Abstract
Climate change, driven by unchecked greenhouse gas emissions, has become a pressing global concern. While large-scale anthropogenic activities are primary contributors, individual behaviours also play a significant role in carbon emissions. Carbon Footprint Calculators (CFCs) have emerged as tools to help individuals understand and mitigate their personal carbon footprints. This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of 24 publicly available CFCs, assessing their performance across five key dimensions: methodology, reference data, user inputs, output, and scientific standards. Each CFC has a score that indicates the level of performance, and our findings reveal significant variations in the performance of these CFCs. Notably, Carbon Independent, one of the CFCs, ranked the highest with an average score of 4.54, while the overall mean score for all calculators stood at 3.41, demonstrating its ability to more accurately and comprehensively assess human carbon footprint levels. A heatmap analysis further highlighted strengths and weaknesses across the evaluation dimensions. Additionally, using three hypothetical profiles (Average Household, Large Family, and Urban Single), we observed discrepancies in carbon footprint estimates among the CFCs (standard deviation equals 2.3 tons CO2 Emissions per capita), which means that the calculation design of the carbon footprint calculators is inconsistent. The Chuck Wright Calculator consistently produced the most conservative estimates across all three profiles, while the EPA CFC reported the highest emissions for the urban single profile. Our discussion underscores the potential of CFCs as tools for behavioral change, emphasizing their role in raising individual awareness and driving collective action. The study concludes with recommendations for enhancing the accuracy, transparency, and user-friendliness of CFCs, positioning them as pivotal instruments in the global fight against climate change.
Bo Hu 胡博
PhD Student
My research interests include environmental psychology and behavior intervention.