How to Calculate Your Carbon Emission

Want to determine how much your daily activities impact the environment? Understanding your carbon footprint is a great way to be more conscious about the things you do and the lifestyle you lead. Greenhouse gas emissions are a hot-button topic, but it's important to discuss.

Everyone impacts the planet in some way, and greenhouse gases are responsible for some of the biggest environmental issues our home faces today. That includes climate change, global warming, pollution and more. Using a carbon emission calculator will help you understand where you stand today and what you can do tomorrow.

The Carbon Emissions Formulas

There are many ways to comprehend your carbon emissions. Companies typically use an advanced carbon emission calculator for data emission management. But you can do a few easy calculations at home for more insight into your lifestyle.

These calculations aren't an exact science. Emissions management is a complex beast! However, these equations can give you a rough estimate of your impact.

Start by looking at your monthly gas, electric and oil bills. Those are your biggest contributions to greenhouse gases. They're indirect emissions, but they count nonetheless. Once you have those figures:

• Multiply your electric bill by 105
• Multiply your gas bill by 105
• Multiply your oil bill by 113

Set those figures aside and move on to your travel habits. Planes and automobiles are some of the worst offenders in the fight against reducing greenhouse gases. If you have an electric car, you can skip this part! But for most people who run traditional internal combustion engines, you'll need to look at your yearly mileage.

Multiply that number by 0.79.

Now, think about the flights you've taken in the last year. Multiply the number of flights that lasted less than four hours by 1,100. For flights that were over 4 hours, multiply by 4,400.

Do you recycle? If you don't recycle paper, add 184. If you don't recycle aluminum or tin, add another 166.

Now, add all those figures up to get your total carbon emissions. Ideally, you want to be less than 16,000. A total of up to 22,000 is normal; anything above that means you're a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

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