In order to measure our impact on Climate Change we can use carbon footprints which record how much carbon dioxide (CO2) we emit as individuals, households and businesses.
By measuring your carbon footprints, you can see how your actions contribute to climate change. From this, you can see what areas can be improved to reduce your overall impact.
What does one tonne of carbon equate to?
It can be hard to calculate what a tonne of carbon looks like in our everyday lives. The picture below gives you an idea.
What does Falkirk Council's Emissions look like?
In 2018/2019, our carbon footprint totaled 48.9 thousand tonnes of CO2e. The emissions associated with waste management account for the majority of the carbon footprint (43%), followed by the buildings energy consumption.
| Source | Tonnes of CO2e |
|---|
| Building gas | 11,332 |
| Building oil | 109 |
| Building electricity | 7,179 |
| Vehicle fuel | 3,666 |
| Business mileage | 350 |
| Streetlights | 1,969 |
| Water | 238 |
| Waste management | 21,382 |
| Electricity transmission losses | 777 |
What does my carbon footprint look like?
You can calculate your own carbon footprint by taking the What is your ecological footprint? test developed by the Global Footprint Network.