Carbon Footprint Assessment with LCA Methodology
3
Chapter 10—Summary: At last comes the summary, which comprises the outcomes
of the chapter highlighting the efficacy of LCA for carbon footprint assessment
purposes.
2 Carbon Footprint
The term carbon footprint has a very clear meaning but a rather arduous understanding. The term has established first from an ecological footprint, which was
developed by William E. Rees and Mathis Wackernagel in the 1990s [11]. It was
calculated as tonnes per year CO 2 equivalent. It basically represents the footprint
of carbon emissions derived from human activity. A carbon footprint is a prominent component of the ecological footprint and must be an addressable concern.
This carbon footprint is usually a common term because it is imposed by almost
every component with carbon or which runs on carbon-based components. It is not
only that the sole contributor to carbon footprint is, industries, appliances, vehicles,
and fuel applications but even our activities are contributing that is termed as per
capita carbon footprint. As per the statistics, on average, Australia has a per capita
footprint of 17 tonnes followed by the USA with 16.2 tonnes and Canada with 15
tonnes whereas this average is 4.8 tonnes globally (for 2017) [12, 13]. In other words,
somehow, we are also contributing to carbon footprint through our activities which
we do not consider us accountable for. The discussion to make anyone accountable
while sitting in an air-conditioned room is of no advantage. If you will look at the
share of the world’s carbon footprint, China is the top contributor with a 27.2% share
in footprint and that is imposed by 19.9% of the world population. On the other hand,
the USA which has 4.5% of the world population adds 15.6% of the total footprint
and stands in second place. India is the second most populated country with 17.5%
of the world population that contributes 6.3% share in footprint (see Fig. 1). The path
is followed by Russia, Japan, and Germany [14]. One can observe the dependency of
the country’s development on the carbon footprint share. Developed countries have
a higher carbon footprint than developing ones.
Also, when looking at the distribution among the various sectors, electricity
generation and heat production sectors are the major contributors with a 25% share
followed by the agriculture sector (cultivation and deforestation) with a 24% share.
The third major sector is the industry with a 21% share (IPCC 2014) followed by
transportation, building, and others with a respective share of 14%, 6%, and 10%.
Out of all the sectors, the major contributor is fossil fuels adding up a huge footprint with 65% share. Deforestation and decay of biomass add up 11% whereas 16%
from methane, 6% from NOx, and 2% from CFC/HFC/PFCs (fluorinated gases). The
65% share by fossil fuels was extensively derived from the metallurgical and power
generation sector. The annual generation of carbon emissions from fossil fuels is
huge and imposes a critical threat. When looking at the spatial distribution of carbon
footprint, major oil-producing countries are the ones having the world’s largest per
capita CO 2 emitters (from fossil fuels). Despite having a very low population, these
3
Chapter 10—Summary: At last comes the summary, which comprises the outcomes
of the chapter highlighting the efficacy of LCA for carbon footprint assessment
purposes.
2 Carbon Footprint
The term carbon footprint has a very clear meaning but a rather arduous understanding. The term has established first from an ecological footprint, which was
developed by William E. Rees and Mathis Wackernagel in the 1990s [11]. It was
calculated as tonnes per year CO 2 equivalent. It basically represents the footprint
of carbon emissions derived from human activity. A carbon footprint is a prominent component of the ecological footprint and must be an addressable concern.
This carbon footprint is usually a common term because it is imposed by almost
every component with carbon or which runs on carbon-based components. It is not
only that the sole contributor to carbon footprint is, industries, appliances, vehicles,
and fuel applications but even our activities are contributing that is termed as per
capita carbon footprint. As per the statistics, on average, Australia has a per capita
footprint of 17 tonnes followed by the USA with 16.2 tonnes and Canada with 15
tonnes whereas this average is 4.8 tonnes globally (for 2017) [12, 13]. In other words,
somehow, we are also contributing to carbon footprint through our activities which
we do not consider us accountable for. The discussion to make anyone accountable
while sitting in an air-conditioned room is of no advantage. If you will look at the
share of the world’s carbon footprint, China is the top contributor with a 27.2% share
in footprint and that is imposed by 19.9% of the world population. On the other hand,
the USA which has 4.5% of the world population adds 15.6% of the total footprint
and stands in second place. India is the second most populated country with 17.5%
of the world population that contributes 6.3% share in footprint (see Fig. 1). The path
is followed by Russia, Japan, and Germany [14]. One can observe the dependency of
the country’s development on the carbon footprint share. Developed countries have
a higher carbon footprint than developing ones.
Also, when looking at the distribution among the various sectors, electricity
generation and heat production sectors are the major contributors with a 25% share
followed by the agriculture sector (cultivation and deforestation) with a 24% share.
The third major sector is the industry with a 21% share (IPCC 2014) followed by
transportation, building, and others with a respective share of 14%, 6%, and 10%.
Out of all the sectors, the major contributor is fossil fuels adding up a huge footprint with 65% share. Deforestation and decay of biomass add up 11% whereas 16%
from methane, 6% from NOx, and 2% from CFC/HFC/PFCs (fluorinated gases). The
65% share by fossil fuels was extensively derived from the metallurgical and power
generation sector. The annual generation of carbon emissions from fossil fuels is
huge and imposes a critical threat. When looking at the spatial distribution of carbon
footprint, major oil-producing countries are the ones having the world’s largest per
capita CO 2 emitters (from fossil fuels). Despite having a very low population, these