Carbon Footprints

A carbon footprint is a short-hand for measuring the impact that a product, organisation, or series of actions has in emitting greenhouse gases.

The gases considered are those identified by the Kyoto Protocol.

Under the Protocol, 37 industrialized countries have commited to a reduction of four greenhouse gases (GHG) (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur hexafluoride) nd two groups of gases (hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons)

In order to normalise the measurement for all these emissions they are all compared relative to the so-called carbon dioxide equivalent or C02e. This is calculated by comparing the Global Warming Potential (GWP)  - the infra-red absorbing ability of each gas relative to that of CO2 as well as the amount removed from the atmosphere over a stated period of time, usually 100 years. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides the generally accepted values for GWP.

To find out more about carbon footprinting, ways of measuring your carbon footprint, and an annotated guide to services and tools, read  href="http://using-energy.tumblr.com/">Using Energy </a>

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