What's Carbon Footprint?

If you've ever had a science class, I'm sure you've come across the term "carbon footprint." It's extremely popular in the general conversation on environmentalism, and you can find "carbon footprint" calculators pretty much anymore. (I distinctly remember doing a carbon footprint worksheet in AP Environmental Science...)

While it is important to recognize what your actions can do to the environment, this term is largely misleading. It's been twisted to suit the needs of whoever's using it, and it has some pretty bad implications if you look closely. Let's take a dive into "carbon footprint" and figure out what it really means.

Who Created It?

This is William Rees. He looks like a nice man.

The term "carbon footprint" comes from the umbrella term of "ecological footprint." Coined by William Rees, professor of ecology at the University of British Columbia, in the 1990s, "ecological footprint" refers to a community's "energy and material consumption." As Rees intended it, ecological footprint is basically an analysis of everything that a community needs to maintain itself, such as terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems that produce the goods a community uses.

"Carbon footprint" as we call it today refers to the amount of carbon emitted due to a person or entity's use of fossil fuels. It can certainly be seen as part of a person's ecological footprint, but "carbon footprint" has become a much more popular term than the other.

Actually, carbon footprint was popularized by BP (British Petroleum Company Limited). Now that's a curveball, isn't it?

How is it Used?

Let's take things back to 1971. In an ad sponsored by Keep America Beautiful, trash flies out of a moving car and lands at the foot of a Native American played by Espera Oscar de Corti (who by the way, wasn't Native American; he was Italian). Dramatic trumpets play in the background as the catch-line "People start pollution. People can stop it" is solemnly stated by William Conrad.

While it is true that people can curb their own pollution habits, I'm sure you can see where this is going. It's a very common deflection tactic. Blame the public instead of mass production and waste. (Side note, Keep America Beautiful is actually funded by Coca Cola, GLAD, PepsiCo, etc. Coca Cola is the most polluting brand in the world. So. You know.)

After Rees published his book concerning ecological footprint, BP saw an opportunity. In 2000, BP started a massive ad campaign to rebrand from British Petroleum to Beyond Petroleum. They conducted street interviews, changed their logo, and released ads that emphasized their "greenness." Sure, theysell oil, but now they're "environmentally friendly" about it. And in 2004, BP unveiled its carbon footprint calculator.

"It's time to go on a low-carbon diet" were the words that flashed on BP's website. Over the next few years, BP released advertisements that emphasized the "you": "What size is your carbon footprint? What can you do to reduce your carbon footprint?" And it worked.

The ads made it seem like global climate change was a personal responsibility; only individuals could cut down their shower times, bike to work, go zero waste, etc. But we've been hearing this kind of stuff for decades, and the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere keep rising. If individuals really could reverse global climate change, wouldn't it have already happened by now considering how much these messages of "it's your problem" have been emphasized over the years?

" Oil and gas company product portfolio mix and GHG emissions intensity"

It hasn't happened. 100 corporations contribute 71% of global carbon emissions. BP is one of those corporations, despite what their ad campaigns may want you to think.

On its own, carbon footprint can be a great tool to use. But it's been turned into a marketing scheme. It's an extremely effective one. As the saying goes, the best lies have an element of truth in them.

How Can I Use It?

Carbon footprint isn't going anywhere. With how reliant our society is on fossil fuels, there is no way that a person can completely get rid of their carbon footprint as those ad campaign's seem to imply.

Of course, you can still use a carbon footprint calculator to see if there's anything that you can do adjust your lifestyle. But that shouldn't be its only use.

The definition of carbon footprint should be expanded to include your contributions to and support of environmental policy. Keep talking about climate change. Follow educational social media accounts (@legume.official, @ssusainably, @chicksforclimate, etc.) If you haven't seen anything on your feed in a while, look for some news on climate change and what's being done about it. It's not enough to like a post on Instagram and forget about it five minutes later. We have to keep the conversation going.

The most important thing to consider is policy. As long as policies that block reusable energy and support unsustainable environmental practices are in place, no amount of reusable straws and bags will fix the rising temperatures and sea levels. Lowering your carbon footprint shouldn't hinge on how much water you use in the shower; it should include how involved you are in decision-making and how supportive you are of better policies.

I know that it's not possible to be involved in everything. But whenever an election is coming up, whether it be local, state, or national, check out the environmental policies in place. See if you can find what the candidates think of those policies and what they might do to improve them. Vote for officials who have plans, not promises, to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and invest in reusable energy.

Take cars for example. The biggest concern with electric cars is that they don't last long enough considering the relatively small amount of charging stations in the country. See if the candidate or the policy you're voting for might increase the number of charging stations or invest in more energy-efficient car production. Support policies that increase the number of safe biking lanes on roads. Support policies that reduce urban sprawl. Encourage your recycling program. Influencing policy is the best way to make a difference.

Listen. Global climate change is not. your fault. If everybody made certain changes to their lifestyles, carbon emissions might be reduced, yes, but it wouldn't be nearly enough to reverse the devastating effects of climate change that we're seeing today. Carbon footprint can be a useful tool, but be careful of advertising and big corporations that shape it into a way to blame the consumer. Remember, the best way to "reduce" your carbon footprint is to change the policies that make carbon emissions so large.

Live green everyone!

P.S. Here are some articles that talk about this concept as well:

- The Carbon Footprint Sham

- Wiliam Ree's views on Ecological and Carbon Footprint

- Footprint Fantasy

- Our Ecological Footprint by William Rees and Mathis Wackernagel