The phrase "carbon footprint" seems to turn up a lot lately. I heard it again this morning on NPR as they were talking about travel- which form of transportation creates the smallest carbon footprint.
On the web site Time for Changethe they define a carbon footprint as "The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)".
A Definition of Carbon Footprint offers a slightly different definition : "The carbon footprint is a measure of the exclusive total amount of carbon dioxide emissions that is directly and indirectly caused by an activity or is accumulated over the life stages of a product."
In GALILEO the Oxford English Dictionary notes "carbon footprint n. the impact on the environment of carbon dioxide emitted as a result of human activity, esp. consumption of fossil fuels; a measure of this for a particular individual, organization, or community; cf. FOOTPRINT n. ". The OED gives useage from 1999 - which is what I was really looking for- how long has the phrase been in use.
Oh, trains create the smallest carbon footprint for long distance travel.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
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