What Is Your Carbon Footprint – How to Calculate & Reduce It

The first question is pretty simple to answer: Your carbon footprint is the sum of all the greenhouse gas emissions you produce through your day-to-day activities. It’s called a carbon footprint because the main greenhouse gas involved in global warming is carbon dioxide, or CO2.

However, the second question is a bit more complicated. The short answer to why it’s so important is that your carbon footprint shows how much you personally contribute to global warming, and it points toward steps you could take to reduce your impact on the climate. But more generally, your carbon footprint is also a rough indicator of how much energy and other natural resources you use. So your carbon footprint is a good measure of how green your lifestyle is in general.