carbon footprint

American  

noun

1. the amount of carbon dioxide or other carbon compounds emitted into the atmosphere by the activities of an individual, company, country, etc..

   the carbon footprint of an overseas flight;

   how to measure your carbon footprint.

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carbon footprint British  

noun

1. a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by a single endeavour or by a company, household, or individual through day-to-day activities over a given period

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Etymology

Origin of carbon footprint

First recorded in 1995–2000

Example Sentences

"They're kind of the wicked stepmother of flowers... with the biggest carbon footprint, instead, look to try and buy some beautiful British flowers," she said.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

A new border tax will penalize imports based on their carbon footprint, but it isn’t clear how exactly that will work in this complicated supply chain, said Matthew Thoelke of Chemical Market Analytics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

One would hate to see the carbon footprint of these AI trials.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026

The new chip technology will help speed up laptops, reduce data centres' carbon footprint and allow self-driving cars to spot objects quicker, according to US computing giant IBM.

From Barron's • Dec. 31, 2025

Advocates for carbon capture say part of the reason it’s not making much of a dent in the nation’s carbon footprint is because there hasn’t been enough investment to make it financially viable.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 6, 2025