Carbon meter

an activity for calculating the average carbon footprint of a group

Authors

  • María Victoria Román de Lara BC3 Basque centre for climate change
  • Arkaitz Usubiaga-Liaño BC3 Basque centre for climate change

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46661/rec.12254

Keywords:

carbon footprint, carbon footprint calculator, climate change, scientific dissemination, sustainable consumption

Abstract

This article describes an educational activity aimed at raising awareness among a wide audience (aged 10 and above) about the relationship between individual consumption decisions and climate change. The design of this activity is based on that developed by Ecologistas en Acción (2018) and offers participants a visual and accessible representation of the environmental impact of some of their consumption habits, encouraging informed reflection on the impact of individual decisions and the most effective options for reducing it. The added value of this proposal is that it allows for the involvement of a more diverse audience in terms of environmental awareness, education and age. Its versatility facilitates its adaptation and implementation in educational settings and outreach events for adults, generating a broader and more pluralistic collective experience of critical reflection on our lifestyles. This article details the methodology and data sources used to create the questionnaire on consumption habits on which the activity is based. It then shares the teaching resources developed and the lessons learned from the activity. Finally, it analyses the limitations and possible improvements to its design and application.

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Author Biographies

María Victoria Román de Lara, BC3 Basque centre for climate change

María Victoria Román es doctora en Economía por la Universidad del País Vasco y Licenciada en Administración y Dirección de Empresas por la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. Además, obtuvo un Máster en Análisis Económico Aplicado por la Universidad de Alcalá. Actualmente se desempeña como investigadora postdoctoral en el Centro Vasco de Cambio Climático (BC3). Las principales líneas de investigación en las que trabaja María Victoria son el análisis input-output, la modelización económica y las políticas de reducción de emisiones. Le interesan especialmente los enfoques económicos heterodoxos como la economía ecológica, el decrecimiento o el ecoanarquismo.

Arkaitz Usubiaga-Liaño, BC3 Basque centre for climate change

Arkaitz es Doctor en sostenibilidad ambiental por University College London (Reino Unido). Actualmente trabaja como investigador postdoctoral en el Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3). Su trabajo se centra en el cálculo de huella de carbono a través del análisis input-output y en el cálculo de indicadores compuestos de sostenibilidad ambiental.

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Revista de Economía Crítica número 39

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Published

2025-07-01

How to Cite

Román de Lara, María Victoria, and Arkaitz Usubiaga-Liaño. 2025. “Carbon Meter: An Activity for Calculating the Average Carbon Footprint of a Group”. Revista De Economía Crítica, no. 39 (July):105-21. https://doi.org/10.46661/rec.12254.

Issue

No. 39 (2025): First semester 2025 - Space and heterodox economics: an interdisciplinary dialogue on the geographies of capitalism

Section

Teaching in Economics

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Copyright (c) 2025 María Victoria Román de Lara, Arkaitz Usubiaga-Liaño

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