Carbon footbprint explained
Introduction
A carbon footprint measures the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere due to the actions of individuals and businesses. It’s assessed in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
Carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases (GHGs), are released in a number of ways, including burning fossil fuels, by manufacturing, land clearance and food production, from buildings and transportation.
Origins of “carbon footprint”
You might think that the term “Carbon Footprint” has been around forever, but it was actually made popular through an unlikely source in 2005, when oil company BP ran a multi-million dollar ad campaign, aiming to shift attention from the industry’s responsibility for increasing GHGs.(1)
The focus was to put the responsibility for combatting climate change squarely on the shoulders of individuals, rather than fossil-fuel businesses.
Carbon-based molecules are the basic building blocks of organic life as well as GHGs like carbon dioxide (CO2) – and fossil fuels are largely composed of hydrocarbons. “Carbon” is widely used as shorthand for carbon dioxide when discussing climate change. Reducing the levels of CO2 being released is a big part of the battle to prevent the Earth from overheating – and we often refer to this as reducing “carbon footprint”.
Harmful effects of GHGs
CO2 is one of a range of GHGs, including:
· Nitrous oxide(N2O), which is composed of nitrogen and oxygen
· Methane (CH4), composed of carbon and oxygen
· Chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs (CCl2F2) composed of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine. (2)
These gases block heat from escaping the planet and so are thought to help the acceleration climate change. These GHGs cause a “greenhouse effect”, trapping heat from the sun, and while this is a natural phenomenon that has helped to keep the Earth habitable, these emissions are contributing to it to warming up at a more rapid rate.
Scientists have identified a pattern of long-term change in the temperature and weather across the globe, and while these shifts do happen naturally, man-made climate change is rapidly accelerating the pace of change.
The research points to the inevitability of continued and accelerating global heating — the increase in average surface temperatures — if nothing is done to reduce emissions. And an important part of that is to take action to reduce and quickly stop using fossils fuels that produce GHGs.
Average global temperatures are increasing, extreme weather events are becoming more severe, ocean levels continue to rise, with increased acidification of the water.
Business carbon footprint in the UK
SMEs account for 18% of all UK greenhouse gas emissions (3) and the UK government is encouraging large companies to register and pledge to the business ambition of 1.5°C, as part of the United Nations’ race to zero campaign. The Government’s Climate Change Business hub supports small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) to commit to halving their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. (4)
Business action on carbon footprint
According to government census data (5), the most common action to reduce emissions currently being taken by businesses is switching to low emission lightbulbs (29%).
The UK Business Climate Hub helps businesses to reduce emissions on their emissions, with advice and support a range of potential actions including:
· switching employee modes of transport and paying less for company EVs
· getting business grants, green loans and financing for a retrofit
· getting an air source heat pump
· generating green energy with a wind turbine and selling it back to the grid
· reducing emissions from farming and land use
· buying credible carbon offsets
· getting low-carbon product labels and certifications
· reducing waste and recycling more (6)
Immediate & budget friendly business actions on carbon footprint
In addition to the measures listed on the UK Business Climate Hub, other sustainable practices could include:
• Ensuring energy usage is optimised so that equipment is not wasting energy when not in use (e.g. mindful use of heating, taking laptops off charge when they have full batteries, turning off lights, and other equipment)
• Ensuring staff kitchens have glasses, cups, and cutlery to discourage buying single-use items
• Gifting employees with reusable water bottles
• Encouraging printing less and switching to digital documents
There are also options for budget friendly retrofit products and sustainable swaps:
• Fitting cistern water displacement bags.
• Fitting tap aerators.
• Swapping out traditional shower heads for eco versions.
• Ditching the paper towels and installing energy efficient hand dryers.
• Switching to recycled toilet paper.
• Switching to refill cleaning and washing up products in staff kitchens.
This article has been written by SaveMoneyCutCarbon and is correct at (May 2024). This content does not constitute advice and is for general guidance and educational purposes only. It should not be circulated or used in presentations or materials without prior approvals and does not constitute legal advice or formal training. Always undertake your own research before taking any action. It is recommended that specific professional advice relevant to any particular or individual situation is sought before acting on any information given (© 2024 SaveMoneyCutCarbon.com)
Bibliography:
1 Geoffrey Supran & Naomi Oreskes (Nov 2021) The Guardian (accessed May 2024) The forgotten oil ads that told us climate change was nothing) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/18/the-forgotten-oil-ads-that-told-us-climate-change-was-nothing
2 National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (accessed May 2024) Overview of greenhouse gases https://naei.beis.gov.uk/overview/ghg-overview (© Crown copyright 2023. OGL)
3 Small99 (accessed May 2024) Small Business Carbon Emissions Statistics https://small99.co.uk/net-zero/small-business-carbon-stats/
4 Office for National Statistics (accessed May 2024) UK business action on net zero and historical energy use https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/articles/ukbusinessactiononnetzeroandhistoricalenergyuse/2021-11-08 (© Crown copyright 2023. OGL)
5 Office for National Statistics (accessed May 2024) Statistics UK business action on net zero and historical energy use https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/articles/ukbusinessactiononnetzeroandhistoricalenergyuse/2021-11-08 (© Crown copyright 2023. OGL)
6 Gov.uk Press Release (accessed May 2024) One-stop-shop to help businesses save money and go green https://www.gov.uk/government/news/one-stop-shop-to-help-businesses-save-money-and-go-green (© Crown copyright 2023. OGL)