Carbon Footprint
Footprint data
The table below shows the relative carbon footprint of a number of activities in carbon dioxide emissions equivalent. I.e. some activities generate methane which has been converted into a carbon dioxide equivalent. Obviously, the exact emissions will depend on precise circumstances and these are just a guide. Some of these figures have been adapted from Chris Goodall's excellent book, "How to Live a Low Carbon Life".
| Activity | Kg of CO2 equiv. | |
|---|---|---|
| Drinking fifty glasses of London tap water | 0.015 | |
| Boiling 1 litre of water in an electric kettle | 0.060 | |
| Driving one kilometre in a Toyota Prius | 0.104 | |
| Drinking one glass of Evian bottled water | 0.172 | |
| Vegetarian meal for one made with local ingredients | 0.190 | |
| Driving one kilometre in a Lexus Hybrid Drive | 0.192 | |
| Walking from 40 York Place to Pollock (1.5 miles) and replenishing energy lost with a drink of milk | 0.425 | |
| One dishwasher cycle | 0.430 | |
| Travelling one kilometre as the sole occupant of a typical bus | 1.300 | |
| Meal containing meat with most ingredients imported | 1.800 | |
| Buying one 225g pack of spinach from Southern California | 3.000 | |
| Eating a 100g beef burger | 3.600 | |
| Discarding (not re-cycling) 120 beverage cans (average UK consumption for one year) | 20.000 | |
| Average annual emissions for a citizen of Afghanistan (2004) | 30.000 | |
| One return trip from Edinburgh to London by coach (1200km total) | 33.600 | |
| Typical UK resident total annual rail travel of 700 km | 35.000 | |
| Typical driver's total annual short trips (under 2 miles) | 55.000 | |
| Increase in power consumption in upgrading from a conventional television to a 32" LCD TV (over one year) | 60.000 | |
| Average person's domestic water consumption (pumping station emissions) over one year. | 80.000 | |
| Additional emissions over one year from one person having a bath instead of a shower every day. | 140.000 | |
| Domestic lighting using conventional bulbs per person per year | 150.000 | |
| Average person cooking with gas for one year | 150.000 | |
| Air-freighted food produce consumed by a typical middle-class UK household in one year | 200.000 | |
| Average person's annual food waste going to landfill (methane and carbon dioxide) | 215.000 | |
| Average person's annual domestic electricity consumption | 700.000 | |
| Average annual emissions for 15 people combined, one from each of Chad, Afghanistan, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cambodia, Mali, Central African Republic, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi, Burkina Faso, Niger, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Comoros (2004) | 970.000 | |
| The setting process for one tonne of cement for a patio. | 1000.000 | |
| Average person's annual car use | 1,200.000 | |
| One return flight from London to Rome | 1,500.000 | |
| Typical 10-12 m2 of office space allocated to one employee per year | 1,500.000 | |
| Average person's annual domestic gas consumption | 1,600.000 | |
| Purchasing one (small) new car | 3,000.000 | |
| One return flight to the US | 3,600.000 |
