Carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide that we emit through our daily activities and lifestyle choices such as food habits, lifestyle, air travel frequency, chosen transport for commute, use of gadgets and energy appliances. These GHGs have varying ability to trap sun’s heat inside the planet, causing global warming which, consequently, leads to a complex chain of natural occurrences such as warming up of ocean surface, leading to hurricanes, floods, freak weather phenomenon, bleaching of coral reef, melting of polar ice caps, among other events.
Carbon footprint is usually measured in equivalents of tonnes of carbon dioxide over a period of one year. Carbon footprints can be calculated at an individual or at an organizational level by adding up the GHG emissions resulting from every stage of a product or service’s lifetime. The carbon footprint of a person biking to work is less than someone who carpools to work, which is less than someone who drives solo to work.
According to the Global Footprint Network, Humanity’s carbon footprint has increased 11-fold since 1961. The global average carbon footprint per person is 4 tonnes. In order to avoid the catastrophic 2 degrees, increase in the global temperature, the global average carbon footprint needs to be under 2 tonnes.
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A tax on fossil fuels, especially those used by motor vehicles, intended to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide. Under a carbon tax, the government sets a price that emitters mus...
Any trading system designed to offset carbon emissions from one activity (such as burning fossil fuels in manufacturing, driving, or flying) with another (such as installing more e...