Product

How personal decisions impact CO2 emissions

07/02/2020 | 7 min read
Charlotte Enzelsberger

Spoiled for choice

Taking the train would be more environmentally friendly, sure. But the car’s simply quicker and more comfortable. Apples would be a more seasonal choice in winter, but strawberries are so temptingly sweet. And a weekend outing to a local lake might be nice, but there’s no question that a city break in Barcelona would be much more exciting. Many of the decisions we make every day have consequences for our personal carbon footprint – and ultimately for the environment as well. It’s up to us to decide how environmentally friendly we want our lives to be.

And CO2 makes up a significant share of the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming and influence climate change. In recent years, it has become clear that the more prosperous a country is (measured by GDP), the higher its per capita CO2 emissions are too.1 But economic output isn’t the only factor that determines CO2 emissions – after all, Qatar is the largest emitter at some 50 metric tons of CO2 per capita per year, coming in ahead of Curaçao, Trinidad and Tobago, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. The average in Europe is 7 metric tons each year. Consumption, heating, and diet are the areas that have the greatest impact on the personal carbon footprint of Europeans. So, what can each of us as individuals do to make our day-to-day lives climate friendly?

In this feature article, we use the example of an average European named Felix to show you how even our smallest decisions can make a difference. Our aim isn’t to preach at you, and we aren’t claiming to present the full scientific facts. Instead, we want to give you some food for thought and prompt you to examine your own lifestyle.

Meet Felix

He’s 35 years old, is employed in a full-time job, and enjoys being single in the city. He keeps fit and would definitely describe himself as a sociable guy. In his free time, he likes playing football but often gets together with his friends as well to try out new recipes in the kitchen. Being environmentally responsible is important to Felix, but he’s also grown accustomed to a certain lifestyle that he simply takes for granted.

location: kitchen

Felix begins a completely normal working day with a good breakfast and a cup of strong coffee. He makes his coffee with a capsule, a filter coffee machine, or fully automatic appliance depending on how he feels and, above all, how much time he has. But he’s never thought about how much CO2 his morning pick-me-up produces.

location: on the road

After breakfast, Felix heads to work, which is six kilometers away. He takes his bike in the summer or if he’s feeling especially motivated. When it’s cold or raining, he drives or, if his car’s in the shop – which is often the case – he opts for the bus.

location: supermarket

After work, Felix stops at the supermarket to buy a few drinks for a dinner party he’s hosting on the weekend. He wants to offer his friends a good selection of alcoholic and nonalcoholic options and comes across beverages in a wide range of packaging. They range from disposable or returnable glass bottles, through PET bottles, to cans and beverage cartons – so Felix is spoiled for choice. 

location: supermarket

Besides the drinks, Felix also wants to buy some fruit to add to his muesli at breakfast tomorrow. He especially likes apples, so he tries to decide between a locally grown apple or a cheaper option from overseas. This decision has a different impact on his personal carbon footprint depending on the time of year. 

location: supermarket

Just before he reaches the checkout, the half-off shelf catches Felix’s eye. He picks up a piece of cheese, some yogurt, and bread from the previous day – they’ll be perfect as an evening snack.

location: couch

After dinner, Felix sits at home on the couch, browsing through travel brochures and thinking about where he’d like to go this summer. Should he take a city break in Barcelona, stay in Austria and enjoy a lakeside vacation – or maybe try a cruise in northern Europe? 

location: bed

After a cozy evening in front of the TV, Felix yawns as he makes his way to bed. From the couch, he switches the TV to standby with a press of a button.

Felix' résumé

Saving CO2 is possible

Felix chalked up a large amount of CO2 during his day – even though he sometimes made a point of choosing the climate friendly option. But there’s also a great deal of potential for him to improve his carbon footprint without restricting himself too much. That’s why Felix wants to be better informed in the future – although he knows that various calculations come into play when evaluating CO2 emissions and that the results depend on a wide range of different factors. But looking at his everyday life has made it clear how much daily decisions impact our personal carbon footprints. And that making a change sometimes isn’t all that difficult. If you’re interested in calculating your personal footprint, you can do so at:
www.footprint.wwf.org.uk

Did you know...?

 

... taken together, all packaging materials used in domestic and professional settings make up around 1.7 percent of a consumer’s average carbon footprint in Europe? Plastic packaging accounts for around 0.6 percent of this. 

... emitted volumes of greenhouse gases would increase by a factor of 2.7 or 61 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents every year if plastic packaging were to be replaced by other materials such as glass or cardboard? 

... plastic packaging keeps food fresh for longer? The use of packaging means that just 3 percent of food in Europe spoils between the production and transportation stages, while the rate is up to 40 percent in developing countries that don’t use similar packaging.

Source:
1 https://nzz.ch
2 https://www.handelsblatt.com
3 https://www.umweltbundesamt.at
4 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/
5 https://www.umweltbundesamt.de
6 https://www.umweltberatung.at/
7 Studie Früchte und Gemüse Ökobilanz (ETH Zürich 2016)
8 https://www.muttererde.at/
9 denkstatt: Die Auswirkungen von Kunststoffverpackungen auf Energieverbrauch und Treibhausgasemissionen in Europa (Juli, 2011)
10 denkstatt: Die Auswirkungen von Kunststoffverpackungen auf Energieverbrauch und Treibhausgasemissionen in Europa (Juli, 2011)
11 http://esu-services.ch/
12 https://www.swr.de/
13 http://www.nabu.de
14 http://www.wwf.at/

Related articles