Personal carbon footprint: how to calculate it ?

The carbon footprint is a methodology for diagnosing, measuring and analyzing GHG emissions that is widely used by companies. Its realization is now mandatory for the most important polluters. But did you know that individuals can also carry out their own ? Do you know your personal impact on the environment ? How to make your personal carbon footprint ? All the answers are here !

  The carbon footprint is a methodology for diagnosing and accounting for the greenhouse gas emissions of an individual or a company over a given period, usually one year.

The carbon footprint of your impact on the planet

The carbon footprint is widely used to diagnose the greenhouse gas emissions of a company. Since July 12, 2010, bilans d’émissions de gaz à effet de serre (BEGES) is mandatory for certain companies, institutions and communities. It uses an accounting of different greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, halocarbons, nitrous oxide ...) grouped and converted into CO2 equivalent. It is ideal for measuring one's carbon footprint, and drawing the appropriate conclusions about one's environmental impact. The carbon footprint is a practical methodology even for the individual.

What is the personal carbon footprint?

Like a company, an individual can use the carbon footprint as a way to calculate his or her ecological footprint. The ADEME has built a methodology for accounting for greenhouse gas emissions that is accessible to all. According to the IPCC, a target of 1.5°C of global warming is the maximum tolerable for a sustainable climate future. To stay below this limit, each human should not exceed 2 tons of CO2 emitted per year. This emission ceiling is relatively low, considering the French average of 10 tons of CO2 per year, according to Carbone 4, the association founded by Jean-Marc Jancovici. Quantifying your emissions allows you to understand your current impact in order to improve individually. Calculating the annual carbon footprint consists of measuring the impact of daily habits and the consumption of various products and services. Transportation, purchases, or the energy consumed to heat our homes, for example, all have an impact on the environment and generate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.   The main sources of emissions for an individual are :

• transportation - 2.9 tons/year ;
• housing - 2.7 tons/year;
• food - 2.4 tons/year;
• purchasing goods and services - 2.6 tons/year
• public services (roads, hospitals, army, schools...) - 1.5 tons/year.

  Surprisingly, but true, even public services must be accounted for in the individual's impact. Their significant emissions are shared by all citizens and users, and must be accounted for in the carbon footprint. The State can act on these emissions by changing practices, modernizing infrastructures, etc. However, it is possible to reach it by getting involved and changing consumption habits. To illustrate, two tons of CO2 per year represent only one of the following emission items :

• Daily beef consumption;
• Less than 10,000 km/year with a small car;
• Heating for one year a house classified E (poorly insulated);
• Two return airplane trips from Paris to New York (Source).

 

Example of a personal carbon footprint

Carrying out a personal carbon assessment is possible with the online tools provided by ADEME or other organizations. The objective of this accounting is to identify all the emissions over the year, from all your activities. Here is a very simple example to calculate the carbon footprint of a car journey per person. First of all, we need to know the number of kilometers traveled during this trip. Emissions differ depending on the driving mode, but an average is possible based on the average number of kilometers. Next, you will need to know the GHG emissions of your car per 100 km. Remember that a vehicle's emissions vary according to its type, age, engine, fuel, engine capacity, etc. Online resources allow you to obtain an accurate estimate of the climate impact of your car. It is also good to know that since 2004, the vehicle registration document indicates the vehicle's CO2 emission rate. The energy label also gives an average. Finally, a simple calculation between the emissions per kilometer and the number of kilometers traveled will give an accurate estimate of the carbon footprint of a trip. For example, a gasoline car emitting 0.202 kg of CO2 equivalent per kilometer, emits 117 kg of CO2 over a 580 kilometer trip.  

How to calculate your personal carbon footprint?

The calculation of your personal carbon footprint can be done using different tools, even if the methodology remains globally the same.  

The method

The main method of accounting for greenhouse gas emissions is the measurement of all activities, purchases, trips and consumption made during the year. The data collected is often expressed in CO2 equivalent, formulated in tons/year.

The tools

The main tool recommended is the one proposed by ADEME: Nos GEStes Climats, or NGC. This online tool is intuitive and easy to use. It is the most reliable and complete official calculator for the moment. The "Nos GEStes Climats" simulator allows you to easily calculate your emissions. In the calculation, transport, food and the purchase of appliances are referenced and taken into account. The emissions of companies supplying goods and services are also included in the emissions of the final consumer. We encourage you to try this online simulator to get a first idea of your real annual emissions. The results may surprise you! Another online tool is the Ecological Footprint Calculator. This calculator not only estimates your carbon footprint, but also your overall ecological footprint. Once you have the result, you will have an idea of your "overshoot day", i.e. the day of the year when you consume more resources than the Earth is able to regenerate, if all humanity had your ecological footprint. In addition, you will get an idea of how many planets would be needed if everyone had the same impact. There are many other online tools to calculate your carbon footprint. The WWF proposes to answer 36 questions online in order to obtain the result in CO2 equivalent per year and the details of your footprint. Rift is an application specialized in the banking and financial sector that allows you to track the carbon impact of your savings.

Conclusions to be drawn

The interest of the personal carbon footprint does not lie in its realization, but in the following step: understanding your impact on the environment, as well as your most harmful actions in terms of GHG emissions. Once these notions are understood and you know your carbon footprint, it is possible to define the areas of lifestyle change and GHG emissions reduction. If your personal carbon footprint is average but you are below the French average, it is already a good start. You are on the right track towards reducing your personal impact. In most areas such as transportation, food, housing or others, it is possible to act and improve this impact. The goal of less than 2 tons of CO2 per year per person may be a long way off, but it's never too late to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. Every little change matters. Every purchase or refusal to buy changes the attitude of consumption and therefore counts in the reduction of its GHG emissions. You can change your transportation habits, by favoring public transport, or reduce your meat consumption while choosing local and seasonal products. Many other actions are possible. But to know where to start, the realization of your carbon footprint must be the first step! Get started with one of the online tools presented, so that you can then reduce your emissions with precision and relevance.  

You now know everything about the personal carbon footprint.

As we have seen, the carbon footprint is not only reserved for companies, on the contrary, all individuals can do their own. The interest of doing this assessment is not only in the curiosity of its climatic impact, but in the door that it offers towards a change of its consumption habits. Each gesture counts towards a more sustainable future.

To find out more, take a look at the following articles:

‣ Carbon footprint: definition and example ‣ Carbon footprint of a company: legal obligation and example ‣ Personal carbon footprint: how to calculate it ? ‣ What is the carbon footprint of the average French person?