What is a carbon footprint?

A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (primarily carbon dioxide) produced by your activities, usually measured in tons of CO2 per year. The average American has a carbon footprint of about 16 tons per year.

What is the average carbon footprint in the US?

The average American carbon footprint is approximately 16 tons of CO2 per year, which is one of the highest in the world. The global target to limit warming to 1.5°C requires reducing this to about 2 tons per person.

How can I reduce my carbon footprint?

Key ways to reduce your carbon footprint include: switching to renewable energy, driving less or switching to an electric vehicle, reducing air travel, eating less meat (especially beef), improving home insulation, and buying secondhand when possible.

Carbon Footprint Calculator

Estimate your annual carbon emissions and discover ways to reduce your impact

Transportation

How many miles do you drive per week?

miles/week

What type of vehicle do you drive?

Short flights per year (under 3 hours)

flights/year

Long flights per year (over 3 hours)

flights/year

Public transit usage

Home Energy

Home size

Electricity source

Primary heating source

Energy efficiency efforts

Food & Diet

Diet type

How often do you buy local/seasonal food?

Food waste habits

Shopping & Goods

New clothing purchases per year

Electronics purchases per year

Secondhand/recycled purchases

Your Carbon Footprint

12.4

tons CO₂/year

You

US Avg

Target

0 8 16 24 tons

Your footprint is below the US average of 16 tons/year.

The global target to limit warming to 1.5°C is about 2 tons per person.

Breakdown by Category

	Transportation	5.2 tons
	Home Energy	3.8 tons
	Food & Diet	2.5 tons
	Shopping & Goods	0.9 tons

Impact Equivalents

trees absorbing CO₂ for a year

NYC-LA flights

US homes powered for a year

miles in an average car

Lifestyle Tweaks Simulator

Toggle realistic changes to preview how much CO₂ you could cut.

Replace 50 weekly driving miles with biking/transit -0.8 t

Switch to a green power plan or rooftop solar -0.6 t

Shift to a low-meat or vegetarian diet -0.5 t

Make 25% of purchases secondhand or rental -0.3 t

Potential reduction 0.0 tons

New footprint if completed -- tons

Top Ways to Reduce

Your Personalized Reduction Plan

Based on your results, here's a tailored plan to cut 2+ tons from your footprint:

See Full Action Guide

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