Carbon Footprint Calculator
Estimate your annual personal carbon footprint across transport, home energy, diet, and shopping. See how you compare with global and country averages, and discover where to cut the most.
🚗 Transport
Car Travel
Flights (return trips per year)
Public Transport
🏠 Home Energy
🍽️ Diet
🛍️ Shopping & Consumption
Your Carbon Footprint
Total Annual Footprint
—
tonnes CO₂e / year
vs. Global Avg
—
1.5°C Target
—
Breakdown by Category
Country Comparisons (avg tonnes CO₂e/person/year)
Top Reduction Actions
| Action | Potential Saving (tCO₂e/yr) | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Avoid one long-haul return flight | 1.5 – 4.0 | Medium |
| Switch to plant-based diet (from omnivore) | 0.5 – 1.5 | Medium |
| Switch car to EV (from petrol) | 1.0 – 2.5 | High (cost) |
| Switch electricity to 100% renewable | 0.5 – 2.0 | Low (tariff switch) |
| Reduce beef consumption by half | 0.3 – 0.8 | Low |
| Work from home 3 days/week | 0.2 – 0.5 | Low |
| Install home insulation / heat pump | 0.5 – 1.5 | High (upfront cost) |
| Buy 50% less clothing | 0.1 – 0.3 | Low |
Frequently Asked Questions
A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, expressed as CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e) per year. It includes direct emissions (burning fuel) and indirect emissions (the carbon embedded in products you buy and services you use). The global average is about 4–5 tonnes per person per year.
To limit global warming to 1.5°C (the Paris Agreement goal), global emissions need to reach net zero by 2050. This implies an average personal footprint of around 2.5 tonnes CO₂e by 2030, falling further to about 0.7 tonnes by 2050. Currently the global average is about 4.7 tonnes — most people in wealthy countries need to reduce by 50–80%.
This calculator uses standard emission factors from sources including the IPCC, IEA, and EPA. It covers the main personal emission categories (transport, home energy, diet, shopping) which together account for about 70–80% of a typical personal footprint. Services, healthcare, government spending, and infrastructure embedded emissions are not included. Treat the result as an indicative estimate — the relative proportions and comparison with averages are more useful than the absolute number.
Carbon offsets can play a role, but they should supplement genuine emissions reductions — not replace them. High-quality offsets (verified by Gold Standard or VCS) fund real emission reductions elsewhere. However, permanent sequestration (like planting trees that could later burn) is uncertain. Reducing emissions at the source is always preferable to offsetting equivalent amounts.