Objectives

The objectives of conducting this carbon footprint analysis are:

1. To calculate the carbon footprint produced by certain individual.

2. To identify the category and its contribution to greenhouse gasses (GHG) emission.
3. To suggest any possible steps to be taken for reducing carbon emissions into the
environment.

Data & Result

Table 1: Summary Result of Carbon Footprint

Responser Home Food Purchases Transportation

Student 1 5751 2012 159 4321
Student 2 3279 630 160 890
Student 3 2564 1456 150 1912
Student 4 1684 1160 130 2408
Student 5 1325 5844 231 1098

Distribution of carbon footprint of all individual

7000

6000

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0
Home Food Purchases Transportation

Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Student 4 Student 5

Figure 1: Graph Carbon Footprint for each Element

Discussion
 The carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gasses released primarily by
human activity into the atmosphere. The carbon footprint may be a specific measure or be
attributed to the behavior of a person, a family, an event, an entity or even a nation as a
whole. This is typically measured as tons of CO 2 emitted per year, which can be augmented
by tons of CO2-equivalent gases, including methane, nitrous oxide and other greenhouse
gases. While adding one's individual carbon footprint may be challenging, online calculators
may do some research, providing a rough estimate of the carbon footprint based on the size
of the home, the capacity of the appliances, how much drive or ride, what to consume, and
how much to recycle. Research on carbon emissions has been concerned primarily with the
mechanism of carbon emissions, the relationship between carbon emissions and economic
growth, and between carbon emissions and energy consumption (Lim H. J., et al, 2009, Li
F., et al, 2011). The objectives of the report are to calculate the carbon footprint produced by
certain individual, to identify the category and its contribution to greenhouse gasses (GHG)
emission. Lastly, the objective is to suggest any possible steps to be taken for reducing
carbon emissions into the environment.

Based on the data obtained from student 2, the carbon footprint result indicates the
highest level of carbon footprint in the home or household category, where the amount of
energy consumed is 3279kgs, contributes to the higher overall footprint. All power
generation systems have a carbon footprint, that is, carbon dioxide (CO 2) is released at
some stage during their construction and service (Wilson, 2013). In this situation, student 2
shows that a lot of electrical devices are used at home, such as fans, lamps, air conditioners
that operate continuously without stopping. Old devices can be unreliable and continue to
produce much more pollutants than newer ones with minimum energy efficiency levels and
energy labels in place. Newer refrigerators, for example, appear to have much stronger
insulation and door seals, as well as more efficient engines and compressors, both of which
add up to make them much more effective. Electrical appliances, such as a refrigerator, air
conditioner, are still in standby mode, where all the electricity can be depleted even while on
standby. Removing these from the socket, using timer plugs or investing in smart plugs
would make a big difference.

This student also uses air conditioners, which also have a significant effect on
carbon footprint growth, as these devices can emit greenhouse gases, as these devices use
electric coils and electric pumps to move air. Such systems contain liquid refrigerant made
up of chlorofluorocarbons which are eventually converted as greenhouse gases. Second
higher category is transportation, since this student has his own vehicle, which is normally
used to shuttle from the hostel to college. The transport industry produces the biggest share
of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from transport come mainly from
the combustion of fossil fuels for our vehicles, trucks, ships, trains and aircraft. Over 90% of
the fuel used for transport is based on petroleum, which includes mainly gasoline and diesel
(Mackay, 2008).

Based on the results, the data shows that student 3 have the highest value of carbon
footprint in home section compared to the food, purchases and transportation. The home
section resulted in high value of carbon footprint which is 2564 kgs. This section which is
related to the household that produce carbon such as LPG, natural gas, propane and others.
Based on result obtained, student 3 use a lot of activities powered by electricity such as
phone charging, using laptop, watching television and air conditioning. Transportation
recorded as lower value of carbon footprint than home which is 1912 kgs. For the transport
section, student 3 use vehicles such as car to travel to a destination and also airplane as air
travel. Driving vehicle resulted in burns a certain amount of fuel and fossil fuels which are the
primary sources of greenhouses gases. Food section of carbon footprint recorded as 1456
kgs. The choice of diet such as how much calories per day are taken influence on a person’s
carbon footprint. Next is the purchases which recorded as the lowest value of carbon
footprint which is 150 kgs. Based on the data calculated, the total footprint of student 3 is
6081 kgs of CO2 per year, compared to an average of 3558 kgs for Malaysia and 3791 kg of
worldwide.

The total footprint for student 5 is 8,498 kgs of CO 2 per year, compared to an
average of 3,558 kgs for Malaysia, and 3,791 kg (= 8,358 lbs) worldwide. This student is
also predicted that footprint would be about the same as the average person in Malaysia and
the world. This was found to be a wrong prediction since carbon footprint of any person are
different with each other, depends on their behaviours, activity and lifestyle. Student 5
recorded its highest on food category. It is because this student is not a vegetarian and
consumed more animal products such as chicken, fish and egg. Student also did not involve
in recycling or composting the organic waste, thus methane being released by the
decomposing biodegradable waste in landfills.

Second highest category is home. This student’s home does not have any air
conditioner and heater for cold seasons. The only cooling method used is fans. However, the
rate of carbon being emitted is higher due to behaviours. Heating, cooling, purifying and
pressurizing the water by the consumer leads to additional energy use. Reducing the
amount of energy used in the pumping of water reduces our carbon emissions, which
contributes to greenhouse gases, and leads to climate change. Thus the more electricity
embedded in water, the higher the carbon impact. That is why the habit of running water
while brushing teeth, washing dish and excessive used of water will lead to a big number of
carbon footprint. Electricity is one of the common contribution to carbon emission.

Next is purchases category. This student did not practice recycle for the waste and
packaging of the purchases. Glass, paper, tin/aluminium and plastic if not being properly
managed, will give a big contribution to carbon emission. Once plastic is used, it often gets
burned to make electricity, which is yet another source of greenhouse gases. The last one is
transportation category. Student 5 usually used bus for long trip and also car. According to
this country (Malaysia) second biggest contribution of greenhouse gases emissions is
transportation. However, CO2 emissions from transport vary significantly depending on the
transport mode.

Carbon footprints can be reduced through improving energy efficiency, changing

lifestyles and purchasing habits. The options in reducing the carbon footprint of humans can
be done by using reusable items such as using plastic containers for water and other cold
beverages rather than disposable ones. Using less air conditioning and heating in the home
is also one of the options to reduce the carbon footprint. Besides that, a practice of driving
less such as walking, biking, carpooling, mass transportation and combining trips is an
option which resulted in burning less fuel and releasing fewer emissions into the
atmosphere. For the choice of diet, it is categorized as a major influence on a person’s
carbon footprint. Foods such as animal sources of protein especially red meat, rice which
typically produced in high methane-emitting paddies, and also processes and packaged
foods are among the major contributors to a high carbon diet. Thus, additional lifestyle
choices that can lower an individual’s carbon footprint include reducing the consumption of
meat and switching purchasing habits to products that require fewer carbon emissions to
produce and transport.

Appendix
Student 1
Student 2
Student 3

Student 4
Student 5

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Mackay, A. (2008). Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.

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