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Carbon footprint refers to the amount of greenhouse gases released into the environment by the activities of a person, an event, or an organisation. Speaking of carbon footprints, we must know that GHG is an abbreviated form of greenhouse gases. GHGs are made up of several gases, including methane.
On average, every person in the US has a carbon footprint of 16 tonnes, which is large enough to be at the top of the list. Worldwide, it averages out to be around 4 tonnes. Our goal should be to decrease the figure to 2 tonnes by 2050 to avoid the universal 2 degree Celsius rise in temperature. No miracle is going to happen overnight to decrease the figures; we need to make small efforts. It can be protecting nature, eating vegetables, or taking the shortest route.
Carbon footprint definition
The IPCC defines a carbon footprint as the net amount of carbon dioxide emitted directly or indirectly by an activity or emitted throughout the life cycle of a product. This definition was first proposed by two UK scientists in 2007. They also said that there was no definition for the term carbon footprint until then. Although the definition includes only carbon dioxide analysis and not carbon equivalents, that will account for greenhouse gases as well. The reason behind doing so was that the other greenhouse gases are more difficult to measure. Other terms commonly used for carbon footprint are greenhouse gas footprint or climate footprint. But it differs slightly because the impact of all greenhouse gases is included via their carbon dioxide equivalent, or global warming potential. It measures the effect of all greenhouse gases in the same way carbon footprints measure the effect of only carbon dioxide.
In 1997, seven gases having a greenhouse effect were listed in the Kyoto Protocol: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulphur hexafluoride, and nitrogen trifluoride.
Types of carbon emission
Scope one carbon emission: This is the term used for onsite carbon emission.
Scope two carbon emission: The energy used by the company for the production process comes under scope two.
Scope three carbon emission: All the emissions released indirectly throughout the supply chain; they are related to purchase, effective consumption, and proper disposal.
History of Carbon Footprint
In 1999, the term carbon footprint first appeared in BBC Vegetable Food magazine, although the concept of environmental footprint had already been launched in 1979.
The term carbon footprint comes from the concept of ecological footprint. But carbon footprint and ecological footprint are quite different concepts. The carbon footprint tells us the net amount of emissions, whereas the ecological footprint tells us more about what can be renewed by the planet. A carbon footprint is also one of the components of an ecological footprint.
There are several other footprint indicators, like water footprint, ecological footprint, material footprint, and land footprint. The carbon footprint is just one of them, which places an emphasis on carbon leakage into the environment or carbon emission.
One important research finding of recent years is that the amount of carbon emissions is higher in developing countries than developed countries, a significant displacement in carbon emissions is evident.
Calculation of carbon footprint
The calculation of carbon footprints is not a simple task. There is no standardised way to find out the carbon footprint. And the carbon footprint of a product can't be measured accurately because it involves complex interactions, which lead to inadequate data collection. The complex interactions involve the type of resources used, electricity consumption, and transportation of materials that go into the making, delivery, and production of the product. Every product has a different carbon footprint.
Different methods used for calculating carbon footprints are GHG emission assessment, life cycle assessment, and consumption-based input-output analysis.
GHGs Emission Assessment
As per the greenhouse gas protocol, greenhouse gases are emitted at three levels, and there are standard ways to check out the emissions at scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3 level.
In scope 1, on site emissions are checked for example, fuel burning at the site.
In scope 2, emission resulting from indirect upstream processes are checked, for example, transportation, energy and waste outside production.
In scope 3, emission resulting from all other indirect processes are checked.
Life Cycle Assessment
Life cycle assessment is often abbreviated as LCA. Examining the environmental effects related to each stage of the life cycle of a commercial product, process, or service is done through life cycle assessment (LCA). Life cycle assessment is one of the most effective methods to find out the net carbon footprint of a product. And also the most widely recognised for its features.
Consumption based Input-Output Analysis
The effects of the demand for products and services are tracked back to the final user using consumption-based emission accounting. It transfers accountability for meeting demand along the entire global supply chain, right up to the final consumer.
Conclusion
Carbon footprint is the amount of green house gases emitted throughout the lifecycle of a product. It is very crucial to know the environmental impact of a product. There are three types of carbon emission- direct onsite emission, indirect upstream emission, and indirect downstream emission. Methods are commonly used for the calculation of carbon footprint- GHGs emission assessment, life cycle assessment, and consumption based input-output analysis. Seeing the detrimental effect every business should try to reduce the carbon footprint of their products.
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