How big is your carbon footprint — and what would it cost to offset?
Average US carbon footprint: 16 tonnes CO2/year, ~4× world average. Offsetting at $15-30/tonne costs $240-480/year. Build your specific footprint from driving, flying, home energy, and diet.
How the footprint is computed
Sum across five categories using EPA / IPCC emissions factors:
- Driving: miles × emissions per mile (gas car: ~0.4 kg CO2/mi at 25 MPG; EV: ~0.1-0.15 kg CO2/mi depending on grid mix).
- Air travel: ~0.25 kg CO2 per passenger-km. A NY-London round-trip is ~1.5-2 tonnes.
- Home energy: kWh × grid emissions factor (US national avg 0.386 kg CO2/kWh; varies 0.05 in WA to 0.7 in WV).
- Diet: beef-heavy diet ~3.3 t/yr; average US ~2.5 t/yr; vegetarian ~1.7 t/yr.
- Goods + services: derived from spending × industry average emission intensity.
Offset cost: verified Gold Standard / Verra carbon offsets run $15-30/tonne CO2. Cheap offsets ($3-10/tonne) often have unverifiable additionality. The calculator defaults to $20/tonne.
Reference points: US average 16 t/yr, world average 4.5 t/yr, Paris Agreement 2050 target 2 t/yr per person.
Math runs locally. Inputs never leave your browser. Source on github.
Real-world scenarios
- $240-$480/year to offset a US footprint, plus the carbon-cuts that also save money — driving less, eating less beef, solar — financial and emissions wins overlap more than people expect.
- The social cost of carbon: $1,600/year invisible bill on a 16-tonne footprint — what economists mean by externalities, applied to your specific life.
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$240-$480/Year to Offset a US Carbon Footprint (Plus the Reductions That Also Save Cash)
Average US footprint: 16 tonnes CO2/year. Verified offsets cost $15-30/tonne, so $240-$480 buys carbon neutrality. Many of the bigger reductions (driving less, eating less beef, solar) cut both emissions and grocery/utility/fuel bills.
The Social Cost of Carbon: a $1,600/Year Invisible Bill on Your 16-Tonne Footprint
Economists call the damage from emitting 1 tonne of CO2 the 'social cost of carbon.' Current estimates: $50-200/tonne. Average US household: 16 tonnes/year. The invisible bill: $800-$3,200 per year — paid by future generations, not you.