6.4.10

Carbon Footprints

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Carbon Footprint

A person's carbon footprint is an indicator of how many greenhouse gases their activities produce. People's activities emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases directly & indirectly.

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Direct emissions

  • Direct emissions are produced by the person's activity itself.
  • For example, a person driving their car to work, a person flying to Malaysia on holiday, or a person using their oven.
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Indirect emissions

  • Indirect emissions account for supply chains and the broader implications of someone's behaviour.
  • For example, a person buying lamb that has been imported from New Zealand instead of from a local producer is likely to have a larger carbon footprint because New Zealand lamb has to be transferred across the world and will have lots of 'food miles'.
  • Research by PETA (which is likely to be biased), found that vegans have a carbon footprint that is 42% lower than meat-eaters.

Jump to other topics

1The Challenge of Natural Hazards

1.1Natural Hazards

1.2Tectonic Hazards

1.3Weather Hazards

1.4Climate Change

2The Living World

3Physical Landscapes in the UK

3.1The UK Physical Landscape

3.2Coastal Landscapes in the UK

3.3River Landscapes in the UK

3.4Glacial Landscapes in the UK

4Urban Issues & Challenges

5The Changing Economic World

6The Challenge of Resource Management

6.1Resource Management

6.2Food

6.3Water

6.4Energy

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