How to reduce your carbon footprint?

What is carbon footprint?

Greenhouse gases (GHG) are composed of different chemical elements, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). These, by their presence in the air, trap heat in the atmosphere, and complicate the cooling of the earth and oceans. Directly responsible for global warming, the scale of emissions of these gases is characterized by an indicator or index, called the carbon footprint.

This measure counts the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted directly or indirectly by human activities, after the GHGs have been released into the atmosphere by the combustion of fossil fuels such as oil, gas, or coal.

Calculated in tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e), the carbon footprint takes into account the various sources of pollution such as transport, energy production, the creation of goods, or even agriculture, and through it food.

How to calculate your personal carbon footprint?

The number of goods and services we use on a daily basis and whose production depends on fossil fuels is significant. Also, while measuring our personal carbon footprint may seem complex, fortunately there are tools available to help us.

These propose to establish an average based on the calculation of the energy consumption of our homes, on the emissions of our food alternatives, on those of the production of our goods and services, as well as on those of our modes of transport for our daily journeys and our long journeys.

These calculators are based on detailed questionnaires, which then allow the results obtained to be compared to measured national or global averages, in order to better situate one's carbon footprint, and determine what specific actions can be taken to reduce one's environmental impact.

Among others, the myco2emission.com calculator from Carbone 4 makes it easy to obtain a reliable and precise CO2 emissions index.

What is the average carbon footprint of a French person?

According to the surveys and the study shared by the low-carbon strategy and climate change adaptation consulting agency Carbone4, the carbon footprint of the French in 2021 amounted to an average of 9.9 tonnes of CO² equivalent per person per year.

For comparison, the average carbon footprint worldwide is around 6 tonnes per capita, around 2.3 tonnes for a person living in India, and 22.5 tonnes per year for a person residing in the United States. The average European carbon footprint is around 11 tonnes per capita. It is notably higher than that of a French citizen because CO2 emissions resulting from electricity consumption vary according to the types of electricity production facilities in each country (this is called a country's energy mix). Since France mainly produces its electricity using nuclear power plants, its carbon emissions are lower than those of countries using gas or coal-fired power plants.

What are the main contributors to my individual carbon footprint?

Our individual carbon footprint is influenced by different factors, each having a more or less significant impact on our total GHG emissions depending on our lifestyle.

Let’s identify here the main contributors to our personal carbon bill to better understand how to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Means of transport and travel.

Means of transport represent the primary source of carbon emissions in the national average for French people, with an average reaching 2700 kg CO²eq/person estimated in 2021 according to studies by the Carbone 4 agency.

This is mainly due to the car fleet, in particular vehicles with internal combustion engines running on petrol or diesel; cars alone represent more than ¾ of carbon emissions linked to transport, and represent the highest source of carbon emissions across all sectors with 2100 kg of CO² per year per person.

The last quarter of emissions due to transport are mainly attributable to planes (420 kg), then to other modes of transport (trains, buses, bicycles, etc.)

The food.

What we eat and our clean eating habits play a central role in our CO² emissions, since smoothed over the year, these represent no less than 2450 kg of CO²eq/person, which makes it on average the 2nd most emissive cursor after that of transport.

In this average, more than half of the emissions are linked to food of animal origin, and the rest is shared between the beverage sector, various other crops (fruit, cereals, etc.) and the transport they require.

The energy bill.

Energy consumption remains one of the main contributors to our carbon footprint, and although the type of power plants producing the electricity that powers homes does not depend on individual choice (for example, Germany's energy mix is mainly based on coal-fired electricity production, and France's on nuclear energy), other personal choices have a direct impact on our ecological bill and our personal GHG emissions. Thus, using gas or electrical appliances to heat your home or cook your food, installing or not installing air conditioning, lighting your home more or less, or using household appliances on a larger or smaller scale, remain levers that everyone can use to reduce their CO2 footprint.

The purchase of goods and services.

The consumption of material goods such as clothing and electronics, or of services such as leisure activities that require the activation of machines that run on fossil fuels, represent the fourth factor in our individual carbon emissions.

Public spending.

Fifth and final factor to consider, public spending services such as health, defense or education, are an integral part of calculating our individual carbon footprint.

However, these are less controllable and depend less on our desire for personal consumption, since they are mostly services set up by the State, in the general interest of citizens.

What are the benefits of low carbon consumption?

Global warming is causing major changes to the planet and ecosystems, hence the use of the term climate disruption. These include an increase in extreme weather events such as storms, floods, droughts, megafires, extreme heat waves, rising sea levels, ocean acidification , disruption of hydrological cycles, soil desertification, and disruption of seasons and natural cycles.

These extraordinary phenomena, which are occurring more and more frequently, have consequences for living animal and plant species as well as for human populations. Threat to food security, emergence of new diseases and health problems, migrations and population displacements, and beyond a certain temperature threshold, reduced life expectancy of fragile individuals and endangerment of biodiversity.

From an economic point of view, climate change causes material damage requiring significant expenditure. It also leads to difficulties in the supply of food, the weakening of various economic and industrial sectors, and the rise of poverty.

For all these reasons, reducing your carbon footprint by opting for a more sober and eco-responsible lifestyle helps to reduce these threats.

This also has the benefit of allowing us to live in a healthier and more balanced way, outside of an overly exacerbated consumption model. Finally, in addition to preserving natural resources, having low-carbon consumption helps to support ethical approaches and companies, like our brand of vegan shoes, eco-responsible and produced locally in Europe .

What actions can you take to reduce your carbon footprint?

Produce in a controlled and sustainable manner.

Reducing carbon footprint is not just about consuming better, but also about producing better. Also, it requires that industries, companies, and through them, business leaders listen to environmental needs and adapt their production charter to them.

This involves using environmentally friendly, recycled materials , innovative techniques and clean technologies, as well as turning to local suppliers and production partners . It can also involve processes based on the circular economy, and if possible, the use of renewable energy.

Travel using low-carbon means of transport.

Adopting more sustainable modes of transport, such as cycling, public transport or even walking for daily journeys instead of individual car journeys, significantly reduces the carbon footprint linked to travel.

When car use is unavoidable, carpooling or adopting electric or hybrid vehicles can significantly reduce emissions, although these remain major sources of pollution; even more so if the vehicle is heavy.

Finally, as mentioned in our article Eco-Friendly Travel , reducing your air travel by traveling differently, by opting for local or regional destinations, accessible by train or bus, helps to significantly reduce your carbon footprint.

Eat vegetarian, local, organic and seasonal.

The diet based on meat and dairy products represents more than half of the CO2 emissions linked to the French food carbon footprint. Reducing the consumption of this type of product by favoring plant-based options - which form the basis of vegetarian and vegan diets for example - helps to reduce carbon emissions linked to livestock farming. These are also less harmful to the environment, help to support animal welfare , and are generally better for human health because they are less rich in fatty acids.

Finally, in addition to eating a balanced diet, eating local, organic and seasonal food helps to further reduce your environmental impact.

Reduce your energy consumption.

Turning down the heating and avoiding heating unnecessarily uninhabited rooms, reserving air conditioning for people in fragile health, adopting eco-friendly practices such as improving the energy and thermal efficiency of your home can make a significant difference to your energy bill. Similarly, using low-consumption household appliances, and adopting simple actions such as putting devices on standby or turning off the lights when you leave a room also help to reduce your environmental footprint.

Buy less but better.

One of the keys to reducing your carbon footprint is to change your purchasing behavior to tend towards a potentially more sober and resilient mode of consumption. Of course, this does not mean depriving yourself of occasional and spontaneous pleasures, but rather rethinking your way of consuming in a global way, with a view to buying usefully, by adjusting your habits to eliminate unnecessary purchases.

This is characterised, for example, by buying fewer metal-intensive electronic devices, reducing the purchase of new vehicles, spacing out wardrobe renewals and choosing quality ethical clothing and shoes , from sustainable fashion and vegan manufacturing , made in Europe or made in France, rather than products resulting from fast fashion .

This also involves directing purchases towards solutions designed according to an eco-responsible approach and within an ethical framework, which takes into account both carbon emissions due to transport, but also the supply and use of ecological materials , potentially recycled, and if possible also recyclable.

Opting for durable and repairable items, finding out aboutsecond-hand alternatives, reducing, sorting and recycling waste are all levers that can be used to reduce your carbon footprint, reduce pollution and participate in building a model of society that is more in line with the protection of the planet and animal species .