Emissions Statistics - in Metric Tonnes CO2
Understanding Emissions
A ton of *CO2e is emitted when you:
» Travel 2,000 miles in an airplane
» Drive 1,900 miles in a mid-sized car
» Run an average U.S. household for 60 days
» Have your computer on for 10,600 hours
Average *CO2e emissions per year:
» 4.5 tons from the average U.S. car
» 6.2 tons from electricity use in the average U.S. household
» 21 tons from the average U.S. resident
» 6 billion tons from the United States as a whole
» More than 25 billion tons from the entire planet
* CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent): carbon dioxide and other molecules emitted into the air cause atmospheric warming. Each type of molecule has a different warming potential (e.g. methane has 21 times the warming effect of CO2). The combined warming effect of the different types of molecules is conveyed as carbon dioxide equivalents.
Source: Clean Air-Cool Planet, A Consumer’s Guide to Retail Carbon Offset Providers.
| Emissions in Baseline Year (1990) |
| 22,768 |
| Peak Emissions (2000) | | 29,424 |
Latest Year Emissions (2007)
| | 20,347 |
| Statistic | Baseline | To | Percent of Baseline |
| % change in emissions | 1990 | 2000 | 29.23% |
| % change in emissions | 2000 | 2007 | -30.85% |
| % change in emissions | 1990 | 2007 | -10.63% |
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| Emissions per Square Foot |
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| % change in emissions | 1990
| 2007
| -31.95%
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| % change in emissions | 2000
| 2007
| -36.24%
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Other Statistics Emissions avoided by purchasing 100% green electricity to date: 28,058 MTCO
2 Composting has increased 800% to 90 tons per year
