The meaning of Carbon Footprint?

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Carbon footprint is the emission of a range of greenhouse gases mainly carbon dioxide by people, their organisations and their activities. The most common greenhouse gas emitted by humans is carbon dioxide, and the footprint indicates the impact these gases have on the planet.

Carbon dioxide is primarily released from daily activities and the use of material goods. Human activities that release greenhouse gases through direct and indirect emissions include transportation, burning of fuels, use of electrical equipment, construction, manufacturing and dismantling of end-of-life products, to name a few.

Carbon Footprint Types

The Carbon footprints can be classified into two types namely –

Primary footprint

The direct activities of humans, such as driving cars, burning fuel, using electricity, and heating, are referred to as the primary footprint.

Secondary footprint

Indirect human activities include the production of clothing, shoes, food, etc. The process of transporting the manufactured goods and disposing of the goods after use is referred to as a secondary footprint.

The increase in greenhouse gases due to human activities and natural phenomena leads to global warming and an increase in natural disasters. Therefore, our main concern must be to reduce the carbon footprint caused by our daily activities in order to restore balance to our planet.