Insee, France's national statistics institute, released a document on 15 September outlining the calculation of France's carbon footprint from 1990 to 2024. The Insee Méthodes number 148 explains a method jointly used by Insee and the Service des données et études statistiques (SDES), which relies on the international input-output tables Figaro (Full International and Global Accounts for Research in Input-Output analysis) published by Eurostat. This method calculates the carbon footprint by attributing emissions to French final demand, rather than just to where they are produced. This approach includes emissions from both domestically produced goods and imported goods, as well as emissions from households related to home heating and vehicle fuels. According to the latest results published by the SDES on 16 October 2025, France's carbon footprint reached 563 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2 eq) in 2024, a 3.4% decrease from the previous year, marking the lowest level since 1990. When adjusted for population, this amounts to 8.2 tonnes per person. Of the total, 284 Mt (or half) are emissions linked to imports. These include 110 Mt from imported goods and services directly used by French consumers and 174 Mt from raw materials and semi-finished products used in domestic production. Internal emissions consist of 180 Mt from French production and 99 Mt from direct household emissions. The decrease in the footprint in 2024 is largely due to a 4.6% drop in imported emissions, which contributed about 70% of the total 20 Mt reduction. Domestic emissions decreased by 2.9%, mainly due to the decarbonization of electricity production. Direct emissions from households remained nearly unchanged. The composition of the footprint shows that 74% consists of CO2 from the combustion of fossil fuels, 18% is methane, and 5% is nitrous oxide, mainly from nitrogen fertilizers. The largest contributors to the footprint are transport, housing, and food, which together account for 68% of emissions. Over the long term, the carbon footprint has decreased by 20% since 1990, driven mainly by internal emissions, which have dropped by 34% (including household emissions). Emissions from domestic economic activities excluding exports have fallen by 39%, while household emissions have decreased by 24%. In contrast, imported emissions have increased by 2%. The SDES attributes this to the offshoring of some production and increased demand for imported goods. The gap between the carbon footprint and emissions from resident units, measured using the residence principle, is significant. In 2024, emissions from resident units were 404 Mt, including 125 Mt from exports but not the 284 Mt from imports. The carbon footprint thus exceeds this by 39%. The territorial inventory, calculated by the Citepa (Interprofessional Technical Center for Studies on Atmospheric Pollution), is limited to 369 Mt. The origin of imported emissions is also documented. In 2023, 13% of the footprint's greenhouse gas emissions were emitted in other European Union countries, with China accounting for 11%, and the United States and Russia each contributing 3%. When comparing internationally, the SDES uses the year 2022, when the carbon footprint per French person reached about 9.1 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, exceeding the global average of 6.4 tonnes per person by 42%, but remaining below the European Union average of 10.7 tonnes. The 2024 figure remains provisional, as domestic emissions are based on comprehensive but preliminary data, and the GHG content of imports extends past trends. In 2025, Eurostat revised its international tables, particularly for agricultural production in certain countries, which lowered the footprint by an average of 7% for the period 2010-2021 and by 9.5% for 2023. The footprint for 2023 was revised from 644 Mt to 583 Mt. The SDES notes that the most recent year of estimation remains the most fragile, and the Insee document published in September details these methodological choices.