Carbon Footprint – brand new or just new fangled?

Abstract

Carbon Footprint is built upon a whole system approach and addresses only impacts relating to climate change. Climate research and consequently, carbon footprint research are evolving fields and, there are various methodological challenges that have to be solved before carbon footprint calculations are going to become as robust as they should be. However, carbon footprint can foster the development of climate friendlier products and has the potential to enable producers and consumers to make informed choices regarding material sourcing and product purchases. Carbon footprint is non judgemental and allows to make informed choices without allocating quotas or speculating as to the behaviour of future generations. The carbon footprint does not tell the entire environmental or even sustainability story and could be misleading like any other single index. However, it has its value when it is applied according to the purpose it is developed for and within its limits. This paper describes the derivers behind carbon footprint, its limitations and tries to identify the opportunities for the ICT community.