How big is that carbon footprint?
Carbon numbers only mean something in comparison. Here is a kilogram of CO₂ against the choices people actually make.
63% of a London–New York return flight
1,000 kg CO₂e is more than 6 of the 9 references on this page.
Reference figures are measurements and are rounded; the unit conversion behind them is exact.
| Reference | Size | Yours ÷ theirs | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| a kilometre driven | 0.17 kg CO₂e | 5,882× | |
| a cup of coffee | 0.28 kg CO₂e | 3,571× | |
| a vegetarian meal | 0.5 kg CO₂e | 2,000× | |
| a London–Paris train trip | 4 kg CO₂e | 250× | |
| a beef meal | 6.6 kg CO₂e | 152× | |
| a London–Paris flight | 55 kg CO₂e | 18.2× | |
| a London–New York return flight | 1,600 kg CO₂e | 0.625× | |
| a year of average UK living | 6,500 kg CO₂e | 0.154× | |
| a year of average US living | 14,400 kg CO₂e | 1/14.4 |
Worth knowing
- One return flight from London to New York emits about a quarter of an average UK resident’s entire annual footprint.
- A beef meal emits roughly thirteen times a vegetarian one, and the difference is almost entirely methane from the animal itself.
Frequently asked
What is CO₂e?
Carbon dioxide equivalent — other greenhouse gases scaled by their warming effect over 100 years. Methane counts as about 28 times CO₂ on that basis.
What single change reduces a footprint most?
For most people in rich countries: flying less, then heating differently, then eating less beef and lamb. Recycling and standby power are real but small.
How to read this
Emission factors vary widely by country and methodology; these are representative figures for orientation.