Document represents methodological guidelines for calculating the carbon footprint of industrial batteries (CFB-IND)Its aim is to provide a basis for enforcing the requirements set out in Article 7. (more…)

Although specific figures have not yet been released, based on previous world exhibitions, it can be expected that the total carbon footprint of EXPO 2025 will range from hundreds of thousands to several million tons of CO₂ equivalent. For example, EXPO 2020 in Dubai had an estimated carbon footprint of approximately 1.5 million tons of CO₂.​

Approaches to reducing carbon footprint

The organizers of EXPO 2025 in Osaka are planning several measures to minimize environmental impact:​

• Carbon-neutral pavilions: Many countries, including the Czech Republic, have committed to the carbon neutrality of their pavilions.

• Sustainable building materials: Use of recyclable and environmentally friendly materials in the construction of pavilions.​

• Energy efficiency: Emphasis on the use of renewable energy sources and energy-saving technologies.​

• Virtual connection: Possibility of a virtual visit to the exhibition through AR and VR technologies, reducing the need for travel and the associated emissions. ​

These measures are part of EXPO 2025's broader effort to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and support the transition to a "super smart society" (Society 5.0).

EXPO 2025 Osaka – carbon footprint estimate

Basic data:

• Location: Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka

• Date: April 13 – October 13, 2025 (6 months)

• Expected number of visitors: ~28 million

• Area of the premises: ~155 hectares (1.55 km²)

• Topic: "Designing Future Society for Our Lives"

• Goal: the most sustainable EXPO possible, with carbon-neutral pavilions

1. Visitor transportation

Let's assume that 80 % visitors arrives by plane:

• 22.4 million people × 1.5 t CO₂e/year (average) = ~33.6 million tons of CO₂e

→ This figure makes up the largest part of the carbon footprint and will vary significantly depending on the origin of visitors and the proportion of virtual participation.

2. Construction and infrastructure

• Pavilions, transport networks, energy, etc.

• Estimated built-up area: ~1.5 million m²

• Emissions from construction: 750 – 1,500 kg CO₂e/m²

→ ~1 – 2 million tons of CO₂e

3. Operation during the exhibition (6 months)

• Energy, water, air conditioning, waste

• Use of renewable resources only partially assumed

→ Estimate: 100,000 – 250,000 tons of CO₂e

4. Pavilions and technologies

• Average: 150-200 countries

• Estimate for 150 pavilions (10,000 – 20,000 tons CO₂e/pavilion) → ~2 – 3 million tons of CO₂e

(Reduced thanks to carbon-neutral pavilions – e.g. Czech Republic, Japan, Austria…)

Total estimated carbon footprint of EXPO 2025 Osaka:

What does it look like in context?

• EXPO 2025 Osaka will probably have the highest carbon footprint in EXPO history, mainly due to air transport.

• However, if a high proportion is achieved virtual participation, more efficient construction technologies, compensation a renewable resources, can be significantly reduced.

The approximate calculation of the average daily carbon footprint of a Slovak resident (approximately 16.4 kg CO₂/day) is standardly divided into different categories. These figures are only average indicative values, based on various studies on environmental footprints, energy consumption, and transport in Slovakia.

1. Housing and household energy (heating, electricity, hot water)

• Annual carbon footprint : approximately 2 – 2.5 t CO₂/person
• Daily : 2500 kg / 365 ≈ 6.8 kg CO₂/person/day

Expressed items:

2. Transport (commuting and other mobility)

• Annual carbon footprint : approximately 1.5 – 2 t CO₂/person
• Daily : (average 1750 kg / year) / 365 ≈ 4.8 kg CO₂/person/day

Expressed items:

( these numbers depend greatly on individual circumstances )

3. Food and dining

• Annual carbon footprint : approximately 1.5 – 2 t CO₂/person
• Daily : (1800 kg per year) / 365 ≈ 4.9 kg CO₂/person/day

Expressed items:

(A vegan or vegetarian diet can radically reduce this value by up to half or more.)

4. Consumption, goods and services

• Annual carbon footprint : approximately 0.5 – 1 t CO₂/person
• Daily: (on average about 750 kg per year) / 365 ≈ 2 kg CO₂/person/day

Expressed items:

(This value depends largely on individual behavior. Reducing consumption and purchasing eco-friendly alternatives can dramatically reduce this footprint.)

5. Waste (waste treatment, recycling)

• Approximately annually : 0.1 – 0.2 t CO₂
• Daily: (150 kg / year) / 365 ≈ 0.4 kg CO₂/person/day

Expressed items:

Summary overview (average daily carbon footprint of an adult Slovak):

( This refinement gave, among other things, a slightly higher result – approximately 18.9 kg/day – the range of individual factors depends on important sources and methodologies; therefore, the value is always indicative. )

The average carbon footprint of Slovaks is approximately in the range 16 to 19 kg CO₂ per day The calculation depends on individual lifestyle and regional taxes.

This data serves primarily to make you aware of which areas of life have the greatest impact on the environment and where there is room for change and reduction of footprints. Spring

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Sustainable packaging has become a buzzword in recent years, championed by brands and consumers alike as a way to reduce environmental damage. Moving away from paper-based materials and towards biodegradable alternatives seems like a step in the right direction.

But beneath the surface lies a more complex reality. While these alternatives may seem green at first glance, they have their own environmental consequences.

The push for sustainability, if not carefully considered, can lead to unforeseen drawbacks that ultimately undermine its purpose.

The hidden carbon footprint of paper packaging

One of the most popular alternatives to plastic is paper packaging. The logic seems to be right – paper is biodegradable, recyclable and comes from renewable resources.

However, the environmental costs of paper production are often overlooked. Compared to plastic, paper packaging requires significantly more energy and water to produce.

A 2020 study published in Journal of Cleaner Production highlighted that paper bags require at least four times more energy to produce than plastic bags, with the added problem of increased greenhouse gas emissions during production. (Oumar Fofana, iniac on packaging-gateway.com)

Document Football's growing carbon footprint deals with significant and growing problem of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by professional football. The authors emphasize that if they are not adopted (more…)

Product carbon footprint measures the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with a product's life cycle. This includes emissions from every stage of its journey – from raw material extraction and production to transportation, use (more…)

Food production accounts for more than a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. For food companies, carbon emissions are no longer an invisible byproduct of business. Instead, a food company’s carbon footprint is a growing responsibility. Pressure from investors, customers, regulators, and the public has created a strong business case for measuring and reducing your greenhouse gas emissions. (More on carboncloud.com)

In a time of growing awareness of climate change, more and more individuals are interested in how they can contribute to reducing their carbon footprint. Achieving carbon neutrality is possible through a combination of reducing your own emissions and offsetting those that cannot be completely eliminated. The following guide will provide you with specific steps and values that you can apply in Slovakia to get closer to this goal.

1. Measure your carbon footprint

The first step to achieving carbon neutrality is to figure out how much CO₂ (and other greenhouse gases) you generate. You can use online calculators to do this, which take into account your activities in transportation, energy consumption, diet and more.

2. Reduce your emissions

Energy efficiency at home

Invest in insulation, replacing old windows, energy-efficient appliances, and LED lighting. These measures can significantly reduce your energy consumption and thus emissions.

Renewable energy sources

If possible, switch to a green energy supplier or install solar panels. Renewable energy sources are a key element for a sustainable future.

transportation

Minimize your car use – use public transport, cycle or walk instead. Alternatively, consider an electric car, which has lower emissions compared to traditional vehicles.

Eating habits

Reduce your meat consumption, especially beef and lamb, and focus on a more plant-based diet. Also minimize food waste, which helps reduce your overall carbon footprint.

3. Offset remaining emissions

Credit systems

Invest in tree planting projects or renewable energy projects that are certified with carbon offsets. These projects help offset the emissions you cannot eliminate.

Support for local initiatives

Get involved in community projects that reduce your carbon footprint, such as tree planting or local energy projects. This not only contributes to your own carbon neutrality, but also to the collective effort.

4. Sustainable lifestyle

Reducing consumption

Think about your purchases, prefer sustainable and local products. Reducing consumption contributes to less waste and lower emissions.

Recycling and waste minimization

Sort your waste, buy products with less packaging and encourage recycling. Minimizing waste is an important step towards a sustainable lifestyle.

5. Education and engagement

Education

Stay up-to-date on climate action and support discussions on sustainable development. Awareness is key to effective action.

Advocacy

Support public policies and initiatives that support the transition to a sustainable economy and energy efficiency. Your engagement can influence broader social and political change.

Specific values for an individual in Slovakia

For an individual in Slovakia, it is recommended to aim to reduce their annual carbon footprint to around 2 tons of CO₂e annually. For better understanding:

– Average carbon footprint of the population of Slovakia is approximately 5.66 to 8 tons of CO₂e annually, with some sources citing a value of around 6.5 tons of CO₂e per person (data from climate and Eurostat).

To achieve carbon neutrality, your goal should be:

– Emission reduction approximately 70–80 % – from the original 6.5 tons to approximately 1.2 to 2 tons of CO₂e per year.

Specific steps:

– Transportation: If a car contributes about 1.5 to 2 tons of CO₂e,  switching to public transport, cycling or shared rides can reduce this value by 50 % (i.e. save approximately 0.75 to 1 tonne CO₂e).

– Housing: Energy efficiency (insulation, LED lighting, switching to renewable energy) can reduce emissions from household appliances by 0.5 to 1 ton CO₂e annually.

– Diet: Reducing meat consumption, especially beef, and increasing the proportion of plant-based diets can reduce the carbon footprint by 0.5 to 1 ton CO₂e annually.

– Consumption and lifestyle: Small changes in purchases and reducing waste (recycling, waste reduction) can contribute further 0.2 to 0.5 tons of CO₂e annually.

By combining these measures, you could reduce your carbon footprint from the average 6.5 tons for approximately 1.2 to 2 tons of CO₂e per year, which is close to carbon neutrality (as part of compensation, for example by planting trees or investing in carbon offsets).

Achieving carbon neutrality is a realistic goal that you can achieve through a combination of reducing your emissions and offsetting those that cannot be eliminated. By implementing concrete steps and values, you contribute not only to your personal goal, but also to the broader effort to mitigate climate change.

Spring

This one analysis It estimates the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions targets that manufacturers will face in 2025 and compares them to the performance of their fleet in 2023 if it remained unchanged until 2025. (more…)

Football is more than just a sport. For fans of the beautiful game, it is almost a religion, they follow matches with devotion and follow their team's every move with avidity. FIFA says that about five billion people worldwide consider themselves football fans. The 2022 World Cup final in Qatar was watched by 1.5 billion viewers and 220 million fans attend matches annually. Football, which is talked about in every corner of the world as an industry, is worth 35.3 billion euros in Europe alone.

In this day and age, when climate change is one of our planet's biggest challenges, it's important that we all do our part to reduce our carbon footprint. Here are 10 practical steps to help you minimize your personal carbon footprint, along with estimated CO₂ savings.

1. Switch to renewable energy sources

How it works: Switching to solar or wind electric systems for your home can significantly reduce your dependence on fossil fuels.

CO₂ savings: The average home saves up to 3–4 tons of CO₂ per year.

2. Improve the energy efficiency of your home

How it works: Insulation, double glazing and energy-efficient appliances reduce energy consumption.

CO₂ savings: This can lead to savings of approximately 1.5 tons of CO₂ per year.

3. Reduce energy consumption in transportation

How it works: Using public transport, walking, cycling or electric vehicles reduces emissions from transport.

CO₂ savings: Switching from a car to public transport can save around 1–2 tonnes of CO₂ per year.

4. Minimize flight paths

How it works: Limiting air travel and preferring route or local destinations reduces your carbon footprint.

CO₂ savings: One return transatlantic flight can save approximately 1.6 tons of CO₂.

5. Reduce your meat and dairy consumption

How it works: A vegetarian or vegan diet has a lower carbon footprint than a diet rich in animal products.

CO₂ savings: Switching to a vegetarian diet can reduce your emissions by 0.5–1 ton of CO₂ per year.

6. Minimize waste and recycle

How it works: Reducing waste and increasing recycling reduces emissions associated with the production and disposal of materials.

CO₂ savings: Proper recycling and composting can save up to 0.2–0.5 tons of CO₂ per year.

7. Support sustainable fashion

How it works: Buying clothes from sustainable sources and minimizing fast fashion reduces emissions from the textile industry.

CO₂ savings: Choosing quality and sustainable clothing can save around 0.1–0.3 tons of CO₂ per year.

8. Grow your own food

How it works: Having your own garden or growing produce on your balcony reduces the need to transport food over long distances.

CO₂ savings: Growing at home can reduce your emissions by around 0.2–0.4 tons of CO₂ per year.

9. Reduce water consumption

How it works: Water-efficient installations and reduced water consumption reduce the energy needed to pump and treat it.

CO₂ savings: Efficient water use can save around 0.1–0.2 tons of CO₂ per year.

10. Invest in carbon-neutral products and services

How it works: Choosing products and services that offset their emissions supports sustainable practices.

CO₂ savings: This way you can directly neutralize your annual emissions, typically around 2–5 tons of CO₂ depending on the level of offset.

Reducing your personal carbon footprint is a combination of small and big steps. Each of these ten actions contributes to an overall reduction in CO₂ emissions and helps protect our planet. Start with one or two steps and gradually integrate more into your life to achieve a sustainable future. Spring

In today’s digital era, where artificial intelligence (AI) plays an increasingly important role in our daily lives, there is also growing concern about its environmental impact. A recent study highlights the significant carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions generated by a popular AI model, ChatGPT. According to the research, ChatGPT produces the same amount of CO₂ emissions as 260 flights from New York to London every month.

ChatGPT Energy Footprint

ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is one of the most advanced machine learning models, capable of generating text based on user input. However, its capabilities come with significant energy demands. The main source of CO₂ emissions are the data centers that operate the servers needed to process and store the vast amounts of data used to train and operate the model.

Study reveals high impact of AI on the environment

A recently published study compares the CO₂ emissions produced by ChatGPT to those from air travel. The results suggest that ChatGPT alone produces emissions equivalent to 260 flights from New York to London each month. This comparison underscores the need to consider the environmental implications of the development and use of AI technologies.

“While AI brings many benefits and innovations, its energy intensity and contribution to CO₂ emissions cannot be ignored,” said Dr. Jan Novák, head of the research team at Comenius University. “We need to find ways to reduce the carbon footprint of AI without sacrificing its potential.”

Comparison with air transport

To better understand the scale of emissions, a comparison was made with air travel, which is known for its significant contribution to global warming. A flight from New York to London produces approximately 1.2 tonnes of CO₂ per passenger. Therefore, 260 flights per month represent approximately 312 tonnes of CO₂, which is equivalent to the amount produced by ChatGPT.

Finding sustainable solutions

The researchers emphasize that it is essential to invest in sustainable technologies and algorithm optimization to reduce the energy consumption of AI models. Proposed solutions include:

– Algorithm optimization: Streamlining algorithms for faster and less energy-intensive calculations.

– Use of renewable energy sources: Strengthening the use of renewable energy sources in data centers.

– Distributed computing architecture: Using distributed systems to reduce the load on individual servers.

– Recycling and using more efficient hardware components: Implementation of more energy-efficient hardware solutions in data centers.

Ethical responsibilities of tech giants

Companies like OpenAI are facing increasing pressure from the public and environmentalists to take responsible steps to reduce their carbon footprint. “It is our responsibility to ensure that technological progress does not come at the expense of our planet,” says Emily Horvath, OpenAI’s chief sustainability officer.

The future of AI and sustainability

As AI technologies continue to expand and integrate into various sectors, the question of their environmental impact is becoming increasingly important. Future research will need to focus not only on improving AI performance, but also on its sustainability. “As AI will play a key role in solving many global challenges, we need to ensure that it operates responsibly and sustainably,” adds Dr. Novák.

The study highlights the significant environmental impact of AI models like ChatGPT and highlights the need for precise optimization and sustainable solutions. Reducing CO₂ emissions is essential to preserving our planet for future generations, and it is therefore important that technology companies take the necessary measures to minimize their impact. Spring

Document discusses the importance of sustainable eating and its impact on the planet. It emphasizes that our food choices shape the world we live in and have an impact on biodiversity, climate and social justice.

The article presents two main examples of initiatives aimed at changing the global food system:

• Miguel Altieri's agroecological farm in Colombia, which serves as an educational model for the community and promotes the principles of sustainable agriculture.
• Traveling exhibition "Cleverfood for everyone", which highlights the interconnectedness of the food system and shows visitors how their sustainable eating habits can impact the environment, society, human health and the economy.

Both initiatives focus on education and raising public awareness about the importance of sustainable eatingThe article also highlights that Combating the negative impacts of the current food system is a race against time.

The main idea is that even small everyday gestures like cooking at home or giving up strawberries in December can contribute to global change. Spring 

The European Union (EU) plans to introduce stricter emission standards for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles from 1 January 2025. The measures aim to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 15 % compared to 2021 levels, meaning that average CO₂ emissions for new cars should not exceed 93.6 grams per kilometre.

Carmakers that fail to meet these targets will face heavy fines. The fine for exceeding the limit is set at €95 for every gram of CO₂ above the set limit and for every vehicle sold. This means that if a carmaker exceeds the limit by 10 grams of CO₂ per kilometer and sells 100,000 vehicles, the fine could reach up to €95 million.

These stricter standards could have a significant impact on the automotive industry. Manufacturers will have to invest in new technologies and the development of cleaner vehicles, which could increase production costs. These costs could be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices for new cars. For example, it is estimated that the increase in vehicle prices due to the new emission standards could amount to several thousand euros per vehicle.

In addition, stricter emission standards may also affect the availability of certain models on the market. Manufacturers may be forced to discontinue production of models that do not meet the new emission limits or invest in their modification, which may affect the vehicle offering to consumers.

It is important that consumers are informed about these changes and consider them when planning to purchase a new vehicle. In addition, stricter emission standards may encourage the development and adoption of alternative powertrains, such as electric vehicles, which produce fewer emissions and can help achieve the EU's greenhouse gas reduction targets.  Spring

The world’s richest 11% have already used up their fair share of the global carbon budget for 2025, just 10 days into the year. In less than a week and a half, the consumption habits of an individual from this wealthy elite have already caused an average of 2.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, according to an analysis by Oxfam GB. It would take some of the poorest 501% of humanity three years to create the same amount of pollution. (Damien Gayle, theguardian.com)