Carbon footprint
Topic: Environment and Sustainable Development · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by a person, firm, product or country. It includes both direct and indirect emissions. It is measured in CO2-equivalent (CO2e), which converts gases like methane into the amount of CO2 that would warm the planet equally. It helps compare who is responsible for how much climate change.
Example
India's per capita emissions are about 2 tonnes a year. The world average is about 4.7 tonnes, and the US is at about 14-15 tonnes. India uses this gap as its equity argument in climate talks: its total emissions are large, but each Indian emits far less.
Don't confuse with
- Ecological footprint: this measures the land and water area needed to supply resources and absorb waste, in global hectares. It is not limited to greenhouse gases.
- Embodied carbon: this covers only the emissions from making and transporting a product. A carbon footprint also counts emissions from using it.
Related concepts
- Natural capital
- Ecosystem services
- Total economic value
- Contingent valuation
- Hedonic pricing
- Payment for ecosystem services
- Green accounting
- Adjusted net savings
- Ecological footprint
- Earth Overshoot Day