The.CO2List.org - Amounts of CO2 Released when Making & Using Products
           
  1 - Food        
  2 - Other Home Items      
  3 - Materials      
  4 - Wood      
  5 - Roads      
  6 - Services      
  7 - Transport      
  8 - Fuels        
  9 - Land Clearance       
           
This list may confirm what you know, or may surprise you.
CO2 is not caused by others, it is caused by our choices: Heating & cooling; Buying products; Red meat versus chicken and grain; Cars and planes versus buses, trains, driving slowly and staying home. Read more below.
           
CO2LIST.ORG KILOS OF CO2  POUNDS OF CO2  UNITS OF MEASURE FOR EACH ITEM What is the answer? Solutions are discussed at http://Your.CO2List.org
Home Complete sources and calculations are at xls.CO2List.org
Bold shows some interesting items (includes effect of other greenhouse gases) (We and most others measure CO2 by weight. Its size varies, so it can't be measured in volume. For other items we pick appropriate units, shown below.) Data from US, except when the following symbols appear:
‡ Data are from UK
    † Data are from Australia
    France has data (in English) for many items, not yet incorporated here.
    Contact us     16 March 2012
CO2 POUNDS RELEASED WHILE MAKING PRODUCTS
1 - FOOD KILOS OF CO2  POUNDS OF CO2    Pounds of CO2 per 500 Calories (this is 1/4 of a daily 2,000-Calorie diet) Sweden labels individual food items
Red meat 22 22 Pounds CO2 per pound of product, or Kilos of CO2 per kilo of product 12 92% from production of animals & their feed, including N2O & methane. Remainder is transport of inputs & meat, and selling. (interesting article by former Texas Ag Commissioner http://jimhightower.com/node/6901)
Chicken, fish, eggs 6 6 4 81% from production of feed & meat
Dairy 4 4 6 91% from production of feed & animals
Cereals, carbohydrates 3 3 1.5 75% from production of crops
Fruit, vegetables 2 2 4 74% from production of crops
Oils, sweets, condiments 2 2 0.5 74% from production of crops
Balanced Diet     1.7 USDA Food Guide: 53% carbohydrate, 29% oils, 18% protein (here protein is chicken, fish, eggs) 
      http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2005/2005DGPolicyDocument.pdf
  Source: Weber & Matthews 2008 "Food-Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the United States"  based on Carnegie-Mellon's Input-Output  model of the US economy, eiolca.net.  http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es702969f
  Farm products (food, cloth, leather, biofuels) release greenhouse gases from (a) energy used to manufacture artificial fertilizer, (b) fossil fuel in making and running farm and transport equipment, (c) fixing N2 in the soil, and then releasing some as N2O, a greenhouse gas (p.61 of IEA 2004 Biofuels for Transport http://www.iea.org/textbase/nppdf/free/2004/biofuels2004.pdf
  and Crutzen et al. 2008 "N2O Release...", http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/8/389/2008/acp-8-389-2008.html
  and Davidson 2012 "Representative concentration pathways...") http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/2/024005/article
  (d) methane (CH4) created in animal stomachs and intestines, (e) deforestation when fields expand. Another thorough discussion is ICSU's http://icsu.org/
  2009 report on Biofuels, particularly chapters 6 on land use and 5 on greenhouse gases. http://cip.cornell.edu/biofuels/
Potato chips‡ 2.2 2.2   Mostly from growing crops: N2O from nitrogen-fixing bacteria, fuel
Orange Juice (high)‡ 1.4 1.4      
Orange Juice (low) 0.9 0.9 pounds CO2 per pound of product The figures in the section above are larger, and come from a much more complete methodology.
Bottled smoothie‡ 1.1 1.1 kilos CO2 per kilo of product  
Potato, Organic new‡ 0.29 0.29    
Potato, not organic‡ 0.24 0.24    
  Sources: Carbon Trust, a UK nonprofit, has a  summary  http://www.carbon-label.com/individuals/product.html
  and Report CTC744. http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/Publicsites/cScape.CT.PublicationsOrdering/PublicationAudit.aspx?id=CTC744
  US Orange juice is from a Pepsico study reported in the NY Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/business/22pepsi.html/
2-Other Home Items Kilos CO2 Pounds CO2   Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculations
Personal computer 61 61 Pounds CO2 per pound of product, or Kilos of CO2 per kilo of product  
Tires 4.4 4.4 Another 3 pounds released if tires are burned at the end of their life. So 80 pounds CO2 to make a 20-pound tire, and 60 more pounds if it is incinerated. 
Phone books 2.7 2.7  
Textbooks 2.4 2.4  
Newspapers 2.1 2.1 making 36 pages releases 1 pound (9 sheets of broadsheet paper), printing is additional
Magazines & bulk mail 1.9 1.9  
Office paper 1.1 1.1 making 88 sheets of 20# 8.5"x11" releases 1 pound of CO2, printing additional
Corrugated cardboard 1.0 1.0  
  Sources: EPA 2006, p.24, column g, chapter 2 in http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/downloads/chapter2.pdf
  "Raw materials Acquisition and Manufacturing" in Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases: A Life-Cycle Assessment of Emissions and Sinks. Includes transport to retailer & emissions abroad. They analyze recycling, including average energy used to collect & transport the recyclables as well as to make products from them. Report gives pounds of Carbon equivalent, converted here to CO2.  http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/reports.html
  The above figures on paper may be overestimates, since paper may sequester as much CO2 as its manufacture and disposal releases, even counting the methane released from slow decomposition in landfills: NCASI. 2007 "The Greenhouse Gas and Carbon Profile of the Global Forest Products Industry" p.22 http://www.ncasi.org/Publications/Detail.aspx?id=2952
Shampoo‡ 0.592 0.6 Pounds CO2 per pound of product, or Kilos of CO2 per kilo of product Hot water uses much more; shown at the end of "Services," in bright yellow below
Sweatshirt‡ 2.5 5.5    
Polo shirt‡ 1.1 2.4 per shirt  
T-shirt‡ 0.6 1.3    
Incandescent bulb, 100w‡ 0.6 1.2   Making & delivering bulb, not use. CFL gives much less CO2 per hour of use: It lasts 6 times as long & uses 1/4 the power
Incandescent bulb, 60w‡ 0.3 0.7 per bulb
Compact fluorescent bulb, 20w‡ 1.4 3.2    
Compact fluorescent bulb, 11w‡ 0.3 0.7    
Tablet laundry detergent‡ 0.3 0.7 per wash If you heat the water, it releases more CO2 than making the detergent. A basic (http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/technologies/eep_clothes_washers.html) 3-cubic foot washer uses 31 gallons of water. Heating half this water (for wash cycle) to 140oF or 170oF (see below) would release 3 pounds CO2 from a gas water heater (6-8 pounds CO2 from electric). Either dwarfs the CO2 from detergent. The most efficient washer uses 60% less water (12 gallons), so 60% less energy and CO2, but still at least a pound of CO2, which is more than making the detergent. Further discussion is at http://Your.CO2List.org
Powder laundry detergent‡ 0.2 0.5
Liquid laundry detergent: capsule or not‡ 0.2 0.4
Super concentrated liquid laundry detergent‡ 0.1 0.2
  Sources: Carbon Trust, a UK nonprofit, has a  summary  http://www.carbon-label.com/individuals/product.html
  and Report CTC744. http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/Publicsites/cScape.CT.PublicationsOrdering/PublicationAudit.aspx?id=CTC744
House 340 70 per square foot built in US, per square meter in US 1997 (This is for construction. Lifetime consumption is also significant.) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/business/energy-environment/18codes.html
House 68,000 150,000 per new house in US
House† 54,000 120,000 per new house in Australia Constructing average Australian house: 21% of CO2 is from Concrete, 14% Steel, 14% Plastic, 10% Masonry, 8% Ceramics (tiles), 6% Plaster, 5% Glass and 22% other.
  Sources: US data based on $67 per square foot and 2,140 square feet per new house sold (Census), http://www.census.gov/const/C25Ann/soldmedavgppsf.pdf
  and 1.3 lb CO2 per 1997 dollar (Weber+Matthews). http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es0629110
  Australian data come from Government and design and construction industries. Australia reports units of energy, which we converted to CO2 assuming a 3:1 ratio of natural gas to diesel in generating the energy. http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/fs52.html
  Treloar's study of Australian roads provides an estimate of CO2 per unit of energy which would be 9% higher. http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/sustainable/refs/lca/Treloar.pdf
Car 9,000 20,000 per Chevy Trailblazer SUV 4, 7 & 5 pounds CO2 per pound of vehicle, respectively, or kilo per kilo. Buying a 40mpg car and stopping use of an old 30mpg car takes 113,000 miles to pay back the 22,000 pounds manufacturing CO2. You would save more CO2 by using the rest of the life of the old car, while cutting miles per year and speed. Cutting miles 20% cuts CO2 20%. Cutting speed from 65mph to 52mph cuts CO2 another 10% (http://Your.CO2List.org)
10,000 22,000 per Toyota Camry sedan
12,000 26,000 per Ford F series pickup
  Sources: Chester, 2008, Life-cycle Environmental Inventory of Passenger Transportation in the United States (http://repositories.cdlib.org/its/ds/UCB-ITS-DS-2008-1) based on Carnegie-Mellon's Input-Output model of the US economy, eiolca.net.  http://repositories.cdlib.org/its/ds/UCB-ITS-DS-2008-1
  Consistent figures are in: Argonne National Laboratory: Stodolsky, Vyas, Cuenca and Gaines 1995 "Life-Cycle Energy Savings Potential from Aluminum-Intensive Vehicles" http://www.transportation.anl.gov/pdfs/TA/106.pdf
  and Sightline, a Seattle nonprofit, Williams-Derry 2007 "Increases in greenhouse-gas emissions from highway-widening projects" http://www.sightline.org/research/energy/res_pubs/analysis-ghg-roads
3 - MATERIALS Kilos CO2 Pounds CO2   Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculations
Iron & steel 1.6 3.6 per US $ 1997 (only CO2, not other greenhouse gases) 5.7 Canada, 6.4 Mexico, 7.2 China, 7.8 Japan, 1.0 Korea, 5.9 UK, 6.9 Germany, all in pounds of co2 per 1997 US dollar. Source: Carnegie-Mellon's Input-Output model of the US economy, with comparisons to other countries' Input-Output models, Weber & Matthews 2007, "Embodied Environmental Emissions in US International Trade." http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es0629110
Steel 4.0 4.0    
Copper† 5.5 5.5    
Aluminum (low)   1.9      
Aluminum (high) 9.2 9.2 Pounds CO2 per pound of product, or 0.28 pounds CO2 per 12 oz. aluminum can   This may be an underestimate if they assume zero emissions for hydropower, which is often used for aluminum, and has emissions from construction & deforestation.
Carpet 4.4 4.4 Kilos CO2 per kilo of product  
PVC/3\ plastic† 4.4 4.4    
Acrylic paint† 3.4 3.4 Recycling saves 90% of the CO2 released by making aluminum and plastic; 40% for glass, steel, paper.  
LDPE/4\ plastic 2.5 2.5  
HDPE/2\ plastic 2.0 2.0 0.3 pounds CO2 per gallon jug for water or milk   0.5 for heavier gallon jug for vinegar   0.03 for disposable grocery bag (0.003 after recycling)
PET/1\ plastic 2.3 2.3 0.15 pounds CO2 per 12 oz. plastic bottle   0.8 per gallon jug
Glass 0.6 0.6 0.38 pounds CO2 per 12 oz. glass bottle    1.8 per gallon jug
Granite, imported† 0.8 0.8   180 pounds CO2 per 8' of countertop
Granite, local† 0.33 0.33   80 pounds CO2 per 8' of countertop
Bricks† 0.14 0.14   0.6 pounds CO2 per standard brick
Concrete blocks† 0.08 0.08   25 pounds CO2 per 8x8x16 block
  Source of US data: EPA 2006, p.24, column g, chapter 2: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/downloads/chapter2.pdf
  "Raw materials Acquisition and Manufacturing" in Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases: A Life-Cycle Assessment of Emissions and Sinks. Includes transport to retailer & emissions abroad. They analyze recycling, including average energy used to collect & transport the recyclables as well as to make products from them. Report gives pounds of Carbon equivalent, converted here to CO2. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/reports.html
  Also EPA 2002. Source of Australian data, marked †, Australian Government and design and construction industries (http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/fs52.html). Info on kinds of plastic and recycling is at Earth911.com/ http://www.nrc-recycle.org/Data/Sites/1/Climate%20Change/EPAStudySolidWasteandGHG.pdf
  Source of Australian data, marked †, Australian Government and design and construction industries (http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/fs52.html). Info on kinds of plastic and recycling is at Earth911.com/ http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/fs52.html
  Info on kinds of plastic and recycling is at http://Earth911.com/
Concrete, direct and indirect 800 1,400 per cubic yard, including indirect effects, kg per cubic meter Includes calcining, fuel, quarrying, suppliers, placement, etc.
Concrete, direct (high) 500 900 per cubic yard, depends on strength, kg per cubic meter  
Concrete, direct (low) 200 400 DIRECT manufacturing only, including calcining
Portland Cement, direct (high) 0.8 1.4 pounds CO2 per pound of cement or kilos CO2 per kilo of cement (60% of this is from chemical process; 40% from energy used)    
Portland Cement, direct (low) 0.5 0.9    
  Sources: Data with indirect effects come from Chester, 2008, Life-cycle Environmental Inventory of Passenger Transportation in the United States based on Carnegie-Mellon's Input-Output model of the US economy, eiolca.net.  http://repositories.cdlib.org/its/ds/UCB-ITS-DS-2008-1
  Direct effects of cement manufacture come from Portland Cement Association Technical Brief  http://www.concretethinker.com/technicalbrief/Concrete-Cement-CO2.aspx
  and from Altshuler 2007 "Lowering the Carbon Footprint When Using the WafflematTM System for Concrete Slab Foundations" http://www.pacifichousingsystems.com/images/Lowering_CO2_with_Wafflemat_Whitepaper.pdf
  Portland cement is made by heating Calcium Carbonate, CaCO3, to break it into CaO (major ingredient of cement) and CO2 (released). This heating and chemical breakdown is called calcining, and is included here. Direct effects of concrete manufacture use the CO2 estimate for cement along with the strength and cement proportions of concrete from several sources: p.88 of Portland Cement Association 1988 Design & Control of Concrete Mixtures;   
  San Jose CA bid specifications; http://www.sanjoseca.gov/publicWorks/Details_Specs/documents/Section_90_Portland_Cement_Concrete_000.pdf
  and Treloar, Love & Crawford, 2004, "Hybrid Life-Cycle Inventory for Road Construction and Use" http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/sustainable/refs/lca/Treloar.pdf
Drywall/plasterboard 0.23568251 0.24 Pounds CO2 per pound of product, or Kilos of CO2 per kilo of product 12 pounds CO2 per 4x8x half inch sheet. Based on: Surace 2007 "How Green Is Your Drywall?" 
http://cleantech.com/news/1704/how-green-is-your-drywall
Same result from Australian Government and design and construction industries
http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/fs52.html
4 - WOOD Kilos CO2 Pounds CO2   Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculations
Plywood† 0.57 0.57 pounds CO2 per pound of product 23 pounds CO2 per 4x8x half inch sheet
Particleboard† 0.44 0.44 kilos CO2 per kilo of product  
Lumber, construction 0.19 0.19   1.8 pounds CO2 per 2x4x8'
Hardwood, kiln dried† 0.11 0.11    
Hardwood, air dried† 0.03 0.03    
  Sources: Australian Government and design and construction industries. http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/fs52.html
  US data from EPA 2006, p.24, column g, chapter 2: "Raw materials Acquisition and Manufacturing" http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/downloads/chapter2.pdf
  The above figures may be overestimates, since wood may sequester as much CO2 as its manufacture and eventual disposal releases: NCASI. 2007 "The Greenhouse Gas and Carbon Profile of the Global Forest Products Industry" p.22 http://www.ncasi.org/Publications/Detail.aspx?id=2952
5 - ROADS Kilos CO2 Pounds CO2   Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculations
Full-depth asphalt road† 1,200,000 4,300,000 Pounds per lane mile (40 years expected life. Definitions given in source.), or Kilos per lane-kilometer 0.06 pound CO2 per passenger mile
Continuously reinforced concrete road† 1,100,000 3,900,000  
Plain concrete road† 900,000 3,300,000 0.05 pound CO2 per passenger mile, at 5,000 trips per lane per day
Composite, asphalt, and concrete road† 900,000 3,300,000  
Deep-strength asphalt road† 800,000 2,900,000 0.04 pound CO2 per passenger mile, at 5,000 trips per lane per day
Deep-strength asphalt on bounded subbase road† 800,000 2,900,000
Asphaltic concrete on bounded subbase road† 500,000 1,900,000 0.05 pound CO2 per passenger mile
Granular road (thin asphalt over compacted earth)† 300,000 900,000 Pounds of CO2 per lane mile (20 years expected life), or kg/km 0.02 pound CO2 per passenger mile
  Sources: Treloar, Love & Crawford, 2004, "Hybrid Life-Cycle Inventory for Road Construction and Use"  http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/sustainable/refs/lca/Treloar.pdf
  See higher estimates for Korean roads: Park, Hwang, Seo and Seo 2003, "Quantitative Assessment of Environmental Impacts on Life Cycle of Highways" http://www.lcarc.re.kr/Korean/staff%20list/papers/ASCE_2003.pdf
Interstate highway 600,000 2,000,000 Pounds of CO2 per lane mile (Includes calcining of concrete; pavement widths given in source), or kg/km  
Arterial road 400,000 1,500,000  
Collector street 300,000 1,200,000  
Local urban street 300,000 900,000  
Local rural street 200,000 700,000  
  Source: Chester, 2008, Life-cycle Environmental Inventory of Passenger Transportation in the United States based on Carnegie-Mellon's Input-Output model of the US economy, eiolca.net http://repositories.cdlib.org/its/ds/UCB-ITS-DS-2008-1
CO2 POUNDS RELEASED BY DAILY OPERATIONS
6 - SERVICES Kilos CO2 Pounds CO2 Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculations
Mail a postcard (USPS) 0.03 0.06 Pounds of CO2 per postcard  
Mail a letter (USPS) 0.04 0.09 Pounds of CO2 per letter Getting 11 letters per month releases a pound of CO2
Mail a package (USPS) 0.77221435 0.8 Pounds of CO2 per pound of package mailed or kilos per kilo Getting a 21-ounce package releases a pound of CO2 (freight, buildings, etc.)
  Source: Logistics Management Institute, Canes "2001 GHG Emissions of the US Postal Service." (copy in link at left). US Postal Service (USPS) paid for this study of CO2 primarily from buildings, delivery and long distance transport, from 1985-2001. http://Your.CO2List.org
Government & defense 0.06 0.1 Pounds of CO2 per US $ 1997 (only CO2, not other greenhouse gases) 0.8 Canada, 0.2 Mexico, 1.3 China, 0.5 Japan, 0.2 Korea, 0.4 UK, 0.5 Germany, all in pounds of CO2 per US $ 1997 at purchasing power parities (PPP).
Government† 0.56 1.2 per AU $ taxes or fees  
Finance or Insurance 0.11 0.2 per US $ 1997 (only CO2,) 0.5 Canada, 0.2 Mexico, 0.8 China, 0.2 Japan, 0.1 Korea, 0.2 UK, 0.2 Germany
Includes CO2 released by bank buildings, insurance offices, site visits, etc.
Web bank account‡ 0.2 0.4 per bank account per year  
General banking† 0.2 0.4 per AU $ interest or fees For example 5% interest on $200,000 = $10,000 interest per year, releases 4,000 pounds CO2
Insurance† 0.2 0.3 per AU $ premiums or fees  
Health, social work 0.3 0.6 per US $ 1997 (only CO2,) 0.5 Canada, 0.3 Mexico, 1.5 China, 0.6 Japan, 0.3 Korea, 0.3 UK, 0.4 Germany
Education 0.3 0.6 per US $ 1997 (only CO2,) 0.7 Canada,  na Mexico, 1.5 China, 0.3 Japan, 0.1 Korea, 0.3 UK, 0.4 Germany, Includes CO2 released by school buildings, buses, etc.
Real estate 0.4 0.8 per US $ 1997 (only CO2,) 0.4 Canada, 0.2 Mexico, 0.8 China, 0.1 Japan, 0.1 Korea, 0.1 UK, 0.1 Germany
Hotels, restaurants 0.5 1.0 per US $ 1997 (only CO2,) 1.0 Canada, 0.3 Mexico, 1.0 China, 0.7 Japan, 0.2 Korea, 0.3 UK, 0.8 Germany
Construction 0.6 1.3 per US $ 1997 (only CO2,) 1.6 Canada, 1.8 Mexico, 2.9 China, 1.1 Japan, 0.4 Korea, 0.3 UK, 0.9 Germany
See graph & spreadsheet 
  Sources: Australian data are from Treloar. http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/sustainable/refs/lca/Treloar.pdf
  US & others are from Weber & Matthews 2007, "Embodied Environmental Emissions in US International Trade" (http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es0629110) based on Carnegie-Mellon's EIOLCA.net model of the US economy, with comparisons to other countries' Input-Output models. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es0629110
  Other industries for these same countries are compared in graph http://co2list.org/files/industries.htm
  and spreadsheet (bottom of "Countries" tab). In the EIOLCA.net model, Weber reports in a 16Ap'09 email that, "1) Process CO2 emissions [from calcining concrete] are included. 2) pipeline leakage methane is, but hydro reservoirs are not due to the aggregate electricity sector. 3) air travel is CO2 only due to the uncertainty in contrail effect. 4) LUC [Land Use Change] not included due to lack of data (but it can be included in such a model; the US inventory just doesn't allow us to do it with any resolution). 5) gas flaring is included." http://xls.co2list.org/
Bake potatoes‡ 1.025 1.03 Pounds of CO2 per pound of potatoes or kilos per kilo Baking anything generally takes more watts & more minutes than boiling or microwaving. Both estimates here involve cooking about 2 pounds of potatoes (just cook, not grow or deliver, which are in Food, section 1 above). 
Microwave potatoes‡ 0.28 0.28
Boil potatoes‡ 0.24 0.24
  Source: Carbon Trust Report CTC744.  http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/Publicsites/cScape.CT.PublicationsOrdering/PublicationAudit.aspx?id=CTC744
Hot water 0.013 0.11 Pounds of CO2 per gallon, gas heater, kg/liter Heat water from temperature of pipes in the ground (50oF, 10C) to 105oF (40C). Each 5-minute shower with a water-saving 2.2gpm (8 liter/min) shower head (http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/procurement/eep_showerhead.html) releases 1-3 pounds (0.5-1.4kg) CO2 plus whatever it took to collect, treat & deliver the water. 
0.031 0.26 Pounds of CO2 per gallon, electric heater, kg/liter
  Source: CO2 emissions from fuel data below. 105oF (40C) is a typical temperature of the mixed (hot+cold) water for a shower or handwashing. OSHA Technical Manual recommends 140oF (60C) in the heater to kill Legionella, and 122oF (50C) at the hot water faucets to minimize Legionella growth in the pipes while also minimizing scalding (Technical Manual Sec.III Ch.7 subsection V.C.3.a).  http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iii/otm_iii_7.html#5
  A "tempering valve" at the tank can achieve both goals. http://www.google.com/products?q=%22tempering+valve%22
  Washing machine temperatures are discussed with Appliances. The 140oF (60C) washing machine temperature discussed there can be achieved by bypassing the tempering valve. http://Your.CO2List.org
  Wisconsin has a calculator to estimate water heater fuel use at various temperatures. http://www.doa.state.wi.us/docs_view2.asp?docid=2249
7-Transport, Total CO2 Kilos CO2 Pounds CO2 Includes manufacture & maintenance of vehicles, fuel, stations, roads, airports, ports, pipelines. Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculation
Car 0.50 1.8 Pounds of CO2 per mile at 17 mpg, or kg per km at 7 kpl (14 liters/100km) Note it would be half as much (per passenger mile) with 2 people in car, or 1/4 as much with 4 people in car. In either case, cutting miles 20% cuts CO2 20%. Cutting speed from 65mph to 52mph cuts CO2 another 10%. Further discussion is at http://Your.CO2List.org
0.35 1.2 Pounds of CO2 per mile at 28 mpg, or kg per km at 12 kpl (8 liters/100km)
Airplane 164 362 Pounds or kilos of CO2 per passenger, per flight Note exponential formula, which correctly increases emissions for long flights which have to carry a lot of fuel. It works out to362 pounds for taxiing, takeoff & landing in a short flight. It adds 0.9 pounds per mile for short flights, but 1.2 pounds per mile for a 4,000-mile flight or 3.3 pounds per mile for a 17,000-mile flight. Theory is at:
  + +
  3268 7206
  × (( × (( Number on this row is raised to a power (miles or km): creating an exponential multiplier which adjusts emissions to the length of the flight
  1.0000791 1.000127
  ^km) -1) ^miles) -1) http://co2list.org/files/exp.htm
Airplane 104 230 Pounds or kilos of CO2 per passenger, per flight This is a simpler linear approximation, with a smaller constant per takeoff, but more per mile, than the exponential formula above.
+ +
0.34 1.20
×km ×miles
Local bus 0.2 0.7 Pounds of CO2 per passenger mile or kg per passenger-kilometer Empty on much of route; stop & go.
Long distance bus 0.05 0.2 Routes are designed so buses are full
Commuter rail 0.11 0.4 Would be higher than direct measure below, but this commuter rail study covers only a few systems, with very high ridership, so low emissions per passenger mile
  Sources: Chester, 2008, Life-cycle Environmental Inventory of Passenger Transportation in the United States  http://repositories.cdlib.org/its/ds/UCB-ITS-DS-2008-1
  based on Carnegie-Mellon's Input-Output model of the US economy http://eiolca.net
  For cars, the estimates include manufacture, refrigerant leaks, roads, etc. We slightly correct the CO2 from fuel to match EIA figures of 19.6 pounds CO2 per gallon of gas. The spreadsheet compares other sources with surprisingly consistent results, http://xls.co2list.org/
  including Toyota http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3012/is_2_185/ai_n12937459
  and Environmental Defense Fund.  http://www.edf.org/documents/3986_CAAutoCarbonBurden.pdf
  For air, Chester reports small, medium and large planes, typically used on short, medium and long trips. We add effects of NOX, water vapor & contrails, and fit an equation to show how emissions vary per mile. The spreadsheet compares our estimates to several other sources. http://xls.co2list.org/
  An effect not included here is that contrails reduce the daily temperature range about 2oF by cooling the days and warming the nights. It is not clear how or whether this affects global warming. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v418/n6898/abs/418601a.html
  and http://facstaff.uww.edu/travisd/pdf/jetcontrailsrecentresearch.pdf
Walking 0.19 0.69 Pounds of CO2 per mile at 2-4 mph, or kg/km at 3-6 kph Includes food to supply calories burned, and emissions from manufacturing shoes which last 400 miles. Walking includes building sidewalks for 50% of miles walked. Running does not include any particular surface.
Running 0.18 0.64 Pounds of CO2 per mile at 6-11 mph, or kg/km at 10-18 kph
Bicycle 0.07 0.24 Pounds of CO2 per mile (at 10-20 mph, or 30 mph in electric bicycle), or kg/km (at 16-32 kph, or 48kph electric) Includes CO2 from building bike lanes for 10% of distance traveled. Includes food to supply calories burned, and emissions from producing bike lane and bike (whose parts last weighted average of 20,000 miles or 32,000 km). Electric bike assumes 1,000 watts and 20% recharging loss.
Rail freight 0.020 0.06 Pounds of CO2 per ton mile, or kg per tonne-kilometer  
Inland water 0.021 0.07  
Ocean shipping, container 0.014 0.05  
Ocean shipping, bulk 0.011 0.04  
Ocean shipping, tanker 0.007 0.02  
Oil pipeline 0.016 0.05  
Gas pipeline 0.18 0.58 includes gas leaks (methane) from pipeline
Truck 0.18 0.58  
Air freight 0.7 2.2  
  Source: Weber & Matthews 2008 "Food-Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the United States" based on Carnegie-Mellon's Input-Output model of the US economy, eiolca.net http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es702969f
TRANSPORT, Direct Fuel Kilos CO2 Pounds CO2 Omits manufacture & maintenance of vehicles, stations, railroads. Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculation
Power boat 3.4 12 Pounds of CO2 per mile at 2 mpg, or kg/km at .85 kpl  
1.7 6 Pounds of CO2 per mile at 4 mpg, or kg/km at 1.7 kpl  
  Source: Boats range from less than half a mile per gallon to 11 miles per gallon. 2 - 4 mpg is a fairly common level. http://fuel.boatwakes.org/
  There is a graph of mpg by speed for a variety of boats at http://boatwakes.org/files/graph.htm 
Commuter rail 0.11 0.4   National averages are nearly the same for local & long distance trains
Diesel trains (Amtrak) 0.12 0.4 Pounds of CO2 per passenger mile, or kg/km
Electric trains (Amtrak) 0.09 0.3  
  Source: M.J. Bradley & Associates 2007 for American Bus Association, Table 1.1 "Comparison of Energy Use & CO2 Emissions From Different Transportation Modes" http://www.buses.org/files/ComparativeEnergy.pdf
8 - FUELS Grams CO2 per Megajoule Pounds CO2 per unit shown below Grams per megajoule (MJ) are often used internationally to compare CO2 for the same energy of different fuels. A MJ is small, just over a quarter of a kilowatt-hour (0.28). Divide the grams shown here by 126 to get pounds per kWh. Divide by 454 to get pounds per MJ. Divide by 1,000 to get kilos per MJ.
      Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculations.
      Figures include production, delivery losses, and deforestation, except where noted. Hydro, biofuels, wind & coal all release CO2 by deforestation. Solar can avoid deforestation if placed on roofs and deserts. 
      Electricity emits higher CO2 for the same energy (per MJ) than other fuels, because of losses in generating & transmitting. 
Electricity 230 1.8 per kilowatt hour delivered, US average Includes CO2 from fossil fuels, hydroelectricity, nuclear, wind, solar. Further discussion and other countries are at http://Your.CO2List.org
Electricity 230 18 per US $ 2008 2008 prices & 2004 production methods, same sources as "per kWh" data above
Electricity na 20 per US $ 1997 11 Canada, 13 Mexico, 15 China, 9 Japan, 7 Korea, 7 UK, 15 Germany, all  in pounds of CO2 per US $ 1997 at purchasing power parities (PPP). Excludes deforestation and nuclear waste.
Nuclear 40 0.3 per kilowatt-hour delivered Will rise when growth requires mining & enriching lower grade ores. We added $1 billion/year for 1,000 years of protection of radioactive waste (adds 1.4g/MJ). Further discussion is at Your.CO2List.org
  Sources: Basic data are from Battelle 6/2007 for US Dept. of Energy, Deru and Torcellini "Source Energy and Emission Factors." http://dx.doi.org/10.2172/884990
  Prices by state are from EIA table 5.6.B. http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/table5_6_b.html
  1997 data are from Carnegie-Mellon's EIOLCA.net model of the US economy, with comparisons to other countries' Input-Output models, Weber & Matthews 2007, "Embodied Environmental Emissions in US International Trade" http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es0629110
  Nuclear data are from Storm van Leeuwen 2008 "Nuclear Power - the Energy Balance" and include a small allowance to mine a cavern for permanent storage.  http://www.stormsmith.nl/
  Further discussion is at  http://Your.CO2List.org
Solar panel: monocrystalline silicon 17 0.13 per kilowatt-hour delivered, if it produces electricity for 30 years 64 pounds CO2 per square foot photovoltaic
Solar panel: multicrystalline silicon 16 0.13 58 pounds per square foot photovoltaic
Solar panel: ribbon silicon 14 0.11 42 pounds per square foot photovoltaic
Solar panel: cadmium telluride 8 0.06 20 pounds per square foot photovoltaic
  Source: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Columbia & Utrecht Universities, Fthenakis, Kim and Alsema 2008 "Emissions from Photovoltaic Life Cycles." Most CO2 emissions are from energy used during manufacture, and they can be reduced by using solar electricity instead of grid electricity. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es071763q
Wind Turbine 13 0.11 per kilowatt-hour delivered, if it produces electricity for 20 years 11,000,000 pounds per 1.8 megawatt turbine. Windmills take energy to manufacture the steel structure, concrete base, and transmission wires. If land is cleared to allow wind to reach the structure, that also releases CO2. Also kills birds & bats
Hydroelectric (average weighted by power, primarily scrubland) 134 1.1 per kilowatt-hour delivered Preliminary. Includes deforestation for reservoir. Reservoir also converts to methane some of the flooded carbon, as well as tributaries' carbon detritus, which would have just become CO2 without the low oxygen conditions at the bottom of the reservoir.  The higher numbers shown are from shallow tropical reservoirs which flood & decay large areas relative to the power generated; even so these are underestimates, since they omit construction, and gas released at turbines. Further discussion is at Your.CO2List.org
Hydroelectric (unweighted average of ecosystems) 446 3.5
Hydroelectric (in rain forest) 1575 12
  Source for wind turbines: Spreadsheet has partial estimates for the steel structure, concrete base and clearing a ridgetop location, as well as a couple of estimates from the wind industry. http://xls.co2list.org/
  Source for hydroelectric: Farrer 2007 "Hydroelectric Reservoirs - the Carbon Dioxide and Methane Emissions of a 'Carbon Free' Energy Source" http://www.up.ethz.ch/education/term_paper/termpaper_hs07/Farrer_rev_termpaper_hs07.pdf
  Further discussion is at  Your.CO2List.org
Anthracite coal 101 2.9     Note coal releases at least 40% more CO2 than natural gas to create the same energy. Omits deforestation of mountain tops & valley fills.
Bituminous coal 104 2.9 per pound  
Lignite 162 2.4    
Natural gas 63 15 per 100 cubic feet or per therm Some people are billed by cubic foot, some by therm (100,000 BTU). 100 cubic feet contain about one therm, Pipe leaks may not be fully covered by these figures. Leaks are particularly important, since natural gas is CH4, methane, which is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2.
Diesel & heating oil 83 27 per gallon    
Gasoline 83 24 per gallon   Go slow: 52 saves CO2
   
  Sources: Battelle 6/2007 for US Dept. of Energy, Deru and Torcellini "Source Energy and Emission Factors." http://dx.doi.org/10.2172/884990
  European Union 2008 Well to Tank Report, pp.47-51,regularly updated. http://ies.jrc.ec.europa.eu/uploads/media/WTT%20App%202%20v30%20181108.pdf
  Study for GM by Argonne National Laboratory, BP, Exxon-Mobil & Shell 2001, fig.ES-1.4 Well-to-Wheel Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Advanced Fuel/Vehicle Systems http://www.transportation.anl.gov/pdfs/TA/163.pdf
  or draft copy. Note this is just CO2 from the fuel; full impact of transport is above, at the heading "Transport." http://www.cleanairnet.org/infopool/1411/articles-35722_well_wheel.pdf
Ethanol from corn in USA 119 35 per quantity of each fuel, having the same energy as one gallon of gas Includes deforestation amortized over 100 years of production. Fields diverted from food to ethanol are replaced by clearing forests elsewhere for food 
Ethanol from sugar cane in Brazil 69 20
Ethanol from corn in USA 72 21 per quantity of each fuel, having the same energy as one gallon of gas Omits deforestation.
Ethanol from sugar cane in Brazil 15 4
Ethanol from sugar beets in EU 26 8
Biodiesel 15 4 per quantity of each fuel, having the same energy as one gallon of gas Omits deforestation for palm oil plantations. Waste oils are too few for significant biodiesel production. Greenpeace says, "Using biofuels containing palm oil to tackle climate change is like using a can of petrol to put out a fire and would produce more carbon emissions than burning conventional fossil fuels." http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/forests/faq-palm-oil-forests-and-climate-change. Algal diesel emits N2O and methane, and only careful design can make CO2 effects less than diesel http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/1/014030/article
Biodiesel 76 22
Hydrogen in EU from natural gas 112 33 per quantity of hydrogen, having the same energy as one gallon of gas Hydrogen is clean at point of use, but producing it uses more energy than it contains. 
  Sources: Most data on biofuels and hydrogen come from European Commission Joint Research Centre 2008 Well to Tank Report, pp.47-51, regularly updated. The study includes greenhouse gases released in producing the fuels, but not deforestation. http://ies.jrc.ec.europa.eu/uploads/media/WTT%20App%202%20v30%20181108.pdf
  Deforestation is estimated from several sources, shown in spreadsheet.  http://xls.co2list.org
  Farm products (food, cloth, leather, biofuels) release greenhouse gases from (a) energy used to manufacture artificial fertilizer, (b) fossil fuel in making and running farm and transport equipment, (c) fixing N2 in the soil, and then releasing some as N2O, a greenhouse gas (p.61 of IEA 2004 Biofuels for Transport http://www.iea.org/textbase/nppdf/free/2004/biofuels2004.pdf
  and Crutzen et al. 2008 "N2O Release...") http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/8/389/2008/acp-8-389-2008.html
  and Davidson 2012 "Representative concentration pathways..." http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/2/024005/article
  (d) methane (CH4) created in animal stomachs and intestines, (e) deforestation when fields expand. Another thorough discussion is ICSU's http://icsu.org/
  2009 report on Biofuels, particularly chapters 6 on land use and 5 on greenhouse gases. http://cip.cornell.edu/biofuels/
Propane, LPG 72 15      
"Residual" Fuel Oil 90 28 per gallon    
Kerosene, used by 99% of civilian planes 81 25      
  Source: Battelle 6/2007 for US Dept. of Energy, Deru and Torcellini "Source Energy and Emission Factors. http://dx.doi.org/10.2172/884990
"Aviation gas;" used by 1% of civilian planes 75 21      
"Jet fuel," used by some military planes, but declining 77 27 per gallon    
Petroleum coke 97 32    
Lubricants 89 28     Omits production & delivery
Butane 69 15      
Tires, tire-derived fuel 82 3 per pound    
Municipal solid waste 86 1.0      
Crude oil 71 951 per barrel (42 gallons)    
  Source: EIA Emission Coefficient http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/coefficients.html
9 - Land Clearance Kg CO2 per square meter Pounds CO2 per square foot  Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculation
Equatorial Forests in Tropics 87 -105 18 -21 IF CLEARED
103 -122 21 -25 IF FLOODED (When land is flooded by a dam, more carbon-equivalent is released than when the same land is cleared, since flooding converts carbon to methane which has a stronger greenhouse effect)
Seasonal Forests in Tropics 52 -78 11 -16 If cleared
65 -89 13 -18 If flooded
Dry Forests in Tropics 34 -58 7 -12 If cleared
43 -69 9 -14 If flooded
Temperate & Northern Forests 33 -43 7 -9 If cleared
33 -40 7 -8 If flooded (Less methane in cold climates than in the tropics)
  Sources: 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/pdf/4_Volume4/V4_04_Ch4_Forest_Land.pdf
  Gibbs et al., "Monitoring and estimating tropical forest carbon stocks,"  http://www.sage.wisc.edu/pubs/articles/F-L/Gibbs/gibbsERLarticle2007.pdf
  Soil data from Houghton+Hackler. CDIAC 2001, Carbon Flux to the Atmosphere from Land-Use Changes: 1850 to 1990  http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/epubs/ndp/ndp050/ndp050appC.html
Contact us
Notes are at http://Your.CO2List.org and complete sources and calculations are at xls.CO2List.org Data from US, except:
‡ Data are from UK          
† Data are from Australia      
           
Conversion Factors Used 
kilos/pound 0.4536
sq.feet/sq.meter 10.7639 4.8824 convert lb/sf to kg/sq.m
cubic yard/cubic meter 1.3080 0.5933 convert lb/cu.yd to kg/cu.meter
gallons/liter 0.2641721 0.1198 convert lb/gallon to kg/liter
kwh/megajoule 0.2777778 0.1260 convert lb/kwh to kg/megajoule
mile/kilometer 0.6214 0.2818 convert lb/mi to kg/km
ton/tonne 1.1023 0.3107 convert lb/ton-mile to kg/tonne-km