One way to measure sustainable development is the carbon footprint

Today’s economic development has led to a series of global crises of which one of the most alarming is the extensive deterioration of our environment. Our excessive energyand material­based lifestyle adversely affects our climate. In order to create the conditions of a more sustainable environment it is vital to be able to measure sustainability, i.e. turning the hard to measure into measurable parameters. Carbon footprint calculation is one such widely accepted and used measuring system. The carbon footprint is a measure of the impact of our anthropogenic activities on the environment, and in particular of climate change. It is a measurement of greenhouse gases and is expressed in units of tonnes (or kg) of carbon dioxide equivalent. The primary aim of this study is to measure the impact which the population has on the environment so that it can serve as the basis for future comparisons. This study will show the relationship between our energy­based lifestyle and our climate. In addition, it will discuss the external and internal mechanisms of climate change. It will talk about the indicators measuring sustainability and the process of carbon footprint calculation. Based on a Hungarian example, I will measure the impact that a single person’s consumption of different types of energy has on the environment. The study will compare the resulting figures with data concerning Hungary’s biologically active woodlands: can our woodlands neutralise the CO₂ emissions from the day­to­day activities of Hungary’s entire population?

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