Where Emissions Come From: Regional Sources of Household Carbon Footprints in Brazil

Carbon footprints have emerged as a key measure of anthropogenic pressure on the environment and are crucial for designing mitigation policies. However, obtaining an accurate assessment of these footprints requires accounting for the full range of emission sources and the regional variability embedded in production and consumption chains. To address these important issues, we quantify the carbon footprints of Brazilian households by combining multiple datasets and methodologies. We account for all major emission sources in Brazil (land-use change, agriculture and livestock, energy, industry, and waste) using a state-level multi-regional input–output (MRIO) framework integrated with household consumption microdata. Our analysis reveals that food, housing, and transport are the dominant drivers of per capita emissions among Brazilian households, with beef and dairy products emerging as key contributors within food consumption. Emissions increase sharply with income, shifting from food-related emissions in lower-income households to transport, housing, and services in wealthier ones. These results highlight the need for integrated climate policies that account for the full spectrum of emission sources while addressing regional disparities and income-related heterogeneity in emissions patterns.