1 kg CH4 is equivalent to producing 84 kg of CO₂
N20 (nitrous oxide) - persists for longer than 100 years and is equivalent to emitting 298 kg CO₂

HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT?

There are now many carbon footprint calculators. Here is a small selection of reputable providers so that you can get started right away:
Carbon Tracer, Capture, Climatehero, EarthHero, Map My Emissions, For Good, Carbon Tracer, Global Footprint Network, Nature, WWF, Carbon Footprint.