You’ve probably noticed that the term 'carbon footprint' is often used when discussing climate change. 

But what exactly does it mean? 

A carbon footprint measures greenhouse gas emissions - carbon dioxide and methane that trap heat in the atmosphere, resulting in global warming. It is the sum of these greenhouse gases (GHGs) released directly or indirectly by our actions (usually in tonnes per year).

You can calculate the carbon footprint of individuals, families, companies, events, products and even countries. 

It is vital to keep carbon emissions under control to ensure a sustainable future. In this article, we will explore some factors that contribute to your carbon footprint and steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint.

Your carbon footprint is measured by your lifestyle and regular activities that result in greenhouse gas emissions. Some of the most common examples of these lifestyle factors and activities include:

• Transport use and travel habits
  
• Electricity use
• Dietary choices
  
• Purchasing habits like product and service consumption
• General waste 

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• Sustainable Tourism

Calculate Your Carbon Footprint Using Digit’s Carbon Footprint Calculator

The Digit App provides you with an easy and reliable Carbon Footprint Calculator, where you can measure and check your carbon footprint. Through our Carbon Footprint Calculator, we analyse the data using three simple parameters:

• What type of house do you live in?
• What is the annual distance you travel?
• What type of diet do you follow?

After you've entered all your information, you can view your carbon footprint. You can also see your offset footprint (ie; the number of trees it takes to offset your annual footprint) and tips on how to decrease your carbon footprint.

Reducing your carbon footprint is important because: 

• It mitigates the effects of global climate change
  
• Improves public health
  
• Boosts the global economy,
  
• and maintains biodiversity. 

When we cut carbon emissions, we help ensure a cleaner environment for our generation and for generations yet to come. 

In today's day and age, it is nearly impossible to eradicate one's carbon footprint. Everything you do leaves some amount of emission behind. Yet, we believe that every drop of water makes a mighty ocean. 

So, here are 10 easy steps to reduce your carbon footprint: 

On a large scale, there are six major factors drive CO2 emissions. They are:

• Economic Growth
• Industrialization
• Urbanization
• Technology Progress
• Foreign Direct Investment
• Energy Consumption

On an individualistic scale, factors that contribute to carbon emissions include:

• Food: From growth and production to consumption, carbon is emitted when food is consumed. Red meat has the highest amount of carbon emissions.
• Transportation: Transportation significantly contributes to carbon footprint because driving cars is polluting. Even the manufacturing and functioning of vehicles require the burning of fossil fuels, which are globally the biggest contributors to carbon emissions in the atmosphere.
• Household Energy: Household energy includes everything from lighting and water usage to insulation. Energy conservation plays a crucial role in reducing carbon footprint. Efficient energy usage means less energy needs to be generated, reducing the burning of fossil fuels and consequent carbon emissions.
• Consumption: Consumption, which includes clothes, shoes and personal and household goods, contributes significantly to an individual's carbon footprint due to the emissions involved in their manufacture and transportation.
• General Waste Production: Waste accumulates in landfills which takes years, if not decades, to decompose. These landfills produce intoxicating levels of CO2, methane and other harmful gases. Waste combustion, incineration and transportation also emit high amounts of CO2.
• Electronics and Technology: Gadgets like your laptop, phone, LCDs, etc., require electricity to charge which comes through the burning of fossil fuels. Apart from that, activities like scrolling newsfeeds, browsing the internet, and streaming videos contribute to digital carbon footprints.

Businesses and individual citizens alike must make a commitment to a more sustainable future considering climate change. It is important to act as a sustainability leader and set an example for others to follow.

In the end, reducing your carbon footprint is a smart move for the environment and for you. You can save money in the long run and contribute to protecting our world for future generations by limiting your energy use and waste.