Carbon footprints relate to the impact we put on the planet in respect of how much greenhouse gas we produce. The term ‘carbon footprint’ does not though simply apply to individuals because it can be used to represent the impact an organisation, industry or any human involvement which involves the production of greenhouse gases.

You can actually calculate your carbon footprint in terms of how much carbon dioxide you release in daily activities although these calculations of your ‘emissions’ can sometimes be quite complicated. For example, driving a car results in production of greenhouse gases. The same goes for using your computer or heating your house or even using plastic bags. Similarly the food that you eat increases your carbon footprint because of the environmental cost involved in production and packaging. Like most other products it is also transported to its retail destination and, once again, your carbon footprint value goes up.

Evaluating carbon footprints is actually extraordinarily difficult and it can only be done on a very basic level. This is because taking everything back to zero and establishing the ultimate impact is highly complicated. Take for instance buying a beefburger. You have to calculate everything back to rearing the calf, including what is involved in producing feed and then on to the land and the diesel used by tractors and the energy involved in producing the tractor itself. Then there are production impacts associated with the land on which the animal grazes with fertilizers and weedkiller carbon footprint production and transportation of these chemicals to the farm. Eventually, by the time the beefburger reaches you, there has been an extraordinary amount of factors involved in increasing your carbon footprint.