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Our Carbon Footprint Across Generations & Why Understanding the Difference Is Important
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Important: The recommendations presented in this data story are merely suggestions. They are not ready-to-use solutions that can be applied without a thorough evaluation of their advantages and disadvantages. Every organisation or individual aiming to reduce their carbon footprint must take into account various criteria and variables unique to their situation. This is why Greenly emphasises the need for expert guidance in the development of any environmental or low-carbon transition strategy.
In today’s world, we can have whatever we want at the snap of our fingers – the capital of Botswana, what time it is in Santiago, or who was the 27th President of the United States.
Living in the digital age has allowed us to connect on a global scale unprecedented by humans as short as 100 years ago, but as a result – this newfound ease of information, mass marketing, and global communication and shipment have now suffused itself into our expectations of daily life and as a result, our overall carbon footprint.
Pretend it's the year 1962: you come home from work on the train to the sound of the radio, maybe the T.V., and a few kitchen appliances turned on with some overhead lighting. There are no smart thermometers, surround speakers, or other energy-intensive devices.
Today, it’s a little bit different. When you wake up in the morning, it’s usually to the sound of an alarm from a smartphone plugged into your wall outlet. Then, you walk downstairs and make a cup of coffee from a single-use Nespresso pod while scrolling through this morning's Tik Tok feed. When you get into your car to drive to work, you're either cranking up the A/C or heating before setting up your bluetooth device or turning on the radio – and of course, you don’t pull out of the driveway without checking your pre-installed rear-end cameras.
Everything we do today is interwoven with technology, which means almost everything our generation does is associated with a higher energy consumption and a greater carbon footprint.
As technology wasn’t as prevalent in society as it is today, life was simpler and therefore required less energy to “function” as a normal human being on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, as we inch further into the digital age – our carbon footprints have increased alongside our global advancements in technology.
In this data story, we will break down how the evolving lifestyles of our grandparents (The Silent Generation or Baby Boomers), our parents (Generation X), and our generation (Millennials and Gen Z) and how our daily activities have an impact on our carbon footprint.
Main Differences Between Generations
Before breaking down the differences between the carbon footprint of each generation, it’s a good idea to get a sense of societal and personal expectations each generation had to better understand their consequential environmental actions.
Grandparents Generation
This generation considered themselves privileged if they were able to attend higher education, afford a car, or travel by plane. Many people led traditional lifestyles working 9-5 jobs, were married with children, and only purchased what they could afford as credit cards were not widely used during this time period.
Seeing as luxuries in life included commonalities today such as car and home ownership, Baby Boomers pride themselves on their accomplishments – valuing longevity and consistency over change.
As a result, this generation “made more with less” and didn’t subscribe to the notion that “bigger is better” or the basis of quantity over quality.
Ultimately, Boomers are the generation most skeptical regarding climate change in comparison to Gen X and Gen Z.
Parents Generation
This generation grew more familiar and dependent on digital technologies such as cell phones, fax machines, television, computers to send and receive information whether it has been for their professional or personal lives.
Essentially bridging the gap between the old and the new, Gen X is the last generation to remember life without technology – but has proven more adaptable and able to accept new technologies and ways of approaching a technological problem as a whole.
Gen X is aware of climate change, but does not feel the same incentive to take action in the way that millennials and Gen Z feel called to do so not only for their futures, but for their childrens’.
Our Generation
Our generation has grown accustomed to technology and instant gratification as a part of our everyday lives, having grown up with the internet and witnessing the birth of social media.
In this sense, Millennials and Gen Z don’t understand anything but easy access to information, travel, food, clothes, and other goods and services at the snap of their fingers – making it easier for them to unknowingly increase their carbon footprint.
As a whole, the majority of Gen Z is making a conscious effort to rectify their excessive lifestyles – with 7 out of 10 respondents from a pool of Gen Z poll takers stating that they have felt anxious about the future as climate change worsens and evidently, the vitality of their futures.
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However, when it comes to which generation people think emits the most CO₂, the opinions remain mixed. We conducted a survey with a limited pool of respondents, and the results revealed that 26.3% of people think Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation emit the most, 42.1% of people think Gen X emits the most, only 5.3% of people think Millennials emit the most, 21.1% think Gen Z emits the most, and 5.3% of people stating it depends on the given scenario.
Nonetheless, this varied data reveals the ongoing misconceptions regarding which generation is responsible for the biggest carbon footprint – as each generation has a different approach to various aspects of daily life, where one generation may emit more or less than the other depending on the activity.
👉 We’re going to break down the various carbon-emitting activities between generations: including energy consumption, social media usage, transportation and eating habits, fashion, technology, and more.
1. Energy Consumption & Social Media Usage
- Grandparents Generation – The age when coal, wood, and oil all began – with consumption of these finite resources never having decreased since. Even though they used fossil fuels, their consumption was low – as electronics, AC, heating, and more weren’t used as often. Social media didn’t exist, and neither did cell phones. The need for renewable energy wasn’t as prevalent. It is important to note that the stark difference between existing electronics in the 1960s and the digital devices we are used to today is that it was a lot easier to be impressed by less. For instance, in the 1960s – there were only 3 main television networks, with many of the programs on air serving as simple cartoons and basic comedies to appeal to the masses. Americans watched around 6 hours of T.V. per day in the early 1970s in comparison to the nearly 9 hours of television a day watched by Americans in the early 2010s. In fact, the average Baby Boomer living in a single-family home consumes twice as much energy as a millennial living in an apartment – a much smaller living space in comparison to the average American single-family home size of around 2,400 square feet. Therefore, using TikTok consumption as a baseline comparison where 3g of CO2e per minute for TikTok, considering all the videos are viewed on a smartphone the 5% of Baby Boomers (approximately 3.65 million of 73 million Baby Boomers in the U.S.) who use the app daily would only create 39,967.5 metric tons of CO₂e per year.
- Parents Generation – Energy consumption encouraged the start of settling into bigger homes, car production, and mass-produced electronic goods. The start of new technologies such as blueberry and bluetooth phones, screens on planes, GPS systems in cars, etc. arose and allowed Gen X to grow familiar with emerging technology. Nuclear power and natural gas came into play, but fossil fuels remained the primary source of energy. Once again, using a baseline of 3g of CO2e per minute for TikTok, considering all the videos are viewed on a smartphone, the 24% of Gen Xers (approximately 15.6 million of 65 million Gen X in the U.S.) who use the app daily would create around 170,820 metric tons of CO₂e per year from watching Tik Tik for 10 minutes every day.
- Our Generation – The use of solar panels, wind turbines, and other forms of renewable energy increased – but energy consumption has grown out of control with the use of smartphones, EVs, the increase in demand for goods from constant marketing, and more. Furthermore, smart technologies, EVs, and renewable energy have yet to compensate for the increase in the use of fossil fuels. As a result of the increase in the use in technology and instant gratification as a whole, there is a rebound effect – as cars help people get from one point to another, meaning they are used more and in turn emit more. While it’s true that EVs typically have smaller carbon footprints than cars, such as how their PEV batteries only fail 0.1% of the time as of 2023 – car usage has continued to increase, as there were 1.6 million passenger vehicles on all roads in 1980 in comparison to the 3.3 trillion cars in 2024. Ultimately, it is important to remember that an improved technological process does not amount to energy savings – as our generation has shown to consume more than our parents and grandparents. The insurmountable energy and social media usage on behalf of our generation is astounding. Once again, using a baseline of 3g of CO2e per minute for TikTok, considering all the videos are viewed on a smartphone in conjunction with the 64% of those who use the app daily (44.3 million of the 69.2 million Gen Z inhabitants in the U.S.) would create a massive 485,985 metric tons of CO₂e per year from watching Tik Tik for 10 minutes every day.
2. Transportation & Increase in Travel
- Grandparents Generation – Not many people owned cars, and using public transport, walking, or biking was more common: think of the milk boy or the mailman who came to your house by bike to drop off the paper or daily jug of milk. For this generation, you had wealth, status, and financial privilege if you were able to travel by flying (this is why people dressed up for the occasion, etc.). As a result, baby boomers only take around 2-3 fights per year – and assuming the average distance traveled is 1000km – it means that Baby Boomers would only account for 468kg of carbon dioxide emissions from travel per year.
- Parents’ Generation – In addition to air travel becoming more frequent and casual, the mass production of affordable cars meant that everyone started to own cars: think soccer moms in the 2000s who were able to carpool in their minivan with their kids’ friends who were also on the soccer team. Therefore, this generation contributed to the rise in transportation emissions – as Gen X was classified as an imperative component of the automobile industry as a result of their ability to spend more on consumer goods during their peak earning years as opposed to Baby Boomers. Gen X travels even less than Baby Boomers do, averaging only around 1-2 flights per year. Once again, presuming the average distance traveled is 1000km – it means that Gen X would only account for 281kg of carbon dioxide emissions from travel per year.
- Our Generation – Although there is a growing interest in EVs, many people still own fossil fuel-based cars. Air travel has become the new norm, with TSA scanning 3 million passengers a day, or 35 people every second. As a result of nomadic lifestyles and the growing desire to travel for both leisure and work, this has resulted in an insurmountable increase in carbon emissions. The average American drives 40 miles per day, with 87% of travel taking place in a personal vehicle. In Europe, freight transportation emissions increased by 22% between 2000 and 2019 – demonstrating how the age of online shopping has increased freight transport emissions in addition to passenger travel emissions such as plane or car transportation. Gen Z and Gen Y travel the most, with Millennials traveling 4.3 times each year and Gen Z averaging around 2 flights (totaling to 6.3 flights per year for both of these younger generations) with this number increasing as travel and higher earning wages become more accessible to them. Once again, presuming the average distance traveled is 1000km – it means that our generation would account for 1178 kgCO2e/year from travel per year.
Case Example with Digital Nomads
Our grandparents' generation vastly differs from Millennials and Gen Z when it comes to the workforce. Historically, older generations are much more likely to stay at their jobs for long periods of time whereas Gen Z easily quits jobs without a back-up plan or subscribes to the notion of “job hopping” to climb the corporate ladder. This is the antithesis of the loyalty instilled in our grandparents’ generation, who were much more likely to stay with the same firm for many years in hopes of being promoted within the same company.
Especially in today’s world in conjunction with remote working, many Millennials and Gen Z opt for a life on the road – choosing to work whilst traveling the world. In 2023, it was estimated that 40 million people considered themselves digital nomads. Since 2015, the percentage of people working remotely from around the world has increased by 14% – signifying a change in work culture amongst our generation that also contributes to a greater carbon footprint.
Here are just some of the ways that digital nomads in our generation contribute to an excess carbon footprint:
- Excessive Air Travel – Digital nomads often hop on short-haul flights from one destination to the other, making their daily commuter footprint higher than the average person. For reference, the average American commutes 15 miles back and forth every day to the office. Considering the majority of Americans own cars, this means their carbon footprint is as follows after only one month of driving (assuming they drive 30 miles per day):
- Small car: 203 kg of CO2e
- Midsize car: 243 kg of CO2e
- Large car/SUV: 300 kg of CO2e
👉 In comparison, imagine a digital nomad taking a minimum of 3, one-way short-haul flights per week. Presuming the flights are 3 hours (such as a flight from Miami to Dallas), this means that a digital nomad emits around 4.5 tons of CO2e per month (taking into account those flights in addition to 30 miles per day in a medium car) in comparison to the average 0.24 ton of CO₂ per month for the average American (per week it’s 1.1 tonnes of CO2e for digital nomads vs. 0.057 ton of CO2e for the average American).
- Food Consumption – Digital nomads on the go are more likely to purchase single-plastic water bottles, pre-packaged food, and other personal items to be used and disposed of immediately after use to make their travels lighter.
- Temporary Housing – The unawareness of the type of appliances in their temporary accommodation could result in excess energy consumption as a result of having little control over their hotel or AirBnB’s electricity usage. If everyone in the world relied on short-term housing for accommodation, it is likely that energy consumption would increase worldwide. For instance, as of October 2020 in the U.K., energy consumption from accommodation has doubled – now standing for 0.6% for all U.K. energy consumption in comparison to where it stood at 0.3% in 1990.
- Reliance on Data Storage – As of 2025, data storage is expected to increase to 220 zettabytes, or 220 trillion gigabytes. Due to their nomadic lifestyle and constantly connecting to the internet on the go, digital nomads fall subject to using more. Digital nomads don’t have many personal belongings to their name, but they do have one prized possession – their laptops. However, due to needing to keep their luggage light for continuous travel, many digital nomads make use of data storage – which creates a significant carbon footprint on its own. A survey conducted by Greenly, under a limited pool of respondents, concluded that digital nomads used more data storage on a monthly basis in comparison to stay-at-home or traditional in-office employees, with 2 in 4 respondents that considered themselves as digital nomads stating that they used more than 2GB of data storage per month – whereas only 2 out of 14 respondents clarifying themselves as traditional at-home or office workers using more more than 10GB of data storage per month.
All in all, digital nomads are just one of the many in-depth examples on how the ease of travel and interconnectedness of our generation can create a greater carbon footprint in comparison to our parents and grandparents.
3. Consumer Habits
- Grandparents Generation – Consumerism was lower than commercials and the ease of accessibility of goods was not as widespread. Commercial stores such as Target, CVS, Walmart didn’t exist in the same capacity as they do today – meaning shopping for superfluous consumer goods required more effort in comparison to today’s world where these stores are easily accessible. Quality was more important than quantity at this time, seeing as fast fashion and various single-use products didn’t exist yet. 35% of Baby Boomers are subject to impulse buying.
- Parents' Generation – The rise of consumerism culture and mass production led to a throwaway culture: such as with fast fashion, single-use plastics, bigger households meant the start of more waste in line with our economic growth as this resulted in greater consumption habits. 41% of Gen X are subject to impulse buying.
- Our Generation – The pace of consumption has accelerated further with fast fashion, rapid product cycles, and online shopping. Luckily, Gen Z is raising awareness on the importance of ethical consumption and reducing emissions, such as via social media to promote sustainable products. In fact, as of the early 2010s – American traditions such as Black Friday have been employed worldwide – with countries such as France and the U.K. having adapted their own versions which perpetuate the purchase of unnecessary goods. 47% of our generation is subject to impulse buying.
Excess Consumption & Planned Obsolescence
On average, Americans buy 53 new pieces of low-quality clothing a year – which is 4 times the amount Americans were buying in the year 2000.
This is a perfect example of how many people buy goods of lower quality and keep them for a shorter amount of time in comparison to our grandparents. For instance, a survey conducted by SlashGear revealed that a whopping 55.47% of respondents from the United States chose to upgrade their smartphones every two to three years – even if the phone was still functional.
Furthermore, popular smartphone brands such as Apple and Samsung have been accused of planned obsolescence – which refers to the practice of manufacturing and designing an object, usually something electronic that must run on an operating system (such as Microsoft Windows, macOS, or iOS), only for it to become outdated in a couple of years in order to force the consumer to buy another one. In addition to this, these older smartphones will experience hardware strain as a result of needing to forcefully update their operating system – which will contribute to the phone breaking down faster than it otherwise would have.
In short terms, even if the hardware inside the product is perfectly fine – companies will make their newest softwares incompatible with “outdated” phones from as short as two to three years ago. Even more so, companies may purposefully force customers to upgrade their operating system even if their older phone can’t handle the upgrade – making them run slower and provoking customers to unnecessarily buy a new one.
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Case Example – Food Delivery Apps & Carbon Footprints Across Generations
Young people today don’t only abuse technology consumption, but food as well – which is a direct result of smartphones and the various food delivery apps now available today worldwide.
Gen Z holds $450 billion USD in spending power – much of this attributable to the empire of instant gratification culture Millennials and Gen Z have built as a result of the internet and technology.
“ Consequently, our generation is much more likely to shop online, order merchandise because an influencer recommended it, or to order take out via delivery apps such as Postmates or UberEats. ”
💡 Millennials and Gen Z order food more often in comparison to previous generations, which contributes to transportation emissions and has become a norm amongst our generation alongside the need and desire for instantaneous satisfaction.
As a whole, this increase in consumption and consumerism spending has a toll on Gen Z’s carbon footprint.
- For example, studies have shown that the carbon footprint of a household that spends more than $60 USD on food deliveries has an average 450% higher carbon footprint in comparison to households that cook at home (referring to our grandparents’ generation).
- Gen Z and Millenials spend up to 9 times more on food delivery apps in comparison to Baby Boomers – with Millennials allocating 15% of their food budget to app deliveries and Gen Z a whopping 22% to food app deliveries.
- This is a stark contrast to our parent’s generation, Gen X, which only budgets 9% on food delivery apps and Baby Boomers who only allocate 4% of their food budget to food app deliveries.
- In fact, Gen Z and Millenials have started allocating the majority of their surplus food spending on food deliveries over dining in at restaurants between 2019 and 2023 – which continues to increase our generation’s carbon footprint as food deliveries require transportation from the restaurant to the users’ front door.
- Spending expenditures have increased by generation, as in 2021 – Baby Boomers had an annual expenditure of $44,683 whereas Gen X had an annual expenditure of $83,357.
Gen Z is far more likely to spend money on additional commerce – seeing as 32% of Gen Z shop online at least once every day in comparison to the 15% of shopping done online by Gen X and the mere 7% of online shopping done on behalf of Baby Boomers.
4. Dietary Patterns & Alcohol Consumption
- Grandparents Generation – Diets were largely seasonal, local, and even plant-based with frequent starchy carbs and occasional meat consumption. In other words, people in the 1960s didn’t go to Trader Joe’s and heat up microwavable couscous for dinner the way many people in Gen Z do today – meaning that food wasn’t as fried or processed. Think of a classic 60s dinner table: usually hearty meals such as steak, meatloaf, or other red meat-based dishes were the focal point of the evening meal alongside less-processed side dishes such as potatoes and vegetables. For instance, an annual average of 86 pounds per person of red meat such as beef was consumed in the 1970s in comparison to the 56.7 pounds per person in the 2010s. However, the benefit of our grandparents’ generation is that there was a stronger focus on whole meals as opposed to single-use packaging and to-go meals. Food waste was minimal, and food production was less industrialised. Commonly consumed plastic packaged foods such as processed snacks like Takis, Lays, and Cheetos we tend to snack on today were not as prevalent for Baby Boomers as they are for Gen Z and Millenials. Vending machines and fast-service food were not as common, and their popularity only continues to grow – with vending machines estimated to $31 billion in 2027. Roughly 14% of Baby Boomers believe it’s important to bring sustainability to the food & beverage industry.
- Parents’ Generation – Meat consumption rose significantly as industrial farming and processed foods became the norm. Convenience foods and global food supply chains expanded rapidly, such as Target, Trader Joes, and fast food chains like Burger King, McDonalds, and more. For instance, fast food is more likely to be consumed amongst younger generations – with 44.9% of Gen Z and Millenials, 37.7% for Gen X, and as little as 4.1% for Baby Boomers. Fast food consumption has increased over the years, with well-known fast food chains like McDonalds and Starbucks having 5.75% in the last quarter of 2023 alone. Around 22% of Gen X believes sustainability should be a driving factor for the food industry.
- Our Generation – The trend of high meat and processed food consumption has grown, but there is a renewed interest in plant-based diets – with many fast food chains trying to create vegan choices to remain relevant to the market (such as KFC, Burger King Impossible Burger, etc.). However, food waste persists – with the world wasting 1.3 billion tonnes of food in 2023. Only 21% of millenials believe that sustainability should be a driving factor in the food & beverage industry.
“ Sadly, food waste continues to be an effervescent issue – with 31% of vegetables being thrown away in households each year, 155 liters of water waste for food production, and 10% of our global emissions being attributed to food waste. ”
Case Study – Gen Z Makes an Effort to Improve Diet & Alcohol Consumption
Luckily, our generation is making some improvements to reduce their carbon footprint when it comes to diet besides boasting veganism – and that’s through reduced alcohol consumption.
Alcohol can prove detrimental to the environment; it can deplete water resources, contribute to soil and air pollution, and also aid in waste production.
Surprisingly, the ease of access to clubs and party culture has not resulted in Gen Z being the generation that drinks the most – with that title going to Baby Boomers. In fact, Baby Boomers are estimated to drive up to 60% of alcohol-admitted cases in hospitals. Gen Z on the other hand, is 38% more willing to try non-alcoholic drinks and 53% of Gen Z planning to not drink in 2024.
👉 Therefore, it can be said that Gen Z may produce less carbon dioxide emissions as a result of alcohol or meat consumption in the long run as a result of their open-mindedness to try plant-based products and non-alcoholic beverages.
5. Technology and Digital Footprint
- Grandparents Generation – Technology was sparse and the internet didn’t exist, meaning for our grandparents’ – their carbon footprint via technology was small. Only landline phones, TV, and radio were widely available – where as little as 1 watt could be used to power a landline phone, seeing as they didn’t require rechargeable batteries to be powered. Even when cordless phones came out, they still only required around 2-3 watts of energy to be used – even when recharging. Baby Boomers average 3.5 hours of screen time per day, and presuming they are watching Tik Tok which contributes to 3g of CO2e per minute on the app – each person in our grandparents generation emits 630 grams of CO₂e per day from screen time alone every day.
- Parents’ Generation – This generation started using computers and the internet more often, such as with game consoles in the 80s, the start of Apple, and the overall internet. However, the carbon footprint wasn’t nearly as bad as it is today from digital media. Gen X has an average of 4 hours of screen time per day, and presuming they are watching Tik Tok which contributes to 3g of CO2e per minute on the app – each person in Gen X emits 720 grams of CO₂e per day from screen time alone every day.
- Our Generation – Today’s generation is co-dependent on technology, with no one remembering phone numbers or how to get from point A to point B without a smartphone or the internet. This has resulted in intensive data center storage usage to keep users’ information on the cloud, and energy-intensive appliances such as Smart TVs, etc. According to the Energy Information Administration – the average American household consumed almost 11,000kWH of energy per year in 2020, which totals to around 30-33 kWH of energy consumed per day. In fact, there was a stark 37.2% increase in electricity consumption in the United States in 1990 in comparison to how much electricity was used in the 1970s. Therefore, it is clear that “keeping the lights on” for all of these devices has proven to be more carbon-intensive than previous generations. Gen Z has an average of 9 hours of screen time per day, and presuming they are watching Tik Tok which contributes to 3g of CO2e per minute on the app – each person in our generation emits 1,620 grams of CO2e screen time alone every day.
- According to a recent survey by PRN, the average American charges their phone at least twice per day – leaving the phone plugged in on average for 40 minutes. Presuming half of Americans own a smartphone, this means that around 177 million people are charging their phones for 80 minutes a day – which equates to 11,23,333 kWH of energy consumed on a daily basis.
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6. Fashion & Textiles
- Grandparents Generation – People owned less clothing, and textiles were made from more quality materials such as wool or cotton in comparison to many of the synthetic fabrics we use to manufacture fast fashion garments today. In addition to this, older generations were more accustomed to going to the tailor to repair clothing to last as long as possible – whereas our generation is used to the availability of merchandise, we wonder why waste our time when we can buy a new one right away. This beneficial habit our grandparents had helped to reduce global waste created by textiles, which now contributes to 10% of all GHG emissions worldwide. Baby Boomers spend around $1,389 on clothes every year. If we presume one cotton t-shirt accounts for 7kg of carbon dioxide emissions, operating under the notion that each t-shirt is around $20 USD – we can presume that Baby Boomers buy around 69.5 t-shirts per year and emit 486.5 kg of carbon dioxide emissions per year in clothing.
- Parents’ Generation – Our parents’ generation witnessed the start of the rise of fast fashion companies such as Zara – but not to the same caliber and extent of waste as seen with Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, and other fast fashion companies in the 2000s. However, this was the start of more distinct fashion trends – such as the 80s with bright colors, leg warmers, and layers, the 90s with solid colored T-shirts and straight-legged jeans, and more – revealing this was the start of people starting to swap out their old garments for new ones instead of creating a long-lasting wardrobe, as “trends” in fashion were born. Gen X spends around $2,367 on clothes every year. If we presume one cotton t-shirt accounts for 7kg of carbon dioxide emissions, operating under the notion that each t-shirt is around $20 USD – we can presume that Gen X buys around 118.4 t-shirts per year and emit 828.8 kg of carbon dioxide emissions per year in clothing.
- Our Generation – Instead of new fashion trends every decade, our generation has taken it one step further – with new fashion trends every year and even every season, such as the “wet hair” look or baggy jeans. As a result, 2020s fashion tends to take pieces from different decades – making people opt for a wider variety of garments in their closet and to purchase new clothes consistently to keep up with the current trends. Luckily, one of the ways our generation has deterred from a massive carbon footprint is by taking up thrift shopping due to their cheap nature, sustainability, and potential to find unique pieces in line with the current fashion trends – which tend to use recycled trends from previous decades such as when rompers made a comeback in the mid-2010s. Millennials spend around $1,950 on clothes every year. If we presume one cotton t-shirt accounts for 7kg of carbon dioxide emissions, operating under the notion that each t-shirt is around $20 USD – we can presume that millennials buy around 97.5 t-shirts per year and emit 682.5 kg of carbon dioxide emissions per year in clothing.
The fashion industry is estimated to account for 10% of all global emissions, overshadowing both air travel and maritime transportation. In addition to this, Gen Z spends an average of $767 on fast fashion per month – with 36% of Gen Z purchasing new fast fashion clothing items at once every month.
💡 In fact, Gen X is just as bad when it comes to fast fashion – as a study revealed when surveying Gen X women that a whopping 42.1% of Gen X had made a fast fashion purchase in the past month, and 30% of participants spent at least $50 on a single shopping trip.
“ In a survey conducted by Greenly, under a limited pool of respondents, when asked what they would do if their winter coat had a broken seam or was missing a button – only ¼ of Gen X respondents would throw it away and buy a new jacket, whereas ¾ of respondents would tailor the jacket or try to fix it themselves. In addition to this, our pool of limited Gen Z respondents were also more likely to keep their wardrobe as sustainable as possible – with 76.9% of Gen Z respondents saying they would take their jacket to a tailor and try to fix it, 15.4% of respondents saying they would buy a new jacket and donate the old one, and 7.7% of respondents saying they would ultimately wear the jacket broken over throwing it away. Overall, the limited data we collected can help to demonstrate the growing popularity in sustainable fashion amongst Gen Z in comparison to Baby Boomers and Gen X. ”
7. Population Growth and Urbanisation
- Grandparents’ Generation – The global population was smaller, as there were only 3 billion people on the planet – which meant that less resources and energy were necessary to suffice the global population and urbanisation was limited, leading to lower per capita resource use. A whopping 54% of Baby Boomers have stated they do not plan to ever move again. Therefore, operating under the notion that each time you move houses, 17 kilograms of carbon dioxide are generated. Seeing as Baby Boomers only move every 6 years, they only account for 85 kg of carbon dioxide emissions over the course of 30 years from moving in the United States.
- Parents’ Generation – After baby boomers, the global population started to increase – meaning that more people started moving to cities, which increased the need for transportation, housing, and overall energy consumption. More people in offices, in apartment buildings – think of this time period as the gap between the two generations. In fact, electricity usage grew by over 150 Mtoe from 1960 to 1980 – demonstrating how population growth may have been a contributing factor to the increase in energy usage and therefore the next generation’s carbon footprint. Gen X moves every four years. Once again, operating under the notion that each time you move houses, 17 kilograms of carbon dioxide are generated – this means that Gen X accounts of 127.5kg of carbon dioxide emissions over the course of 30 years from moving in the United States alone.
- Our Generation – Continued population growth (seeing as the global population continues to grow upwards of 8 billion people) the desire to move to big cities, and higher living standards (i.e., everyone has luxuries such as in-unit washer dryer, WiFi, etc. to function everyday), rapid urbanisation, and more have made energy demands even harder to meet. In fact, energy consumption, such as with transportation, industry, and commercial services, has nearly doubled since 2000. In addition to this, our generation is much more used to remote working – which requires more power than most companies conducted operations back in the 1970s when computer usage was very sparse. Millennials and Gen Z move somewhere new once every two years. Once again, operating under the notion that each time you move houses, 17 kilograms of carbon dioxide are generated – this means that our generation accounts for 255 kg amount of carbon dioxide emissions over the course of 30 years from moving in the United States alone.
Differences in Climate Awareness Between Generations
Ultimately, we can attribute the differences in carbon footprints between different generations as a direct result of their evolving lifestyles.
Our grandparents lived in simpler times that required less energy usage as a whole. Travel was only for the wealthy, and electricity as a whole wasn’t used on the scale it is today – making the average Baby Boomer less concerned about the future of climate change. As a whole, our grandparents were used to a “simpler” life that didn’t highlight climate change as a future issue.
“ There’s a saying that everything is good in moderation, and in our grandparents’ age – when it comes to energy consumption, this held true. Radios, kitchen lights, and cars we used enough to help improve the quality of life without abusing its power. ”
However, as the age of superfluous consumption skyrocketed – our parents witnessed the start of the digital age, with the growth of global consumerism and the increased ease of access to polluting goods and elective activities such as car ownership and commercial air travel.
Our generation has taken it a step further with social media and nomadic lifestyles making product consumption and excessive travel the new norm. In fact, 80% of consumers are likely to purchase a product if a friend or influencer posts the product on their social media page, with 64% of people admitting that they have purchased something just because it has been shown in a social media campaign.
In a nutshell, our grandparents knew how to live with less – and weren’t exposed to the products and services that they are on a regular basis. In addition to this, social media has curated a world of jealousy – to the extent that many people will travel, engage in social events, and buy items they otherwise wouldn’t have if it weren’t for the internet.
💡 In fact, 58% of Gen Z have purchased something solely because an influencer recommended the product. This statistic demonstrates how persuasive and subsequently instrumental social media is when it comes to spiking sales in additional products and services not essential to survival.
As a result, our relatively extravagant lifestyles may make us more aware of our carbon footprint than previous generations – but it also means that we have more work to do to reverse the damage.
Recommendations for Our Generation Moving Forward
Millennials and Gen Z have grown up in a world with easy access to everything, which in turn has created a million new ways for them to increase their carbon footprint.
Luckily, our generation is making its fair attempt to be demure in regards to their carbon footprint – but there is always room for improvement.
Here are some ways that our generation could work to reduce their environmental impact alongside our parents’ and grandparents’ generation:
- Order less food from delivery apps and make an attempt to cook at home, such as by hosting fun dinner parties with friends
- Take at least a few hours a day to put screens away and live “like the old days” without the internet by reading a book, playing board games, going to a cafe, meeting friends in the park, or playing sports outside
- Use social media for good to promote sustainable products, especially if you’re an influencer
- Reduce personal car ownership or opt for EVs if buying a car is essential for your lifestyle
- Think about sustainable travel, concerts, and other ways to decarbonise your favorite pastime. For instance, the impact of the Eras Tour is a great example of how fun life events can often result in a large carbon footprint on behalf of each individual – but there are ways to make exciting events more eco-friendly.
“ Overall, it is evident that our grandparents’ generation had a lower carbon footprint due to their simpler lifestyles, scarcity mindset, and more frugal nature to savor the things they had instead of chasing after the newest thing to, “Keep up with the Joneses”. Our parents witnessed the birth of mass consumption, the start of abusing fossil fuels and extreme consumerism culture. ”
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