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MasterMath

Carbon Footprint Calculator

An estimate of your annual carbon footprint from the energy you use, how you travel and what you eat.

Annual footprint

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Annual footprint—
In kilos—
Against the world average—
Against the Paris target—
Your biggest source—
Trees to offset it—

How this was worked out

    Indicative result. This is an estimate using average European emission factors. Your real footprint depends on your electricity mix, your specific habits and a great many indirect uses that are not counted here.

    The formula

    footprint = consumption × emission factor of each source

    Where it comes from

    Every activity has an emission factor: a kilowatt hour of electricity is about 250 grams of CO₂ on the European mix, and a litre of petrol 2.31 kilos. Food is estimated by diet type, because doing it properly would take an inventory of the weekly shop.

    How to work it out by hand

    1. Multiply each annual consumption by its emission factor
    2. Convert your car mileage into litres using your fuel consumption
    3. Add the estimate for your diet
    4. Add every source together

    What is worth knowing

    The numbers that place you: the world average is around 4.7 tonnes per person per year, western Europe sits nearer 5.5, and the level compatible with the Paris Agreement is 2 tonnes. A single transatlantic return flight can be over a tonne, so for anyone who flies often that one line swallows all the others however much they recycle.

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the average carbon footprint?

    Around 4.7 tonnes per person per year worldwide, and nearer 5.5 across western Europe.

    What would meet the Paris target?

    About 2 tonnes per person per year, less than half the current average.

    What pollutes most in daily life?

    Usually transport and food. If you fly several times a year, flying is normally first.

    How many trees offset a tonne?

    Around 45 mature trees over a year, counting about 22 kg absorbed per tree.