Carbon Footprint Calculator: Estimate Your Annual CO2 Emissions for 2026
Calculate your personal carbon footprint from energy, transportation, flights, and diet. Compare your emissions to the national average.
How Your Carbon Footprint Is Calculated
Your total carbon footprint is the sum of CO2 emissions from energy use, transportation, air travel, and diet.
US average electricity emission factor is 0.855 lbs CO2/kWh (EPA eGRID). Flight emissions include radiative forcing multiplier. Diet emissions are annual averages from lifecycle analyses.
How to Use the Carbon Footprint Calculator
Enter monthly electricity usage
Find your kWh on your electric bill. The US average is about 900 kWh/month.
Enter natural gas usage
Check your gas bill for therms. Skip if you don't use natural gas.
Enter driving details
Estimate annual miles driven and your vehicle's MPG. Average American drives ~12,000 miles/year.
Enter flight frequency
Count round-trip flights: short (<3 hours) and long (>3 hours) separately.
Select your diet type
Choose the diet that best matches your eating habits. Meat-heavy diets have significantly higher emissions.
Real-World Scenario Example
"A typical American using 900 kWh/month electricity, 50 therms gas, driving 12,000 mi/yr at 25 MPG, 2 short flights, 1 long flight, average diet."
Inputs
Result
Total annual footprint of approximately 14.7 metric tons CO2, which is close to the US average of 16 tons per person.
Important Disclaimer
Emission factors are based on US national averages and may vary by region, utility provider, and vehicle type. This calculator provides estimates for awareness and planning purposes.
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