carbon footprint

noun

Definition of carbon footprint

: the amount of greenhouse gases and specifically carbon dioxide emitted by something (such as a person's activities or a product's manufacture and transport) during a given period

Examples of carbon footprint in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some countries have carbon prices, but few have priced emissions high enough to drive a major change in their carbon footprints. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "4 big takeaways from the UN’s alarming climate change report," 9 Oct. 2018 The company notes that 12 percent of Finland’s greenhouse gas emissions result from road transportation, and that its deliveries have a carbon footprint that’s 22 times lower than traditional alternatives. — Jon Porter, The Verge, "Alphabet’s Wing is launching a free 10-minute drone delivery service in Finland," 5 Dec. 2018 Packaging contributes to a massive carbon footprint and creates an overwhelming amount of waste, which often confuses the consumer, given that recyclability of packaging varies from locale to locale. — Good Housekeeping, "Frequently Asked Questions About Good Housekeeping's Sustainability Awards," 7 Nov. 2018 With that in mind, here are six simple, extremely straightforward ways to decrease your carbon footprint immediately. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "6 Ways You Can Be More Eco-Friendly Right This Second," 15 Jan. 2019 The move marks an about-face in Shell’s view on targets, and comes after ambitious long-term goals to reduce the company’s carbon footprint—including emissions by drivers who burn Shell fuel—faced criticism for lacking more immediate accountability. — Sarah Kent, WSJ, "Shell to Link Carbon Emissions Targets to Executive Pay," 3 Dec. 2018 There’s another company on the West Coast called Diamond Foundry that is growing perfect diamonds aboveground using solar power; there’s no carbon footprint. — Rachna Bhasin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Cracking Fashion's Code," 25 May 2017 Entrepreneur Pashon Murray, who started Detroit Dirt, a composting and waste collection company that wants to change the city's carbon footprint, shares her vision of the Detroit to come. — Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, "'Detroit: Comeback City' documentary is personal, and that's a good thing," 1 July 2018 The chain promised to pay particular attention to the areas that make up the biggest part of its carbon footprint -- beef production, restaurant energy usage and sourcing and packaging and waste. — Zlati Meyer, USA TODAY, "McDonald's plans to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 36% by 2030," 20 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'carbon footprint.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.