The Carbon Footprint of Everything

by Mike Berners-Lee

The Carbon Footprint of Everything breaks items down by the amount of carbon they produce, creating a calorie guide for the carbon-conscious. With engaging writing, leading carbon expert Mike Berners-Lee shares new carbon calculations based on recent research. He considers the impact of the pandemic on the carbon battle--especially the embattled global supply chain--and adds items we didn't consider a decade ago, like bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Supported by solid research, cross-referenced with other expert sources, illustrated with easy-to-follow charts and graphs, and written with Berners-Lee's trademark sense of humor, The Carbon Footprint of Everything should be on everyone's bookshelf.

The Carbon Footprint of Everything is an extensively revised and updated edition of How Bad Are Bananas.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Sustainability, Environment, Climate Change, Audiobook, Reference

312 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 2022

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and moderately useful read. One thing struck me as odd though, why does he calculate the carbon footprint of mortgage companies? He discusses the overhead of the corporate environment, but where does it end? If I buy an electric bike, do I need to first determine what the carbon footprint of the bike retailer and manufacturer are (and that of the entire supply chain?)

It seems a bit naïve in the tradeoffs or alternate affects of carbon use. For instance, though countries like Zambia use less carbon, citizens of Zambia (surely) discover fewer methods of reducing carbon and contribute less to the academic field of carbon reduction. Although riding a bike reduces carbon output immediately, it contributes to more injuries and deaths, thus creating more carbon footprint in hospitals than similar car accidents would.

Also, the author seems blind to the socioeconomics of carbon decisions. Yes, it would be great to have my own local greenhouse, eat local foods, have energy-efficient bulbs and solar panels, and drive a Tesla. The economic reality is that many Americans do not have the disposable income to invest in these carbon-friendly alternatives. Meat is subsidized and thus more accessible. Gasoline-fueled gasolines are easier to obtain and maintain, as charging stations are not as ubiquitous as gas stations (yet). Installation of solar panels is prohibitively expensive for many. For low-income Americans who may need to make trips to other states, perhaps they cannot afford to drive across the country and the opportunity cost of missing a week's worth of work (and risk losing their employment), all to save on the carbon footprint of air travel.

I think it is ultimately misleading to ask Americans to focus on menial tasks like removing plastic wrap from newspapers as a way to save the planet. People should do that, but that won't meaningfully alter the current course of climate change and is a gross exaggeration to suggest that it will. The planet needs to be saved through improved engagement in democracy and the election of leaders who will incentivize corporations to conserve the environment and tax those who do not.

[Natasha Salmi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is counterproductive, but does offer an interesting picture of how deep or carbon problem runs, thus two stars.

This book completely ignores that what will make real lasting change in the energy transition is government regulations that give way to investment in low carbon solutions and encouragement of people to make better choices. Most people, especially at a global scale, do not care or do not have the privilege to care about the carbon impact of their daily choices. People make decisions primarily off of convenience, economics, and to fit in. If the low carbon option is cheaper and more convenient, such as taking an electric train powered by wind to work versus driving, then that is far more effective than telling people to take an inconvenient one hour train than a 20 minute drive just because it’s lower carbon.

This book shames, not inspires. I felt shamed for using my computer and buying a block of cheese every couple of weeks (I’m a vegetarian I’m not even that bad!) instead of moved to lobby my local government to invest in better trains or to put higher taxes on meat products. The audience of this book could be broad and help people understand how the climate crisis can be fought, but instead it’s written for a privileged narrow audience of people who happen to care a lot.

That being said, it was well researched and some of the points surprised me. I didn’t feel like I learned too much because I already work in the sustainability space, but taken as a whole illustrate what the worst offenders are in an interesting way. It was neat to see how food and transportation was woven throughout, from low to high carbon.

[Kimik Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

phenomenal. I want to send a copy of this book to so many people.
This has got me thinking a lot more about the emissions created by IT and communication networks, something that a lot of people, self included don't really think about. More people of course became aware when cryptocurrency became hot 5 years ago, and now we are experiencing the AI revolution/disillusionment and the shear stupid levels of CO2 emissions that it must be causing. This book was published in 2022 before AI became the hot new tech, so that has to now be factored into the general data processing and everything else (genAI images/movies, office and email use, hallucinatory nonsense generation, analytical research functionality, and so on). I don't envy the person who calculates the massive blob of CO2 emissions AI will add to literally everything we try to do in our every day obscenely-connected world.

This response was NOT AI generated.

[Night · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livre aussi intéressant qu'utile, une des meilleures lectures de cette année. Je pense que j'en ferai une review prochainement !

[Colleen]

This should be required reading for everyone, especially those that don’t think climate change exists or doesn’t require action on an individual level

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Carbon Footprint of Everything

This is a very good book in many ways, and Berners-Lee’s effort is highly commendable. But, it’s not a five-star, which I’ll say why at the end.

Note one: Berners-Lee uses the 100-year framework for the CO2 equivalent of methane, etc.
Note two: It’s not just methane in addition to CO2. Berners-Lee notes nitrous oxide makes up 7 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the US. Methane, at 10 percent, is not THAT much more. CO2 itself is 80 percent and certain Freon-type refrigerants are the remaining 3 percent.

Big spoiler alert, as I was taking notes for myself for the future about what’s what on various specific footprints.

1. The carbon cost of the Chinese grid is still much higher per kilowatt hour, Berners-Lee’s energy production unit, than the US. That means that they’re not way ahead of us on renewables and that their fossil fuel plants are both more coal-driven and less efficient. The Aussie grid is even worse. I think their fossil fuel plants are almost certainly coal-only. No big rivers nixes hydropower, but, given the continent’s location, they’re criminally behind the curve on solar.
2. Paper is a lot worse than carbon on plastic bags. That’s increased by its landfill decomposition carbon.
3. Dishwasher is better than high-heat hot water hand washing, a lot better, and even somewhat better than luke-hot handwashing IF you use the economy cycle on a full dishwasher. BL also cites health risk of not handwashing in hot water, but ignores the possibility of adding bleach to cooler water.
4. One egg, uncooked, equals three bananas. Nitrous oxide related to growing chicken feed is the big deal
5. Hard cheeses are more carbon intense than soft ones. Ounce for ounce, Cheddar is twice as bad as cottage cheese.
6. Rice is much more intensive than wheat and similar because of methane from the paddies; drier-farmed rice may have other tradeoffs.
7. Commercial sheep, like beef, is feedlot-finished and is even worse than beef.
8. Related? I’d once read that it might actually take more feed to put a pound of weight on a hog than a goat or maybe a sheep, but their carbon footprint is a lot less. Also, it definitely takes less feed to put a pound of weight on a fish than a chicken because of water’s buoyancy, but the carbon footprint is as bad on fish as on poultry, and both farm and wild fish have other environmental issues.
9. One-third of gasoline’s footprint comes from the drilling, refining and delivery. And, biofuels are only good if actually made from waste material.
10. Health care may be up to 8 percent of US carbon emissions.
11. Steel is 8 percent of global emissions and little is recycled. Fully recycled steel is 1/6 the carbon cost. Also, using hydrogen instead of coke reduces carbon. (I’d never heard of hydrogen-furnace steel before.)
12. Wasteful use of nitrogen fertilizer is big, and China uses nearly 25 percent of it, but is getting better.
13. In the US, home rooftop solar becomes carbon negative in 2 years.
14. New cars? It’s more than weight and size. In general, the fancier they are, on gadgets, that is more carbon cost, too. BL says there’s a pretty linear relationship between price and carbon footprint.
15. The average American has a footprint of 21 tons per year, but with big variation. I’m guessing I’m near the average Briton’s 13 tons; the average Chinese is 9 tons.
16. Even small wind turbines pay back carbon manufacture costs within a year. Big ones, within 4 months or so. (That obviously kills a myth, setting aside recycling costs of old blades.)

OK, that takes us up to the “millions of tons.” BL here first tackles the chestnut of denialists: “But volcanoes.” One volcano of course massively exceeds any single human activity on carbon footprint, but not an annual entire sphere of human activity. For instance, the most recent World Cup by itself (2018 used, not 2022) did half as much carbon as the 2014 eruption of Iceland’s Holuhran. From there, it’s a look at things like cryptocurrencies, cloud-based storage, etc., then finally, national economies. Here, BL talks about economies not just overall, but carbon footprint per dollar of GNP. And, the US isn’t great (behind Western Europe but even with coal-heavy Australia), but well well ahead of Russia, and also pretty well, well, ahead of China. Sorry, more credulous precincts of the left, but them’s the facts.

BL finishes with “negative emissions,” ie, offsets, biochar, carbon capture, etc., then a “what can we (each individually) do” epilogue.

So, how does BL and his book fall short?

First, on foods, I would have liked more info on “impossible” veggie substitutes for hamburgers, etc. (The Impossible Burger has other issues, like sodium, saturated fat and its own environmental destructiveness.)

Related? I think he needs more skepticism about lab meat, on its economic viability as well as its carbon footprint. Almost certainly, it IS NOT "just around the corner."

Second, would have liked more detailed breakouts of shipping costs, not just their information as part of shipping cherries from Chile to the US or whatever. Just what is the carbon footprint per nautical mile of a large container ship, loaded up, for example?

Third? Military. BL only has some vague, general discussion. But, what is the carbon footprint of an F-35, production plus possible average battlefield use? An Abrams or Leopard tank?

Fourth? Since many more people globally use PCs than Macs, and probably Android smartphones are ahead of iPhones now, why aren’t they discussed? Even if their carbon footprint is no different, that should be noted.

[Na · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hated this book and loved it at the same time. It is oftentimes exhausting as there is so much work to do, but exposing it is one of the first steps. Mike Berners-Lee kept me reading every page (I admittingly thought I would be bored by this one). This is a must have in any library of someone who needs a quick reference for the importance of changing one's Carbon footprint. Furthermore, Berners-Lee also gave steps on changing one's Carbon footprint.

[Mark Moxley-Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A handy book with info on all the things you wonder about carbon footprints. Easily searchable, and you can just skim and get the main info, or dig into why each item/activity has such an impact. A paperback update of an older book, well written and edited. Not dry, and not just academic- you can use it to make decisions about your lifestyle.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as someone who has been trying to be conscious of being environmentally friendly. If you are in the U.S. it is geared towards the UK however the author referenced the U.S. and other countries pretty well. It definitely has helped me understand more than turning off your lights or using less plastic.

[Sally Mander · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars, Eye Opener

THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF EVERYTHING
by Mike Berners-Lee

This is a book that should be included in the curriculum for all high school students and every US adult. The author breaks down the carbon footprint of everything, so you know just how much of a footprint you are leaving and how much everyone else is leaving as well.

A typical American family has very little of a carbon footprint compared to the jet-setters that are flying all over in their private jets. Imagine if the carbon footprint of everyone was public knowledge.

An electric car has a huge footprint since all components have to be mined and manufactured for use. All of the cell phones and computers are only used for a year or two and then discarded because everyone has to have the most advanced product available to stay on top of things.

Why can't items be created to last? Why have we become a disposable society? I myself prefer to purchase a quality, affordable product that lasts for several years, if not, for my entire lifetime. Why can't we have that?

Highly recommend it as an eye opener for consumers and activists alike. Saving the planet isn't about recycling, it's about not being a disposable society.

#thecarbonfootprintofeverything #mikebernerslee #upcycling #carbonfootprint #nonfiction #requiredreading #favoritebooks #greystonebooks #savetheplanet

[Matthew LaPine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, which is a rewrite/update of How Bad Are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything, asks us to contemplate and understand the total environmental impact of things we do and choices we make each day. This is good.

Over the course of the book, there are some large and obvious themes that emerge. Ride public transportation, eschew meat and dairy, avoid air travel, if you must drive, get an electric car, and so on. As the book goes on, the author gets increasingly preachy about what you, the reader, must do.

I would love to have an electric car. But the charging infrastructure where I live is pathetic. I am not inclined to be vegan, nor are most of the people I know. And with COVID in the rear-view mirror, people are traveling like never before. So how this vision of reducing carbon footprint is to be realized is left unsolved.

Still , a worthwhile read, if for no other reason than to get you thinking.

[Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely helpful and sobering analysis of carbon footprints. Breaking a global problem into personal portions allows us readers to avoid feeling overwhelmed and instead empowered to make a difference. The data gathered and presented helps to link specific changes in behavior to the impact on climate change. The chapter “What can we do?” offers a straightforward and effective process to review one’s current state of impact and then offers specific suggestions to lessening that footprint. Easy to understand and practical to implement. The guidebook for saving the planet!

[Flaviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

While it might sound like a self-torture to go through 300 pages of tables and talk of how every single thing in your life is causing a bit or a lot of harm to the environment, it's nevertheless a useful exercise.

You won't remember the stats, you'll scoff at the small stuff and you'll be bored by some in-depth dives, but it will give you a huge perspective of what's needed from each of us. Eventually we'll all hit the hard facts in the book, might as well know what you're up against.

If change doesn't come top-down it must come bottom-up.

[Sree Gayathri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book gave a better understanding of carbon footprint everyday essentials with some surprises. The take away for me is if we measure sustainability from a carbon footprint point of view, the decision may be one sided. Like for example plastic bag has less footprint compared to paper bag but plastic bags burden our planet in ways that paper bag will not. Similar argument is valid for polystyrene vs cotton clothes. Magnitude of footprint I am contributing as an individual is hard to accept but it’s definitely a good starting point to factor in my lifestyle decisions.

[Michael Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too preachy for my preference, and a little repetitive. Interesting and a nice reference to have. I appreciated the conciseness of each part and definitely learned a good bit throughout. I likely will pull this out as a reference a few times. Would recommend skimming this if you're interested personally in reducing your footprint.
Examples of surprises: it's better to keep your old car unless its absolutely terrible on gas than to get a new EV, it's better to eat chicken than to eat out of season tomatoes that are flown in from somewhere (meaning if you don't eat seasonally, being a vegan could actually be only slightly better than a normal diet), flying is really bad, it's almost always better to fix or extend the life of something than get something new.

[Susan Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book highlighted interesting data on choices we make in daily lives that can reduce our personal carbon footprint. However, as a way forward, the likelihood of personal reductions having the impact required seems unlikely to take hold in most homes. Investment in innovation and regulation has to move fast.

[Sobia A Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some items were eye opening, others were common sense. Liked how the author included a chapter at the end on how to reduce individual footprints. Full of research and end notes.

Bananas and all fruits are excellent low carbon footprint emitters. They only get high when we let them rot and throw out.

Looks like the author is based in the UK, so lots of the research was from there.

[K Zahner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this book. Not sure I would have finished if reading it, many numbers that were hard for me to remember since they often came before what was being described. It made me a bit stressed about the state of the world and my impact on it but at a good season of life for me.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was informative and entertaining. Berners-Lee does a good job of giving you the facts to make your own decisions. He doesn't make light of the topic, but it's not all doom and gloom. I learned a lot!

[Sasha Mircov · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have ever wondered what the carbon footprint of everyday items and activities is, look no further than Mike Berners-Lee's "The Carbon Footprint of Everything." It is as exhausting in detail as possible while remaining highly readable. It is also full of surprises.

[Caroline Carlisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super informative book, and a great conversation piece. This, or a more recent version, I’d consider a must-read. Full disclosure: I have fallen asleep mid-read a couple times during this book (that may be related to sleep deprivation too).

[Mayank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful and interesting read. The author seems to skew pessimistic and admittedly was only focused on carbon impacts and not broader impacts for some of his suggestions. Overall I thought it was eye opening a taught me a few easy changes to my lifestyle.

[Duncan Magidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this lying on the ground outside the gym and I'm so glad I picked it up. A readable, insightful guide that just gives you an honest sense of the actual carbon cost of everything you do. I was shocked at the impact of air freight.

[Megan Pannone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and somehow not depressing

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got to love the arcane among us who have a clear focus! Literally a compendium of the scientific calculation of carbon footprints of various objects and activities.

[Peter Lagerquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very solid read on the most important topic of our time. The author does a great job of explaining some pretty complicated issues. Recommended.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anquick read and thought provoking guide to the climate challenge facing us all.

[Bettina Riedle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as "There is no planet B", and I wish he had written more books. For those of us who care about our planet and the environment, it's a book you must read.

[Sadie Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for understanding carbon footprints and practical carbon reducing choices available to anyone

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't even think I can say I fully read this book. I skimmed it. I was fine but not really what I was expecting. Has very scientific data about carbon footprint.