Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint is the measure of the impact of human activities to the environment, and its direct effect to climate change. It is the measure of the amount of greenhouse gases produced through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation. It uses the units of tonnes or kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent.
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[edit] Measurement
A carbon footprint is made up of the sum of two parts, the primary footprint and the secondary footprint.
- The primary footprint is a measure of direct emissions of CO2 from burning of fossil fuels including domestic energy consumption and transportation.
- The secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the whole life cycle of products we use - those associated with their manufacture and eventual breakdown.
[edit] Calculation
A human carbon footprint is the sum of all emissions of CO2 in a given time frame which is usually calculated for the time period of a year.
Some computations of the amount of carbon dioxide generated per fuel consumption.
- For each gallon(UK) of petrol fuel consumed, 10.4 kg carbon dioxide is emitted.
- For each gallon(US) of gasoline fuel consumed, 8.7 kg carbon dioxide is emitted.
- If a car consumes 7.5 liter of diesel per 100 km, thus a drive of 300 km distance generates 60.75 kg of CO2. If a car has three passengers including the driver then the generated carbon dioxide of 60.75 kilograms is divided into 3 and that will be the carbon footprint of each of the passenger.
Each of the following activities generates 1 kg of CO2 and will be added to personal carbon footprint:
- Travel by public transportation (train or bus) a distance of 10 to 12 km (6.5 to 7 miles)
- Drive with your car a distance of 6 km or 3.75 miles (assuming 7.3 litres petrol per 100 km or 39 mpg)
- Fly with a plane a distance of 2.2 km or 1.375 miles.
- Operate your computer for 32 hours (60 Watt consumption assumed)
- Production of 5 plastic bags
- Production of 2 plastic bottles
Carbon dioxide is a so called greenhouse gas causing global warming . Other greenhouse gases which might be emitted as a result of your activities are methane and ozone(O3). These greenhouse gases are normally also taken into account for the carbon footprint. They are converted into the amount of CO2 that would cause the same effects on global warming.
The carbon footprint is a very powerful tool to understand the impact of personal behaviour on global warming. Most people are shocked when they see the amount of CO2 their activities create! If you personally want to contribute to stop global warming, the calculation and constant monitoring of your personal carbon footprint is essential.
[edit] Carbon diet
A carbon diet is the assessment and setting goals in reducing the carbon footprint produced by an individual in a period of time.
Measures of carbon diet includes recycling, reusing, reducing energy consumption, walking and many more. By following these measures an individual can greatly cut his/her carbon foorprint.
