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.

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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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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

Between 1998 and 2022, Scotland's carbon footprint fell by 17.5%.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

The carbon footprint of a single LP was estimated to be roughly equal to the pollution a gas-powered vehicle emits over a three-mile trip.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

Ternus is credited with leading a drive to make Apple products more durable, reliable and resilient, as well as innovative designs that reduced their carbon footprint.

From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026

Many of the goods that were once produced and then used in Britain are now being made overseas and then imported here, and often that production is happening in countries with a higher carbon footprint.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 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