1. What is Carbon Footprint?

A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent. It includes emissions from all sources including electricity, transportation, and waste.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses standard emissions factors:

Where:

• Electricity: 0.92 kg CO2e per kWh
• Natural Gas: 5.3 kg CO2e per therm
• Vehicle Miles: 0.41 kg CO2e per mile
• Flights: 90 kg CO2e per hour

Explanation: The calculator sums emissions from all activities to provide your total annual carbon footprint.

3. Importance of Carbon Footprint Calculation

Details: Understanding your carbon footprint helps identify opportunities to reduce emissions and combat climate change. The average US footprint is about 16 tons per person.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter your annual usage for each category. For accuracy, use utility bills and odometer readings. All values must be zero or positive.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's a good carbon footprint?
A: The global average is about 4 tons per person. A sustainable target would be under 2 tons.

Q2: How can I reduce my footprint?
A: Use renewable energy, drive less, fly less, eat less meat, and reduce waste.

Q3: Why are flights so high impact?
A: Aviation emissions are high because they occur high in the atmosphere and include non-CO2 effects.

Q4: What's not included in this calculator?
A: This simplified version doesn't include food, goods, services, or waste emissions.

Q5: How accurate is this calculator?
A: It provides a reasonable estimate but for precise calculations, use detailed calculators with more inputs.