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Individual Emissions

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What You Can Do

In the home or on the road, daily activities cause emissions of greenhouse gases. Individuals can produce greenhouse gas emissions directly by burning oil or gas for home heating or indirectly by using electricity generated from fossil fuel burning.

Within the United States, per person emissions can vary depending on a person’s location, habits and personal choices. For example, the types of fuel used to generate the electricity a person uses can lead to different levels of emissions. A power plant run on coal emits more greenhouse gases per unit of electricity than a power plant that uses natural gas. How much you drive and your vehicle's fuel efficiency, as well as time spent idling in traffic, also affect the level of emissions. In addition, the amount of recycling done by a person in his or her home can affect emissions by reducing the amount of methane-generating waste sent to landfills.

Your Emissions

Through actions at home, at work, and on the road, individuals can affect their greenhouse gas emissions levels. The first step in reducing your greenhouse gas emissions is to identify how much your household emits. If you have old copies of energy bills, EPA’s personal greenhouse gas emissions calculator can help estimate your household’s annual emissions.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculators

Other organizations have also created their own emissions calculators. Explore the various calculators below.

America Online’s Personal Impact Calculator Exit EPA Disclaimer
This calculator estimates household emissions and provides ideas about how to reduce them. It considers emissions from transportation, home energy and consumption.

SafeClimate Carbon Dioxide Footprint Calculator Exit EPA Disclaimer
SafeClimate's calculator allows individuals in the U.S., Canada and 36 other countries to calculate their "carbon footprint" and track their residential and transportation energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Users can choose to save their results and track their emissions over time.

AirHead’s Emissions Calculator Exit EPA Disclaimer
AirHead’s emissions calculator tabulates a user's aggregate monthly emissions of seven air pollutants (in pounds) from electricity and natural gas consumption, airplane trips as well as vehicle miles traveled and compares them with average national emissions. Emissions profiles may be saved and updated monthly to track performance. The site also offers suggestions on reducing emissions.

ICLEI’s Personal CO2 Calculation Exit EPA Disclaimer
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) provides a worksheet to determine yearly direct personal carbon dioxide emissions. Results include yearly personal carbon dioxide emissions and a per capita comparison chart to other industrialized countries. Suggestions on reducing emissions while saving money are also provided.

Travel Matters Emissions Calculators Exit EPA Disclaimer
TravelMatters! is a new Web site from the Center for Neighborhood Technology that provides a trio of resources - interactive emissions calculators, online emissions maps and educational content that emphasizes the relationship between more efficient transit systems and lower greenhouse gas emissions. TM’s Emissions Calculator allows users to conceptualize how much carbon dioxide they emit due to their travel decisions. The site also offers transportation emissions by county for all contiguous states.

CarbonCounter Exit EPA Disclaimer
Carboncounter.org is an individual carbon dioxide emissions calculator generated by The Climate Trust, a non-profit organization that invests in projects that reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions, and Mercy Corps, an international relief and development agency.

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