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Carbon Footprint

A carbon footprint is a helpful framework for viewing the impact on the environment of a person, family, business, or community. A footprint is an impression leftover from where a person has stepped. Though that individual is no longer around (and in fact may be long dead as in the case of fossilized footprints), the physical effect of their action continues to exist in the environment.

The concept of a carbon footprint also includes a detectable physical effect. Specifically, the effect relates to how much carbon dioxide (CO2) living a particular lifestyle will leave. Daily activities such as preparing food, commuting to work or school, and even simply flicking on a light switch will generally rely upon the combustion of fossil fuels. These fossil fuels include gas, oil, and coal.

As these materials are burned in order to provide electricity and heat, they release greenhouse gases such as CO2 into the atmosphere.

In a healthy amount, greenhouse gases (GHG) are a natural part of the global climate. Water vapor, methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and ozone (O3) are examples of these gases along with CO2. As the sun hits the earth, GHGs trap thermal energy, enabling our planet to maintain the amount and variety of life that it does. Without this balance in place, known as the greenhouse effect, the temperature of the Earth could be as low as -18°C instead of its average 14°C. In terms of Fahrenheit, that’s a potential –0.4°F instead of the average 57°F.

While GHGs are necessary elements of a balanced global climate, an excess of them will cause what is known as an “enhanced greenhouse effect.” Basically, too much heat becomes trapped in the atmosphere, leading to an increase in the average temperature of the planet. This is more commonly known as global warming.

The total percentage of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere actually amounts to less than one percent. Because this small percentage is responsible for such dramatic temperature control, human emissions can easily disturb the atmospheric balance.

The term carbon footprint arose because CO2 is the major contributor of the greenhouse gases to climate change. It is also the most significant of the anthropogenic, or human-caused, GHG emissions. In fact, ninety eight percent of carbon dioxide levels within the atmosphere come from fossil fuel combustion. Of course, other GHGs factor into the size estimation of such a footprint.

There are many free carbon calculators online which are useful for assessing the size of a person or household’s carbon footprint. These are often helpful for individuals trying to see specific areas in their lives that have a strong negative impact on the environment. In addition to decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions of daily life, many people also engage in activities which offset the figure. For instance, the necessary emissions involved in daily life can be balanced out by investing in renewable energy sources as well as energy efficient products and forest restoration.

Striving for carbon neutrality is not an all or none scenario. There is a lot of benefit to be gained from simply reducing one’s carbon emissions just as there is in completely erasing them.