Calculating my Carbon Footprint?

Introduction

This unit seeks to explain what makes up a personal carbon footprint, and to identify alternative options in calculating one. For example, should footprints include emissions associated with goods and services purchased, or should they be restricted to directly attributable emissions, mainly from the use of energy and transport? There are many websites offering carbon footprint calculators, but the answers are almost always different. This unit will explain why this is the case, and allow you select the ones that you feel are most appropriate. Finally, a carbon footprint by itself achieves little; users need to be able to compare their carbon footprint with other people's, and to identify actions that might reduce the footprint to a desired level in the battle against global climate change.

Unit authored by Ian Byrne

Learning outcomes