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

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 Compared to red meat, produce doesn't have much of an on-farm carbon footprint. — 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 Emissions associated with aluminum manufacturing across all Apple products represent 24% of its manufacturing carbon footprint, the company said. — Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, "Apple tries to reduce emissions from making iPhones with green aluminum venture," 10 May 2018 Gumshoes leave large carbon footprints Bandwidth revolves around Dag Calhoun, a lobbyist working on behalf of a telecom giant, Commonwealth. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Bandwidth is the techno-thriller novel that we need right now," 6 May 2018 That carbon footprint raises questions of its own: Who bears the responsibility for it? — Amanda Paulson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Do global travelers have to leave their environmental ethics at home?," 8 May 2018 Some have set targets for buying renewable energy and reducing their carbon footprints. — Mark Trumbull, The Christian Science Monitor, "From new leadership to Clean Power Plan, subtle shifts ripple through EPA," 11 July 2018 According to the new research, the carbon footprint of tourism is three to four times higher than previous estimates, accounting for about 8 percent of global carbon emissions. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Your Summer Vacation Is a Carbon Emissions Nightmare," 9 May 2018 The project is part of Saudi Aramco’s corporate carbon management strategy to proactively address global environmental challenges and reduce its carbon footprint. — Rebecca Maitland, Houston Chronicle, "Silver Sponsor: Aramco’s technology honored for industry contributions," 29 Apr. 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.