Carbon Footprint….what is it?
Footprints generally offer clues about from where we have came and where we're headed. Their impression gives us some idea about the animals that leave them with the details on their size, speed and weight. Whereas carbon footprints gauge how much carbon dioxide (CO2) we produce in our daily lives. A drive to work, a flip of a switch and a flight out of town all results in the combustion of fossil fuels like, coal and gas which in turn releases greenhouse gases like CO2.
The main elements that make up the total of an average person's carbon footprint are:
- Electricity
- Gas, oil and Coal
- Private transport
- Recreation and Leisure
- Share of public services
- Household: Building and furnishings
Primary Footprint and Secondary Footprint:
1. The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of CO2 due to the burning of fossil fuels from domestic energy consumption and transportation.
2. The secondary footprint is an evaluation of our indirect CO2 emissions due to the whole lifecycle of the products we use – starting from their manufacturing to their breakdown.