Carbon footprint

The carbon footprint (CO2-Fußabdruck) measures how many greenhouse gases a person, company or product causes – expressed in tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year.

Average carbon footprint in Germany:

• Per capita: approx. 10.8 tonnes CO2/year
• World average: approx. 4.7 tonnes
• Paris climate target: under 1 tonne per person by 2050

Composition:

• Housing & heating: ~2.7 tonnes (25%)
• Mobility: ~2.2 tonnes (20%) – 75% of it from cars
• Food: ~1.7 tonnes (15%) – meat quadruples the figure
• Consumption: ~1.6 tonnes (15%) – clothing, electronics, furniture
• Public infrastructure: ~2.6 tonnes (25%) – hardly influenceable

The biggest levers for reduction:

• Avoid flights: 1 long-haul flight = 3–5 tonnes of CO2 (half of the entire annual footprint!)
• Car → public transport/bike: saves 1–2 tonnes/year
• Heat pump instead of gas heating: saves 1–2 tonnes/year
• Less meat: vegetarian saves ~0.5 tonnes, vegan ~0.9 tonnes

CO2 calculator:

• UBA CO2 calculator (German Environment Agency) – the most accurate for Germany
• Calculate your personal footprint in 10 minutes