carbon footprint

American  

noun

• carbon footprints
  plural

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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• carbon footprints
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of carbon footprint

First recorded in 1995–2000

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

carbon footprint

Orbital envisioned carbon-capture systems sitting inside data centers, helping tech companies reduce their carbon footprint.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Artificial intelligence has become a lightning rod in climate debates over concerns about the growing carbon footprint of the data centres powering the technology.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

This type of aquaculture also has a low carbon footprint and the shells function as a form of carbon capture, according to a 2020 paper by the scientific journal Nature Food.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Ineos says that its plants in Humberside are "among the most efficient in the world", producing materials with half the carbon footprint of US rivals, and only one eighth the footprint of Chinese equivalents.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Much of this is a reaction to efforts by progressives that encourage people to shrink their carbon footprint and waste less of the earth’s resources.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---