Your own carbon footprint

28 May 2026

The carbon footprint has become increasingly important in recent years due to the growing significance of sustainability and climate protection. It can be applied to virtually all areas (e.g. products or processes), but also to individuals themselves.

The aim is to calculate your own carbon footprint to get a rough idea of your own CO2 emissions. With the help of this assessment, the next step is to reduce your own CO2 emissions, for example by switching to energy-efficient appliances, using renewable energy, or making greater use of public transport or cycling. Together, we can thus get closer to the climate target of less than one tonne of CO2e per capita.

Graphic (in German) showing the average CO₂ footprint per capita in Germany, broken down by key categories: housing, electricity, mobility, food, other consumption, and public infrastructure.

The website of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) features an excellent CO2 calculator that allows you to determine your own carbon footprint in just a few steps. Divided into the categories of housing, electricity, transport, food and other consumption, you can map out your own consumption and usage patterns and convert them into corresponding CO2 emissions.

Calculate your CO2 – Footprint

And what does your carbon footprint look like?

Original source of this webpost: https://www.hochschule-ruhr-west.de/die-hrw/hrw-profil/nachhaltigkeit/infos/co2-fussabdruck