'carbon-emitting' originates from the combination of 'carbon' and 'emit,' where 'carbon' refers to the chemical element and 'emit' means 'to release or discharge.'

'carbon-emitting' evolved from the need to describe activities or processes that release carbon into the atmosphere, particularly in the context of environmental science.

Initially, it referred to any release of carbon, but now it is often used in the context of environmental impact and climate change.