‘Carbon footprint’ has become a buzzword the last years and is a term and concept widely used in the public discussion of the responsibility in the fight against global climate change.
A countless
number of websites offer a quick and easy calculation of consumers’ carbon
impact. The calculation of the carbon footprint is driven by NGOs, companies
and private initiatives and not by research, which has in effect lead to many
definitions and suggestions to how the carbon footprint is defined and calculated
(Weidema et al., 2008). An extensive literature study executed by Wiedmann and Minx (2007) revealed the term ‘carbon footprint’ in most instances is used as a
synonym for CO2 and non-CO2 emissions expressed in CO2
equivalent indicators. This is similar to the global warming potential (GWP)
indicator used in life cycle assessment (LCA), where approaches based on
comprehensive environmental life-cycle assessment (LCA) methods make it
possible to track the total emissions across the entire supply chain (Matthews et al., 2008). The complexity of the LCAs calculations makes it more difficult for
the consumer to understand the calculations.
Wiedmannand Minx (2007) proposed the following definition of the term ‘carbon
footprint’:
“The carbon
footprint is a measure of the exclusive total amount of carbon dioxide
emissions that is directly and indirectly caused by an activity or is
accumulated over the life stages of a product.”
It is
debatable whether this definition should be used when defining ‘carbon
footprint’ and solely relying on carbon emission as the only indicator when a
consumer is calculating their environmental impact.
But at the
end of the day ‘carbon footprinting’, has through an abundance of websites,
caught the attention of the public where the calculated value is easily grasped
and placed in context. The term has gained tremendous popularity and seized to
increase consumer awareness and encourage discussion on product’s environmental
impact. Discovering that a trip from Copenhagen to San Francisco has an
estimated carbon footprint of 2 tons of CO2 (20% of the annual
carbon footprint of an average European) definitely works as an eye opener
(Weidema et al., 2008). The most important factor is that the consumer is able
to place the value in context and make sustainable decisions.
For
industries, on the other hand, it is vital for them to have a complete understanding of
the calculations of greenhouse gas emissions. Full knowledge of their footprints
can contribute to pursue effective carbon mitigation strategies and to ensure
large sources of environmental effects across the supply chain (Matthews et al., 2008).
Try one of
the following websites to calculate your household’s carbon footprint:
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