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

Leaks from natural gas drilling operations could offset many of the gains natural gas provides in shrinking the carbon footprint of energy production. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "A major anti-fracking ballot measure in Colorado has failed," 7 Nov. 2018 Reducing water usage, increasing recycling rates, reducing our carbon footprint. — Jennifer Maloney, WSJ, "PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi on Why She’s Leaving and What’s Next," 6 Aug. 2018 Recycled natural leather fiber that uses 90 percent less water and has an 80 percent lower carbon footprint than leather manufactured traditionally. — Lindsay Talbot, Marie Claire, "Your Everything Guide to a Sustainable Closet," 19 July 2018 Swapping out meat for veggies, beans, and tofu can trim your carbon footprint by as much as 25 percent, as well as boosting your health with more vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. — The Seattle Times, "Little changes can make a big difference in climate change," 24 Sep. 2018 In your everyday life, try to minimize your own carbon footprint. — Emily Hernandez, Teen Vogue, "What Is Climate Change? Everything You Need To Know About Global Warming," 17 July 2018 WeWork’s decision to go meat-free in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint is drawing mixed reviews on social media. — Michelle Gant, Fox News, "WeWork no longer reimbursing meals containing meat," 16 July 2018 The Zero Foodprint project helps restaurants calculate and offset their carbon footprints. — Caitlin Dewey, chicagotribune.com, "The U.S. diet is a climate disaster. Here are 4 fixes that don't involve becoming a vegan.," 11 June 2018 Fuel is basically 99 percent of an airline's carbon footprint. — CBS News, "Airlines cut operating costs by helping planes lose weight," 18 June 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.