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Carbon Footprint

 

There is a new awareness of the environment these past few years. Even one of the local network TV stations in Southern California is airing shows on how to conserve and help the planet by “going green”. One measure that’s gained popularity is something called the carbon footprint.

The carbon footprint measures the exclusive global amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases emitted by a human activity or use. It also covers that carbon dioxide which is accumulated over the entire life cycle of a product or service. Continued below…

This encompasses all possible causes that give rise to carbon emissions, both direct (on-site, internal) and indirect emissions (off-site, external, embodied, upstream, downstream).

Normally, a carbon footprint is expressed as a CO2 equivalent which accounts for the same global warming effects of different greenhouse gases. Carbon footprints can be calculated using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method, or can be restricted to the immediate emissions from energy use of fossil fuels that attribute to global warming.

The carbon footprint can be calculated in two ways, but either way the term usually indicates the amount of emissions generated through the actions of people. What is really important, besides the total amount of energy use, is how the energy was produced in the first place, whether from fossil fuels or from renewable resources.

 

 

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