CARBON FOOTPRINT:

A carbon footprint is defined as:

The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly

support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide
(CO2).

• The carbon footprint is also an important component of the Ecological Footprint,

since it is one competing demand for biologically productive space.

• Carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels accumulate in the atmosphere if there
is not enough bio-capacity dedicated to absorb these emissions. Therefore, when
the carbon footprint is reported within the context of the total Ecological Footprint,
the tons of carbon dioxide emissions are expressed as the amount of
productive land area required to sequester those carbon dioxide
emissions. This tells us how much bio-capacity is necessary to neutralize the
emissions from burning fossil fuels.

How Your Carbon Footprint Is Measured?

• In tons of “CO2 equivalent,” meaning that in addition to CO2, other gases are
also measured.

Calculate: amount of other gases you produce and convert it to the amount of CO2 it
would take to create the same impact on the Earth’s temperature. Then you add that
figure to your actual CO2 emissions to come up with your total carbon footprint. So
your carbon footprint isn’t really just about CO2 – it’s actually a measure of
all gases that affect the climate. Expressing it in tons of carbon equivalent is just
a handy way of adding the impact of all the different types of greenhouse gas
together.

The carbon Footprint is currently 60 percent of humanity’s overall Ecological Footprint

and its most rapidly growing component. Humanity’s carbon Footprint has increased 11-
fold since 1961. Reducing humanity’s carbon Footprint is the most essential step we
can take to end overshoot and live within the means of our planet.
Paris Climate Agreement & Carbon Footprint:

To keep global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius and, to the surprise of
many, went even further by agreeing to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5
degrees above pre-industrial levels.

USA: IPCC’s 2014 report that a concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
of 450 ppm CO2equivalent gives us a 66% chance to comply with the Paris
Agreement’s 2-degree Celsius (2°C) goal. In contrast, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration of the United States Department of Commerce (or NOAA)
reports that in 2017 we were already at 493 ppm CO2equivalent. This confirms the
need to rapidly end emitting carbon, while also scaling up sequestration.

Other Nations: In contrast, the pledges submitted by each nation are projected to result
in a temperature rise of between 3 and 7 degrees Celsius, exceeding the 2-degree limit
or “global handrail” acknowledged by the agreement. The final agreement requires
countries to return every five years with new emission reduction targets.

Share of CHINA: 27.2% in carbon footprint

Share of USA: 15.6%

Rest of World: 33.3%

CARBON OFFSETTING:
A Carbon offset is a way to compensate for your emissions by funding an
equivalent carbon dioxide saving elsewhere. Carbon offsetting is used to balance
out these emissions by helping to pay for emission savings in other parts of the
world.(Carbon credit based on carbon environment guilt)

Ways to Reduce Carbon Footprint: (On individual level)

1. Reduce, reuse & recycle(3R’S)
2. Sustainable Renewable Energy
3. Make climate-conscious political decisions
4. Encourage climate related activities organized by NGOs, Civil Society and
other state stakeholders
5. Select low energy-intensive activities (i.e., hiking vs. sky diving, kayaking
vs. powerboats, electric vs. gasoline-powered yard equipment).
6. Installing solar panels on your home
7. Composting food waste
8. Make home and residence energy efficient
9. Use energy and water efficient products
10. Prefer telecommute & teleconference
11. Buy local manufactured products
12. Carbon Offset- purchase carbon credits based on individual’s carbon guilt
13. Minimize automobile driving and instead prefer green transportation

Carbon Footprints Reduction Measures on Organization

Level:
Some Measures:
• Energy management softwares
• Energy survey/audit services - for buildings, transport and other assets
• Energy policy, strategy and smart target setting
• Implementation - investment grade audits, project management etc.
• Energy brokerage
• Smart sustainable resilient and minimal impacts on CO2 Emissions

PAKISTAN AND CO2 EMISSIONS SOME FACTS TO QUOTE:

Pakistan’s contribution to global emissions is less than 1% while it is among the most
vulnerable countries facing threat of climate change.
According to the German Watch Global Climate Risk Index (2018), Pakistan is at
the seventh position with a death toll of 523.1 lives per year and economic loss of
$3.8B.
During this time, Pakistan has suffered from 141 extreme weather events (cyclones,
storms, floods, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), heat waves, etc).
The country’s emission trend reveals that energy and agriculture sectors are
responsible for 90% of its total greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Intended
Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), Pakistan’s total greenhouse gas
emissions have increased by 123% in 21 years (1994 to 2015).
In light of GDP growth targets set in vision 2025 and the China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor’s (CPEC) investment, infrastructure development and energy demand, the
country’s total emissions are expected to increase by about 300% for the projected
period (2015-2030).