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The CO₂ emissions that make up our carbon footprints are measured in Tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. CO₂ is the most significant greenhouse gas, although other gases such as methane (CH₄) contribute, hence the total impact is measured in CO₂ equivalent to capture the full climate impact. Our net CO₂ emissions are our direct emissions from our actions and lifestyle choices minus any positive impact we directly create such as through offsetting (e.g. through tree planting which absorbs CO₂ from the atmosphere as trees grow).  Human produced CO₂ emissions are a prime cause of global warming and related climate changes, such as increases in extreme weather events; we already experience both of these and they are predicted to get worse over time causing huge impacts to human and natural systems. By reducing our CO₂ emissions we are helping to reduce the scale and impact of climate change, and therefore the chance that ourselves and others will be majorly impacted.

One Tonne of CO₂ emissions is roughly equivalent to:

• taking 2-3 return short haul flights
• 2 typical meat eaters going vegetarian for a year
• boiling 30,000 kettles
• the CO₂ stored when growing one large tree

Ten Tonnes of CO₂ emissions is a typical carbon footprint for a UK citizen and is roughly equivalent to:

• driving 30,000 miles in a typical petrol car
• taking 2 return long haul flights halfway around the world (e.g. UK to Australia)

Our ecological footprint is measured in global hectares, and represents the land area needed to support our lifestyle, including the extraction of raw materials, processing, growing of food etc. A hectare is a square of 100m x 100m, slightly larger than a football/soccer pitch. In many rich and densely populated countries such as the UK, the land required to support the population’s ecological footprint is significantly larger than the country’s land area. Also, much of the land area used to support our lifestyle has been degraded from the natural ecosystem that was there before, and accommodates much less nature. Hence the population depends on resources from the land and causes ecosystem degradation both in their homeland and elsewhere. As a result global human pressure on ecosystems, much of nature is in major decline around the world and many species are becoming extinct or at risk of extinction, with the rate of extinction many times higher than what has occurred before the rise of modern humans. As we ultimately depend on the nature and the natural world for our existence (e.g. trees producing the oxygen we breathe, insects pollinating the crops we grow, scavengers and decomposers remove much of our waste and keep water supplies clean), the degradation of ecosystems will negatively impact us in the long run. An extended period of continued human expansion, natural decline and species extinction could lead to a major ecosystem collapse, which is one of the significant long-term extinction risks for humanity. By reducing our ecological footprint we are reducing the human pressure on the natural world, allowing nature to flourish and support us; most importantly we are reducing the risk of widespread ongoing species extinctions and ecosystem collapse.

Our CO₂ emissions and our impact on land as represented by our ecological footprint are two critical measures for which humans are collectively exceeding Earth’s planetary boundaries. To maintain a healthy and prosperous planet for humans – our one and only planet – we need to reduce our impact and stay within these boundaries and others, whilst providing everyone with minimum social standards for a good life. For further details, see the Climate and ecological emergency page “linked crises” section.