Footprints and Offsets
The term carbon footprint can apply to a single event, such as a journey, but often refers to the greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced by an individual or organisation in a complete year, resulting from factors such as travel, diet, and the use of goods and energy. Carbon footprints can be estimated using a carbon calculator, and the resulting figure is typically given in equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide (tCO2e). Many online calculators will also suggest that the user buys carbon offsets based on the size of the carbon footprint calculated; for example, informed of an economy return flight from London to New York, one calculator stated that 1.8 t CO2 had been produced, and that this could be offset by a payment of £42 to “carbon offset projects in developing and newly industrialising countries”. Carbon offsets for the individual will be the main topic of this post. Emissions of greenhouse gas depend not only an individual’s lifestyle, but on geographical and temporal location,