Personal Carbon Footprint Calculator
Calculate your personal carbon footprint based on transportation, energy use, diet, and lifestyle choices
1. Home Energy
US average household: ~900 kWh/month
2. Transportation
US average: ~19,300 km (12,000 miles) per year
3. Diet & Food
4. Goods & Services
Your Annual Footprint
vs. Global Average
Trees to Offset
Emissions by Category
How You Compare
Detailed Breakdown
| Source | Annual CO₂ (tonnes) |
|---|
Personalized Reduction Tips
Understanding Your Carbon Footprint
A carbon footprint measures the total greenhouse gases generated by your actions, expressed in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) per year. The global average is approximately 4.7 tonnes per person, but this varies enormously by country — from under 1 tonne in many developing nations to over 15 tonnes in the US and some Gulf states. Understanding where your emissions come from is the first step toward meaningful reduction.
What Makes Up a Personal Carbon Footprint?
- Home Energy (~30%): Electricity for lighting, appliances, and cooling; fuel for heating and hot water
- Transportation (~28%): Personal vehicles, public transit, and air travel
- Diet & Food (~17%): Food production, processing, transport, and waste
- Goods & Services (~25%): Manufacturing, shipping, and disposal of consumer products
Average Carbon Footprint by Country
High Emitters
- • Qatar: ~35.6 t CO₂/person
- • Bahrain: ~25.7 t CO₂/person
- • United States: ~14.9 t CO₂/person
- • Canada: ~14.3 t CO₂/person
- • Australia: ~14.1 t CO₂/person
Medium Emitters
- • China: ~8.9 t CO₂/person
- • Germany: ~8.1 t CO₂/person
- • United Kingdom: ~5.2 t CO₂/person
- • France: ~4.7 t CO₂/person
- • Mexico: ~3.6 t CO₂/person
Low Emitters
- • Brazil: ~2.3 t CO₂/person
- • India: ~2.0 t CO₂/person
- • Nigeria: ~0.6 t CO₂/person
- • Ethiopia: ~0.2 t CO₂/person
- • Global average: ~4.7 t CO₂/person
Highest-Impact Reduction Strategies
Research published in Environmental Research Letters identifies the most impactful individual actions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions:
- Live car-free: Saves ~2.4 t CO₂e/year on average
- Avoid one transatlantic flight: Saves ~1.6 t CO₂e per round-trip
- Switch to green energy: Saves ~1.5 t CO₂e/year for a typical household
- Switch to plant-based diet: Saves ~0.8 t CO₂e/year
- Improve home insulation: Saves ~0.9 t CO₂e/year
- Switch to electric vehicle: Saves ~2.0 t CO₂e/year compared to gasoline car (varies by grid)
- Buy less, buy second-hand: Saves ~0.5-1.5 t CO₂e/year depending on spending habits
References
The emission factors and data used in this calculator are based on peer-reviewed research, government databases, and established environmental organizations:
- U.S. EPA - Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- U.S. EPA - GHG Emission Factors Hub
- Our World in Data - CO₂ and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Wynes & Nicholas (2017) - The Climate Mitigation Gap, Environmental Research Letters
- IPCC AR6 WG3 - Mitigation of Climate Change
- UK DEFRA - Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors 2023
- U.S. EIA - Carbon Dioxide Emissions Coefficients
Note: This calculator provides estimates based on average emission factors and published research. Actual emissions depend on many variables including your local electricity grid mix, vehicle efficiency, specific food choices, and regional climate. A radiative forcing multiplier of 1.9 is applied to aviation emissions following IPCC and UK DEFRA methodology to account for non-CO₂ effects at altitude. Use these results as an informative guide rather than a precise measurement.
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