Younger people or their parents: Who has a bigger carbon footprint? Is someone noticing this change?

Ever wondered who in this world has a comparatively bigger footprint? Whose actions need to be limited so that we can control our emissions?

Emissions and Footprint understanding:

While becoming more and more aware on what and what not hurts the planet, we know at surety that Carbon-di-oxide and other green-house gases are to be blamed and their emissions are to be reduced urgently.

And hence, while natural CO2 barely works in a balanced cycle, anthropogenic CO2 puts the world and its inhabitants at one of the greatest risks of irreversible damage if it is emitted continuously in the atmosphere.

To understand and calculate an impact in this regard, emissions are measured in a unit called CO2equivalent.

The lower CO2e means that the impact caused by the activity undertaken is heavy on the environment. For example, emission from sending only a text message is 0.01g of CO2e, whereas a plane travel may generate 3.4 tonnes of CO2e.

While Carbon footprint is the sum of all emissions of CO2, produced by our activities at a given time. However, a carbon footprint gets calculated for a complete year.

Carbon footprints: A privilege enjoyed by Young or Old

If we are to believe International Energy Agency (IEA) about the world that will be able to achieve its goal of reducing net carbon emissions to zero by 2050, children born in this generation will emit 10 times lesser carbon in their lifetimes than their own grandparents.

This means that in such a case, the younger generation will have significantly lesser footprint. Consequently, it will become easier and relevant to stay on the path of maintaining 1.5 degree C worldly temperatures, through a transformation of the way energy gets produced, transported and consumed.

The IEA’s Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050 identifies several such requisites and scenarios, including adding the capacities to solar PV and wind power each year at least by 2030, increasing the energy efficiency in the world economy by 4% annually for this decade, while inducing electrification in sectors such as automobiles, construction etc.

But most of these pathways in future rely on technologies which are still in the nascent phases of Research and Development (R&D) today.

In one of the studies titled “Lifetime CO₂ footprint” conducted by IEA, an average CO₂ footprint was calculated depending on a person’s year of birth.

An individual born in the 1950s will continue to generate 350 tonnes of carbon emissions over their lifetime while those who have come to life in 2020s would emit 34 tonnes of CO₂ on an average, but in the net zero scenario.

Similarly, the Generation Z (those born in between 1997 and 2012), will give out 110 tonnes of carbon-di-oxide throughout their lives.

This means that an average baby boomer born between 1950 and 1964 will emit 10 times more of an individual from Generation Alpha (born today or beyond in time).

Widened emissions gap between generations: Developed v/s Developing

For centuries, the West or other alleged developed nations have enjoyed the privilege in almost all spheres, being the socio-economic powerhouses. And because of the increased industrial activity and inflated living standards, they have been emitting at large.

Consequently, if the world wants to achieve net zero by 2050, of course with everyone’s cooperation, these highly industrialized nations will have to make greater strides.

It has been found that the population residing in these countries will be needed to cover up much larger generational reductions than their counterparts in lesser developed nations i.e., with historically low per capita emissions.

Upon calculation, this gap in carbon footprints from previous to present and future generations will be 15 times in the developed countries, i.e., 5 times more than the developing ones.

Carbon footprints of an Indian individual born in the 1950s, throughout lifetime will be only 3.5 times greater than their descendants born in the 2020.

What ushers an easy emission reduction scenario?

Holistic systemic decarbonization steps are required to allow younger generations, which have everything at stake in their uncertain future, enjoy more flexibility in registering their impactful choices.

But all this cannot happen without the world leaders understanding the necessity of a compliant action including the policies or investments expanding the scope of clean energy starting right now.

This remains important because it will not only lower the carbon footprint of the responsible residents of Earth but also empower them to benefit from energy transition.