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Carbon Footprint Calculator

Use the World's most popular online carbon footprint calculator, and it's FREE. Calculate your carbon emissions from Electricity Usage, Gas Usage, Heating Oil Usage, Coal Usage, Wood Usage, Bottled Gas Usage, Car Mileage, Bus Travel, Train Travel, Flight and other
Carbon Footprint Calculator

Carbon Footprint Calculator

What is a Carbon Footprint?

A carbon footprint measures greenhouse gases emitted by individual activities. It reflects our impact on climate change. Understanding our footprint helps us make informed choices for the environment.

Why is it Important to Track Your Carbon Footprint?

Tracking emissions reveals where reductions can occur. Identifying personal contributions is essential for sustainable living. Awareness leads to actionable steps to lessen our environmental impact.

How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

  • Use Energy Efficient Appliances: Select products that consume less energy.
  • Drive Less: Consider carpooling or using public transport to cut down emissions.
  • Travel Responsibly: Choose trains over flights when possible.
  • Eat Less Meat: Reducing meat intake lowers your carbon footprint significantly.

Understanding Carbon Emissions from Electricity

Electricity generation contributes significantly to carbon emissions. The source of electricity, whether fossil fuels or renewables, impacts the footprint. Transitioning to renewable energy sources is vital for reducing emissions.

The Role of Transportation in Carbon Footprint

Transportation is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Car travel emits a considerable amount of CO2 per mile. Opting for public transport or biking can significantly reduce individual footprints.

The Impact of Food Choices on Carbon Emissions

Food consumption has a large carbon footprint, particularly from meat production. Choosing plant-based diets can lessen emissions significantly. Sustainable food choices benefit both health and the environment.

Steps to a Sustainable Lifestyle

Small changes in daily habits can lead to meaningful reductions in emissions. Educating oneself and others fosters a culture of sustainability. Collective action can drive significant change in combating climate change.

Methods for a fair comparison

To make a meaningful comparison between countries, two points are crucial. The comparison must be of emissions per person. Little information is obtained from comparing the total emissions for whole countries since the largest countries have the biggest totals. All relevant emissions must be included, including emissions produced in the manufacture of goods that have been imported. A summary chart and some examples are given below. Once allowance is made for population size and imports/exports, it is clear that it is wrong to pick out China and India for censure.

Summary chart

Descriptive text about the image

This chart is free of copyright restrictions.

World CO2 emissions

The total was about 36 billion tonnnes CO2 in 2019 [1]. As the world population is 7.9.billion, this is 4.6 tonnes CO2 per person per year.

UK greenhouse gas emissions

Total greenhouse gas emissions were around 930 million tonnes CO2-e per year in 2015, including imports/exports and aviation [2]. As the population is 66 million, this is 14.1 tonnes CO2-e per person per year. For CO2 emissions alone, the UK's emissions are 10 tonnes per person per year, including aviation [3].

China CO2 emissions

Emissions were 10.1 billion tonnes CO2 in 2018 [4]. Of these, around 13% were from net exports, based on 2014 figures [5]. This gives an adjusted value of 8.8 billion tonnes CO2. As the population is 1.43 billion, this is 6.2 tonnes CO2 per person per year.

USA CO2 emissions

Emissions were 5.42 billion tonnes CO2 in 2018 [4]. The net CO2 transfers associated with trade were 6% (net imports), based on 2014 figures [5]. This gives an adjusted value of 5.8 billion tonnes CO2. As the population is 327 million, this is 17.6 tonnes CO2 per person per year.

India CO2 emissions

Emissions were 2.65 billion tonnes CO2 in 2018 [4]. Of these, around 9% were from net exports, based on 2014 figures [5]. This gives an adjusted value of 2.41 billion tonnes CO2. As the population is 1.35 billion, this is 1.8 tonnes CO2 per person per year.

Mozambique CO2 emissions

Emissions were 8.3 million tonnes CO2 in 2018 [4]. As the population is 29 million, this is 0.3 tonnes CO2 per person per year.

References

[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/276629/global-co2-emissions/ accessed 27.9.21

[2] https://www.carbonindependent.org/32.html

[3] https://www.carbonindependent.org/23.html

[4] Global Carbon Atlas http://www.globalcarbonatlas.org/en/CO2-emissions

[5] https://www.carbonbrief.org/mapped-worlds-largest-co2-importers-exporters