Carbon Footprint Calculator

How to Estimate Your Carbon Footprint

Your carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions (measured in CO₂ equivalent) from your daily activities. This calculator estimates emissions from driving, flying, and home energy use.

The emission factors

• Driving: 19.6 lbs CO₂ per gallon of gasoline
• Flights: ~1,100 lbs CO₂ per long-haul round trip (approximate)
• Electricity: ~0.92 lbs CO₂ per kWh (US average grid mix)
• Natural gas: ~11.7 lbs CO₂ per therm

Step-by-step

1. Enter your annual driving miles and vehicle MPG.
2. Enter the number of long flights per year.
3. Enter monthly electricity (kWh) and natural gas (therms) from your utility bills.

Worked example

12,000 miles/yr at 25 MPG, 2 flights, 900 kWh/month, 50 therms/month. Driving: (12000÷25)×19.6 = 9,408 lbs. Flights: 2×1100 = 2,200 lbs. Electricity: 900×12×0.92 = 9,936 lbs. Gas: 50×12×11.7 = 7,020 lbs. Total ≈ 28,564 lbs (13.0 metric tons).

Context

The US average is about 16 metric tons per person per year. The global average is about 4.5 tons. To limit warming to 2°C, experts suggest targeting under 2 tons per person by 2050.