Questions tagged [carbon-footprint]
a measure of the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced directly and indirectly by a person, an organisation, an event or a product.
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Is burning wood for energy less bad than forest fires?
Forest fires are considered a contributor to global warming, but using firewood is considered carbon-neutral. I'm not sure I understand it. In both cases, only the carbon that had been captured ...
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2answers
44 views
how "green" is using wood as a material?
There are simultaneous calls for not using paper in any form because it causes deforestation, but when it comes to building and making products from wood it is considered environmentally sustainable, ...
2
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1answer
53 views
Can we capture carbon from decomposing plants?
When plants grow they absorb carbon-dioxide from air by photosynthesis, but when they die and decompose, then eventually all the captured carbon dioxide in them returns back to the atmosphere. The ...
3
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1answer
62 views
Is it more ecological to take a diesel ferry or drive an EV the longer route?
I'm trying to figure out my daily dilemma: whether it's less polluting to take a diesel ferry that hops me over the river (roughly 160 m) or to drive my electric vehicle (EV) on a 15 km detour to take ...
2
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1answer
160 views
Does 1 container ship really pollute as much as 50,000,000 cars?
I remember seeing many news articles and posts on social media saying that a single container ship pollutes as much as 50 million cars. Is this true? How could that be possible?
https://tech.slashdot....
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1answer
91 views
Understanding the relation between MTCE & MTCO2E
How do I convert MTCE/ton to MTCO2E/metric ton? Should I multiply it by 1.1 (ton to metric ton) and then by 3.67 (MTCE to MTCO2E)? For example, take a look at Exhibit ES5 here. Recycling aluminum cans,...
2
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0answers
65 views
Should we use paper, plastic, or reusable bags. If reusable, which kind?
I found this site looking for one specifically geared to picking products based on sustainability. I'm not sure if such a specifically-focused site would actually be more effective than this one.
The ...
4
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3answers
76 views
Which CO2 price would make a real difference?
For context:
Sweden is said to have the highest carbon price in the world at €110/ton (source). This price only applies to emissions not covered by the EU ETS (about half) which currently trades at an ...
4
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2answers
55 views
Determining carbon reduction vs cost of various home upgrades
I've done some amount of upgrades to my house to reduce my overall carbon emissions, and reading online there are all kinds of suggestions for doing even more:
Replace my natural gas water heater ...
4
votes
1answer
91 views
What is the relative carbon footprint of getting ones media from Netfix or bittorrent
It has been in the news recently that the carbon footprint of Netflix and other streaming services is significant.1.6 Kg of carbon dioxide per ½ hour viewing is on the high side of the estimates, 451,...
4
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2answers
110 views
How can smaller businesses go carbon neutral?
Lots of big companies are making grand pledges to go carbon-neutral (or even carbon-zero, removing historical emissions). It is feasible for a smaller company (that is, businesses that’d never be ...
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1answer
37 views
What is the difference in CO2 emissions between new and old double decker buses?
The Euro 6 bus WHTC test cycle here shows a value of 4.0 carbon dioxide and the Euro 5 ESC & ELR test cycles show a value of 1.5 CO.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_emission_standards
It ...
2
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1answer
113 views
Carbon footprint of people using public transport vs private vehicles in USA
On an average day, people using cars generate more polution than the people using public transport.
Say for example:
Person A uses a personal car.
Person B doesn't have a car and it uses public ...
3
votes
2answers
228 views
Is Marine Plywood better than plastic for the environment?
I work for a brewery and we have recently started using 3mm thick 140x90mm Pump Clips on our taps instead of 2mm thick PVC Pump clips. These are the little plaques we see when we order a beer at the ...
3
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3answers
118 views
Direct Electrical Heating
For a college project, I'm looking to learn about direct electrical and biomass heating as a means of decarbonization of our college campus? Where can I learn about these? Searching for direct ...
4
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2answers
158 views
Alternative to bananas in Europe
If you buy bananas in Europe, they usually come with a high CO2 level, since they are mostly produced overseas.
Is there a fruit produced in Europe which comes quite close to bananas in terms of ...
5
votes
2answers
239 views
How would you calculate carbon emissions of software?
If I have a compute intensive piece of software that I optimize and I cut the compute time in half, how would I go about calculating the carbon emissions I have saved?
I guess I can take the compute ...
7
votes
1answer
355 views
How much CO2 does a plane produce per additional kg of weight?
There are many figures regarding how much CO2 is emitted per passenger and per km.
However, I have not been able to find anywhere how much CO2 would an airplane emit if it has to carry an additional ...
5
votes
1answer
229 views
What is the carbon footprint of pet food?
Are there any detailed studies of the carbon footprint of pet food production?
There are plenty of articles asserting that meat in cat and dog food is a major source of carbon emissions (e.g. from ...
2
votes
1answer
263 views
Rule of thumb for estimating the carbon footprint of a manufactured good
I am looking for a simple "methodology" to roughly estimate the carbon footprint associated with buying a new e.g. toaster.
More precisely, I would like to have clues to deal with such a situation:
...
3
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0answers
65 views
WTW versus LCA approach in carbon footprint calculations?
I recently did some carbon footprint calculations for the organization I work for. I used conversion factors I found at the Dutch CO2 emission factors website. This website lists standard emission ...
3
votes
3answers
160 views
Biomass plants. Why do we use them?
I've recently read they are classified as "clean energy", and some nations do not count the CO2 emissions it produces towards a national CO2 quota/limit. At this point I am a little confused. Won't ...
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1answer
75 views
Is there any case where plant farming is more eco friendly than raising livestock?
I am looking for an example or a case with arguments that would justify converting cattle ranches into plant farms (e.g., wheat, apple, or anything non-meat). The advantages should be in a more ...
6
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2answers
148 views
If everyone had an 'American carbon footprint', how much would the world's temperatures increase?
I'm trying to create a formula that would show:
If every citizen in the world had an average carbon footprint of X.X kg per month, global temperatures could rise by X.X degC by 2050.
I know there ...
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2answers
124 views
Why do people buy carbon credits? [closed]
I have been reading about carbon offsetting and people or companies doing this by buying carbon credits. People give money to people to take care of natural asset (like Earth token and the Natural ...
3
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1answer
72 views
What's the carbon footprint of watching IPTV?
There are some topics discussing the carbon footprint of an email:
What’s the carbon footprint of an email?
https://twosidesna.org/US/The-Carbon-Footprint-of-Email-is-quite-large/
However, I found ...
4
votes
2answers
96 views
Emissions offsets versus avoidance: can they be compared?
I'm going to be traveling from London to Toulouse next year. I could take a flight for around £100, or a train journey for £170. The emissions for the flight would be about 500kg, which would cost ...
3
votes
1answer
332 views
Approximate CO2 emissions for shipping a parcel from one location to another
First of all, I know it is impossible to answer this question accurately. But that is not the point. An approximation will suffice.
For a project I need to display the CO2 "cost" for shipping a ...
4
votes
1answer
533 views
How bad are incense sticks for environment?
Belonging to a country where incense sticks are used extensively, I wonder how bad are they, althought it is said they are good for air. But at moment, it seems highly misleading to me.
What are the ...
3
votes
2answers
174 views
CO2 track of staying in huts which are supplied by helicopter
How much CO2 do we produce by sleeping on average in a hut (including breakfast and dinner)in high-altitude > 3000 m)? Let's assume that the hut offers 50 beds and that a helicopter has to supply the ...
4
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3answers
131 views
Is there a website that lists the environmental impact and/or carbon footprint of many products and practices?
Perhaps a Q&A website like Sustainable Living?
2
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1answer
39 views
What information is lost when converting other air pollution into CO2e?
I'm struggling to explain the most important aspects of air pollution in a concise way. I understand CO2 is the biggest issue and long-term driver of global warming, but beyond that I'm lost. News ...
3
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2answers
41 views
Should the CO2 footprint of employment factor into purchasing decisions of consumer goods?
If my employer pays me £80 per day, and I can estimate the CO2 footprint of doing my job, compared not working, is around 15Kg CO2e. So my earnings have a footprint equivalent to 180g CO2e per £. (...
3
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1answer
77 views
To what extent do CO2 emissions from motor vehicles vary?
Do the CO2 emissions from petrol / gas vehicles vary depending on driving style? Are emissions a function of the engine type or the fuel efficiency?
If a motor car is rated at 105 g/km, but it is ...
2
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2answers
446 views
Embodied carbon in limecrete vs concrete
I'm planning an extension to my home and one of the many decisions is whether to go for a standard concrete slab over hardcore, or limecrete over blown glass with concrete strip foundations (e.g. ...
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votes
1answer
94 views
What is the average CO2 emission for a human while debating?
I am looking to calculate the CO2 emission of an average male human while arguing/debating.
It is my understanding that the amount of CO2 emitted will be based on the respiratory rate of any given ...
2
votes
1answer
84 views
Discretionary Carbon Footprint vs. Per-capita footprint
Are there any published academic studies which compare per-capita carbon footprint against discretionary carbon footprint (ie. lifestyle-connected emissions)?
per-capita footprint is the result of ...
4
votes
1answer
58 views
Which climate change mitigations take longer than 12 years to see a net benefit?
The recent IPCC SR15 Report has garnered a lot of press coverage because it warns that we must dramatically reduce CO2 emissions by the year 2030, less than 12 years away.
Global net anthropogenic ...
3
votes
2answers
138 views
What is the energy and greenhouse gas footprint of Skysource/Skywater water generator?
The Water Abundance X-Prize was recently awarded to the Skysource/Skywater alliance for:
... developing an easily deployable high-volume water generator that can be used in any climate, meeting the ...
7
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1answer
372 views
Is a solar cell phone charger a sustainable choice?
I bought this handy mobile solar charger for my cell phone. I wonder if it's a sustainable buy and looking for a report or similar that compares the production costs (including carbon dioxide ...
2
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2answers
196 views
Life-cycle assessment of software products?
I'm a software engineer, and lately I've been thinking whether it's possible to delineate the environmental impact of a software product - say a web service, a website, an app for your phone, etc.
It ...
5
votes
2answers
717 views
Carbon footprint of soy milk versus cow's milk
I am wondering about a specific carbon footprint comparison (i.e. total global warming potential per litre) between soy milk and cow's milk.
This would of course depend on where and how they are ...
4
votes
1answer
78 views
How much increase in GHG emissions is caused by Amazon Prime?
From Wikipedia:
Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service offered by Amazon that gives users access to free two-day delivery (one-day in some areas) [...] and other benefits for a monthly or ...
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0answers
26 views
Use Ebooks or normal books? [duplicate]
Ebooks and normal paper books both contribute to environmental damage in some way.
I want to know, which of those two contributes to less environmental damage, on average?
9
votes
1answer
82 views
What should I do with coal that I have been given?
My wife and I recently moved from London to a lovely old cottage in the countryside with electricity, no gas and a wood-burning stove. We are incrementally improving insulation to make the house more ...
6
votes
3answers
139 views
How to compensate past CO₂ emissions
How would I compensate 250 tons of CO₂ emissions that I've created in my life? Is there a sustainable way?
I know trees can absorb a lot of CO₂, but once they die, the absorbed CO₂ is back in the ...
5
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1answer
979 views
How much, if any, does resolution effect the net power consumption of watching online video?
I watch a lot of online video. I'd assume that for example videos on Youtube in 720p use less power than the same videos in 1080p. I think this might be because:
more power is used by sending network ...
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2answers
2k views
Which has a smaller footprint -- canned or frozen vegetables?
When fresh vegetables aren't an option, many sources indicate that frozen vegetables are generally better than canned (see here, here, and here, for example).
However, how do the environmental ...
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5answers
3k views
What's the carbon environmental footprint of good old cash?
It's known that bitcoin has a high carbon footprint [1].
Some have started to compare the environmental footprint of a bitcoin transaction and a standard visa transaction [2].
What is the carbon ...
10
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8answers
447 views
How can I make my family understand my CO2-emissions-related hesitation to fly in order to spend time with them?
I live in another country, approximately 2000 miles away from my family. Now, my parents have really hard time understanding the kind of personal sacrifices which are necessary to keep the world a ...
