Carbon footprint: An essential guide to taking care of our planet

There’s a podium not to be so proud about: the carbon footprint podium. The United States took one of the first places with an average of 16 tons per person, one of the highest rates on the entire planet—China holds the first place and the U.S. the second one. The average footprint worldwide is closer to 4 tons. 

Knowing the state we’re in is important because if we want to escape from having a 2℃ rise in global temperatures, then we need to take the average global carbon footprint to under 2 tons by 2050 at the latest. 

You might have tons of questions regarding carbon footprints. We all did in the beginning. But that’s why we are here. We suggest you take a look at what a carbon footprint is, how to measure it, and 10 simple ways to reduce it. Plus, we’ll explore what carbon offset is about so you understand the difference between this term and the carbon footprint one. Without further ado, let’s go. 

The carbon footprint is…

Long story short: a carbon footprint is the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide, that are generated by our actions, and their impact. This means that when you know your carbon footprint, you know the “size” of the greenhouse gas emissions that you’re releasing into the atmosphere. 

Usually, the carbon footprint is made of different types of greenhouse gases:

• Carbon dioxide (CO2)
• Methane (CH4)
• Nitrous oxide (N2O)
• Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)
• Fluorocarbons
• Perfluorocarbons
• Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)
• Water vapor

Note, that molecules such as N2O, which do not contain carbon, C, count for the carbon footprint as N2O is a greenhouse gas. NO2 actually has a much stronger heat-trapping effect than carbon dioxide and can remain in the atmosphere for over 100 years. 

To account for this, we use the unit of CO2-equivalent. It is a unit used to express the impact of different greenhouse gases on climate change in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide that would have the same warming effect. It allows for a comparison of the warming effect of different greenhouse gases, such as methane or nitrous oxide, with the warming effect of carbon dioxide.

Carbon footprints take into account not only the large-scale emissions by burning fossil fues but also personal activities like hotel stays, business travels, events, and also more daily stuff like cooking, heating, eating meat, and driving. They can be calculated for both individuals and companies, and it’s key that we know our carbon footprint in order to see which activities can be changed or reduced to decrease it. Why? Because the larger our carbon footprint is, the worse the impact we personally have on the environment.

Individuals, companies and countries - all of us have a role to play in reducing this and, therefore, reducing climate change. But how are they connected? 

Carbon emissions and climate change

The relationship between carbon emissions and climate change is a well-known story, at least if you’ve been checking out our blog (link a artículo 6). Just in case you’re not that into this yet, we’re going to explain it briefly. 

Greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide trap the heat our planet’s surface emit, and release that heat back into our atmosphere. The trouble comes in when we boost the concentrations of greenhouse gases because they raise the average of Earth’s surface temperature. Greenhouse gases’ concentrations are getting higher and higher mainly thanks to human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation. 

Plus, the rise in temperature also generates other dangerous events such as higher ocean acidification, rising sea levels, more frequent extreme climate events like storms and hurricanes, mass species extinctions, food scarcity, and more economic inequalities. 

PS: if you want to discover more about the wonders of our planet while supporting their protection, download our app. It’s available for Android and iOS.

My carbon footprint: What’s your carbon footprint made of?

Worldwide, the average person produces about four tons of carbon dioxide each year. You must be wondering what happens with your amount - are you emitting that too? Where does it come from? Well, the truth is that your carbon footprint is made up of both daily actions and long-term lifestyle choices. Let’s explore the most common ones:

1. Transportation. The way you get to places contributes to your carbon footprint. Picture this: an average of 2.4 tons of CO2-equivalent yearly is what owning and driving your car adds to your carbon footprint. If you travel by plane, for example, let’s say that you take a single transatlantic flight, you’re adding 1.6 tons to it. 
2. Family. If you extend your individual footprint to your family, you need to add an average of 58 tons of CO2-equivalent yearly because the the number of children that make up your family also boost your carbon footprint.
3. Laundry. We’re not saying that you shouldn’t wash your clothes, but you should do it more consciously. Here’s what washing and drying your clothes costs: it adds about 0.46 tons of CO2 per year, from which heating the water is accountable for 0.25 tons, and drying your clothes with a dryer for 0.21 tons.
4. Heating and air conditioning. This action costs 1.5 tons of CO2-equivalent per year. That's the amount you add to your carbon footprint yearly by regularly heating and cooling your house. The main reason is that we still use energy that comes from fossil fuels to do it. 

Note that a typical coal power plant generates more or less 870 units of CO2 per kilowatt of power, and plants that run with carbon-capture tech decrease it to 156 grams. Therefore, we invite you to consider other options. For example, solar energy generates just 48 grams of CO2, and wind energy, 11 grams.

1. Food. Choosing what you eat wisely is key because by incorporating meat in your meals, for example, you’re adding 0.8 tons to your yearly carbon footprint. This is more connected with the energy that’s involved in the process of growing and harvesting the crops that feed the livestock than with the animals themselves. Beef needs a lot more feed, water, and land than chicken and is responsible for 1,782 kilograms of CO2e per head yearly.

What’s the difference between carbon footprint and carbon offset?

Carbon offset and carbon footprint are two different terms. We’ve already talked about the second one, so let’s go with carbon offset. This concept refers to reducing greenhouse gas emissions or increasing carbon storage elsewhere, for example, by planting trees. Specifically, carbon offset refers to the process of compensating for greenhouse gas emissions by supporting projects that reduce or remove an equivalent amount of CO2 or other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Thus, carbon offset usually includes the fact that we need to compensate for emissions that happen elsewhere, not necessarily caused by our own carbon footprint but for those generated elsewhere too. Because regardless of where they are generated, they all end up in the atmosphere. 

Here’s one interesting thing to know: in order to represent an emission reduction of one metric ton of CO2 or an equivalent amount of other greenhouse gases, governments or independent certification bodies use what’s known as transferrable carbon offset credit. 

Carbon footprint calculation: How to measure your carbon footprint? 

You can use different calculators to know the size of your carbon footprint. For example, this one. You’ll need to complete information regarding the place you live, your routine, your car and other ways of transport, your clothes, etc. You can calculate it by household or individual. 

10 simple ways to reduce your carbon footprint

Whether  it’s easy-peasy tasks that you implement in your daily life, or ones  that require a little bit more commitment - regardless of the action you take, you’ll be lending a hand in reducing your carbon footprint. It’s up to you how much you want to get involved.

1. Leave plastics behind

If that’s too much for you, then at least leave the single-use ones behind, those which are most likely to end up in the ocean, polluting beaches, and putting marine life and thousands of species at risk. 5 tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere for every ton of plastic that we generate. Plus, according to the OECD’s first Global Plastics Outlook the plastic waste generated annually per person varies from 221 kg in the United States to 114 kg in European OECD countries.

By erasing one-single plastic from your daily life you’ll be helping a lot. How can you do that? Avoid plastic straws, plastic forks, and knives. When going to the grocery store, take your own bag instead of using a plastic one. Plus, you should also avoid using single-use water bottles, coffee cup lids, and take-out containers. 

Also, reduce recyclable plastics. Don´t assume that recycling gives you a carte blanche for excessive plastic use: Recycling uses energy, water, caused pollution, and emits microplastics into the environment.

2. When you need to buy food, buy from your local farmers

Supporting local farmers is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint because your food doesn’t need to travel from miles away to get to your dish. Therefore, there’s less fuel consumption, and fewer carbon emissions. 

Plus, it’s better if you choose local producers that tend to use fewer pesticides and preservatives, meaning that the process they follow to produce food is more friendly to the environment. You’ll be rewarded with healthier food, which is also tastier. 

3. Buy your food consciously 

It’s not just about buying local, but also buying only what you need. Don’t fill your fridge with food that you know you won’t eat. A good idea is to plan your meals wisely and buy only the things you need to prepare them. 

This doesn’t mean that you can’t buy in bulk to save money - you can still do that by paying attention to expiration dates and storing your food properly. Keep in mind that food waste increases the carbon footprint.

If you buy your food more wisely, you’ll spend less money on groceries while protecting the environment: between 6% and 8% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide come from wasting food. 

4. Reduce your waste

Every single thing that ends up in your garbage contributes to increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Why? Because your garbage goes from your trash can to a landfill where microbes start breaking it down. This process generates greenhouse gas emissions.

The key here is paying attention to each part of your product’s life cycle. For example, is that product you’re buying packed with plastic? Do you need to throw that t-shirt away? Do you really need new clothes? Aren’t you able to recycle the thing you’re about to throw away? Every action you take can make a huge difference.

5. Make sure your car is in good shape

A car emits 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. If you have the chance, consider switching to a hybrid or electric car. Those vehicles are known as a greener alternative that generates fewer emissions. If you can´t avoid car use, there are some strategies to consider when wanting to reduce that number:

• Don’t drive fast
• Avoid reckless driving, rapid acceleration, or unnecessary braking
• Keep your tires correctly inflated
• Do regular maintenance
• Replace filters periodically
• Have all your sensors fixed

6. Choose other transportation alternatives

When possible, go with other alternatives rather than driving. This can significantly reduce your carbon footprint. For example, if you leave your car at home just one day per week and ride your bike instead, your carbon dioxide emissions can be 84% lower on that day than they would have been if you’d driven. 

If you’re looking to make the switch, it’s good to start with short-distance trips. This switch will not only help the environment but also improve your health. 

7. Is your home energy-efficient?

As part of the journey of reducing your carbon footprint, you have to check that your home is energy-efficient enough. This means that you should always choose energy-efficient solutions that can include, for example, insulating your house with environment-friendly materials and replacing your roof and windows. 

By doing so, you’ll help the environment and also improve your house’s value, pay less money for your bills, and more.

8. Plant trees

If you have a yard, planting trees in it is a great idea. You’ll get natural cooling during summer and also a wind barrier during winter. This will help you reduce your bills by saving energy that’s usually used for heating and cooling. 

Plus, as you may know by now, trees work as carbon sinks so they help reduce the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They release oxygen too, supporting clean air, comfort, and a healthier climate.

9. Use water responsibly

Using just the amount of water that you need is essential to reducing your carbon footprint. So the more water you use, the higher your carbon footprint will be. 

Some ideas to help you use just the water you need are:

• Use a water-saving showerhead
• Turn off the water when you’re brushing your teeth
• Wash your clothes more consciously, make sure you only do it when you’re able to load your washing machine completely

10. Promote the reuse of electronic devices

When your electronic devices need to be changed, don’t just throw them away. Let’s take smartphones as an example. If you throw away your smartphone, a lot of precious metals will be lost and you’ll contribute to e-waste, a source of waste that adds around 50 million tons a year. 

There are some tech companies that offer recycling services and that can even pay you if you give them your old mobile phone or take it as a part of payment when you buy a new one. 

By just adjusting some actions of your daily routine, you can make a huge difference. You can also make a difference with your mobile phone. Wanna know how? Download our app 🌱

11. Get active in politics and grassroots movements

By participating in grassroots movements and getting more active in politics you’ll be able to raise your voice for adequate recycling opportunities, appropriate bicycle lanes, and even the reduction of excessive packages. Those are just some of the wide range of policy interventions that can help reduce your and others carbon footprint.

For instance, packaging can be made of different kinds of materials like wood, plastic, paper, and even aluminum. Many of those materials are not recyclable and even when they are, they are expensive to recycle so businesses and municipalities avoid doing so: it costs about $147 to recycle one ton of garbage and $28 per ton to send it to the landfill. So the first step that should be taken is avoiding excessive packaging at all.