“The G20 (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union) are responsible for about 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.” Ref. UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2022.
You have undoubtedly all heard of the Carbon Footprint Calculators, but have any of you yet had a go with one? Have you recorded a horrifying statistic, one so high that you have already falsified your results to feel a bit better, or have you ended up at a figure that is quite reasonable relative to the general average? Maybe you have never tried them out?
Carbon Footprint Calculators
A household’s carbon footprint number is one that tells us the total amount of greenhouse gases (including methane and carbon dioxide) that are generated by our actions over a period of a year. There are apps or online programs that give you an idea, through a series of questions, what level of carbon footprint your household is at. The lower the reading, the better job you are doing for the planet and the environment. Unfortunately questions vary from site to site, detail is included or ignored, and some are country-specific or just give an ambivalent global impression. Obviously due to these variations, problems of accuracy are going to occur.
Accurate?
Accuracy could be achieved with more pertinent and insightful questions, taking into account specifically where you live or the exact job you perform. Countries or even specific regions within them could give different results. For example, their energy could come from a renuable energy source, or maybe a family’s car is a high-emission rust bucket. Sadly, the time and energy it takes to get an accurate idea of your exact carbon footprint would therefore be astronomical. On the plus side, the calculators out there at the moment can give you a good indication of where you are at. This information could provide the impetus to push you in the right direction to improve your rating.
My test
I took a carbon calculator test, and quickly discovered that transport and house size (including heating and insulation) were the strongest influencing factors in the huge readings recorded. A quick test demonstrated that our footprint was at either 7.1t CO2e (https://footprintcalculator.henkel.com/fr) or 9.6t CO2e (https://nosgestesclimat.fr) compared to the desired rating in France (our country of residence) of 5t.
Net zero
All these figures, however, were worlds apart from the ideal of net zero, the world’s objective. “How on earth do we achieve this?” I hear some of you shout. Go back to the Stone Age? Good question. I don’t have any sure-fire solutions for you. It depends on which of your specific factors eat up your CO2 allowance up the most.
Preferences
I preferred the second test, found on the site https://nosgestesclimat.fr as it was easy to use, but it also enabled you to refer back to your results and manipulate what lifestyle changes you could affect to give the greatest possible reductions in your footprint.
Helpful?
Did it help me?
Yes. It indicated to us as a family that huge amounts of work were needed to change our lifestyle. It was a deciding factor in selling our house and buying the new one. It pinpointed the areas which most needed to be changed in our lives, such as transport and food. The calculator also reminded me that our digital footprint affects climate change, something we quickly forget in this emerging society of ‘speed’.
Problems?
Are there problems? Of course. We had a disparity between the figures of 2t between the two different sites referenced below. A huge difference. Perhaps our household activities had been misrepresented due to questions not being specific enough, or even omitted, dependant on the type of calculator being used. Can readings change through the seasons and over the years? Maybe the phraseology of questions or the variety of methods of recording answers should be brought into question. In the end we have to accept that our figure is meant as an “indication” of our carbon footprint. Only a thorough audit will ever pinpoint an exact reading.
Again?
Would I use it again? Yes. But by using the exact same calculator, and recording any significant result changes over time. Is it something that society should do to help us globally reach the 1.5°C goal? Yes, probably.
Rating system
Could households end up being placed in a higher tax bracket after being assessed with increasing levels of CO2e? What level could be acceptable nationally, or even internationally? How could it be policed? Could you implement a carbon footprint rating for your household similar to the ones which appear on food and clothes. I wonder if each household will, in the future, all have a rating that will ultimately be taxable? Now that could significantly change the outlook for the climate crisis.
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