What is a Carbon Footprint?

A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere as a result of the actions and choices of an individual, organisation, event or product. These gases, mainly carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, are measured in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) to allow for comparison and tracking.

Carbon footprints can come from direct sources, like driving a petrol car, or indirect ones, such as the emissions from producing the food we eat or the clothes we wear. Everything from heating our homes to how we travel and what we buy contributes to our overall footprint.

Where the Term “Carbon Footprint” Came From

British Petroleum employed PR agency Ogilvy & Mather in the early 2000s to spread the idea that climate change is not the responsibility of an oil business, but of individuals. By creating the concept of a carbon footprint, their aim was to focus on the impact of people’s choices and not on corporations..

In 2004, BP unveiled the first carbon footprint calculator on their website so individuals could measure their own greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon footprint model drew on earlier work in lifecycle analysis and environmental accounting, which tried to capture the total impact of a product or action by considering every stage from production to disposal.

Limitations of Carbon Footprint

Although widely used, the idea of a carbon footprint has been criticised for several reasons:

• It emphasises individual responsibility at the expense of structural change. By focusing on personal choices, it can deflect attention from the role of governments, industries and global supply chains in driving emissions.
• It can oversimplify complex systems. For example, it may suggest that certain foods or products are always high or low carbon without considering how they were produced, transported or used.
• It is difficult to measure accurately. Carbon footprint calculators often rely on generalised data and estimates, which can vary widely depending on methodology.
• It reinforces guilt based framing rather than highlighting opportunities for collaboration, innovation or systemic change.

Individual and Collective Impact

The carbon footprint model helped raise awareness of emissions, especially among consumers. It introduced the idea that everyday activities have climate impacts and encouraged behaviour change in areas like energy use and travel.

However, critics argue that it has limited use as a long term framework for climate action. Many of the biggest sources of emissions, such as industrial processes, infrastructure and global trade, lie beyond the reach of individual decisions.

Understanding carbon footprints can still help identify patterns and priorities, but addressing climate change requires a wider focus. This includes collective actions, public policies and systemic shifts that go beyond consumer choices.

A Shared Challenge

Climate change is caused by systems, not just individual behaviour. While personal decisions contribute to emissions, they are shaped by broader structures such as housing, transport and energy systems that determine what choices are available.

Reducing emissions effectively depends on changes at multiple levels. This includes community projects, local government leadership, national policy and international cooperation.

Instead of asking only what our carbon footprint is, it is also worth asking how we can change the systems that produce emissions in the first place.

Changeprint

One way to think about system change is to rethink what we are measuring. A Changeprint is the collective impact created when people join forces to make something happen that reduces greenhouse gas emissions. It isn’t the action itself – it’s the sum of all the good it generates, such as stronger community ties, healthier environments, shared learning and visible local progress.

Where a carbon footprint measures what we take away, a Changeprint shows what we build together. In simple terms, you shrink a carbon footprint and you grow a Changeprint.

Each Changeprint starts locally, then grows as others copy what works and make it their own – creating ripples that move us closer to a social tipping point for climate and shared action.

FAQs

What does a carbon footprint actually measure?

A carbon footprint measures the total greenhouse gases released as a result of specific activities. These gases are expressed in carbon dioxide equivalent to capture the combined impact of different emissions. It includes both direct emissions like car travel and indirect emissions from producing goods or services.

Where did the idea of carbon footprints come from?

The term became popular in the early 2000s through public awareness campaigns, initially led by British Petroleum.. It built on earlier environmental analysis methods that aimed to quantify the impact of human activities across their full life cycle.

Why do people question the usefulness of carbon footprints?

While the idea helped raise awareness, it has also been criticised for focusing too much on individual responsibility. This can take attention away from the role of industries, infrastructure and policy in shaping emissions and limiting choices.

Can calculating your footprint help you reduce emissions?

It can help highlight high impact areas like travel, diet or energy use. But the numbers are often based on averages, not specific conditions, and some emissions are hard to control individually. Reducing emissions at scale needs coordinated changes across society.

What should we focus on beyond personal footprints?

Looking beyond individual impact means thinking about shared systems. That includes how energy is generated, how buildings are heated, how transport works and how goods are made and moved. These systems influence everyone and require collective solutions. The wider impact when people join forces is known as a Changeprint.

What is a Changeprint?

A Changeprint is the positive impact created when people join forces in taking climate action. It’s not the action itself, but all the benefits that result. The impact is not limited to carbon emissions and includes wider project benefits such as cleaner air, improved health outcomes and stronger communities. Where a carbon footprint measures what we take away, a Changeprint shows what we can build together.

Sources:

• https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/23/big-oil-coined-carbon-footprints-to-blame-us-for-their-greed-keep-them-on-the-hook
• https://www.clf.org/blog/the-truth-about-carbon-footprints/

About Carbon Copy

Carbon Copy exists to turn individual concern for climate and nature into collective impact by helping people connect locally and create real change together. We believe the fastest way to create change is to share it. We tap into a powerful truth: copying is human nature. When action is visible and easy to replicate, it spreads. It’s about people stepping in, inspired by what others have done and copying what works. Carbon Copy offers a place to start, with a national collection of climate action stories, place-by-place climate and nature plans, a popular podcast and blog, and capacity building for organisations across public, private and third sectors.