A carbon footprint is "the total set of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person". For simplicity of reporting, it is often expressed in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide, or its equivalent of other GHGs, emitted.
An individual, nation, or organization's carbon footprint can be measured by undertaking a GHG emissions assessment. Once the size of a carbon footprint is known, a strategy can be devised to reduce it, e.g. by technological developments, better process and product management, changed Green Public or Private Procurement (GPP), Carbon capture, consumption strategies, and others. |
The Carbon Disclosure Project is an independent not-for-profit organization holding the largest database of primary corporate climate change information in the world. Thousands of organizations from across the world’s major economies measure and disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate change strategies through CDP. This year South Africa’s fourth CDP generated a response rate of74% (as compared with last year’s 68%), ranking the South African response as the joint fourth highest CDP response rate internationally. This suggests that, notwithstanding short-term concerns and the pressures associated with the economic downturn, climate change remains sufficiently high on the South African corporate agenda. |
