Individual carbon footprint. How much does it really matter?

In a world grappling with the urgent need to combat the climate crisis, the concept of the individual carbon footprint has gained significant attention. We are constantly bombarded with messages about reducing our personal carbon emissions, from driving electric cars to cutting back on meat consumption. How much does our individual carbon footprint matter in the grand scheme of things?

The idea of measuring individual carbon footprints is to hold each person accountable for their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. It aims to encourage individuals to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle and make environmentally conscious choices. However, the majority of global greenhouse gas emissions are not produced by individuals, but rather by industries and large-scale commercial activities. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), approximately 70 % of carbon dioxide emissions come from just 100 companies worldwide. This staggering statistic shows that individual efforts alone cannot solve the climate crisis. Our personal choices have an impact, albeit on a smaller scale. When individuals collectively adopt sustainable practices, it can create a ripple effect that affects larger entities and prompts policy changes (Martin  Horný and Kateřina Matějovcová, more at cz.boell.org)