CO2List.org The List

CO₂ Released when Making & Using Products

This page is The.CO2List.org

1 - Food

2 - Other Home Items

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 Home Bold shows some of the interesting items	POUNDS OF CO₂(includes effect of other greenhouse gases)	UNITS OF MEASURE FOR EACH ITEM (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.)					What is the answer? Solutions are discussed at co2list.weebly.com/1/category/solutions/1.html Complete sources and calculations are at xls.CO2List.org 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 1/5/2012
CO₂ POUNDS RELEASED WHILE MAKING PRODUCTS
1 - FOOD			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	pounds CO₂ per pound of product kilos 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 on cattle diets by former Texas Ag Commissioner; interesting video on whether we really prefer meat)
Chicken, fish, eggs	6				4		81% from production of feed & meat
Dairy	4				6		91% from production of feed & animals
Cereals, carbohydrates	3				1.5		75% from production of crops
Fruit, vegetables	2				4		74% from production of crops
Oils, sweets, condiments	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)
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. 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 and Crutzen et al. 2008 "N₂O Release..."), (d) methane (CH₄) created in animal stomachs and intestines, (e) deforestation when fields expand. Another thorough discussion is ICSU's 2009 report on Biofuels, particularly chapters 6 on land use and 5 on greenhouse gases.
Potato chips‡	2	pounds CO₂ per pound of product kilos CO₂ per kilo of product					Mostly from growing crops: N₂O from nitrogen-fixing bacteria, fuel The figures in the section above are larger, and come from a much more complete methodology.
Orange juice	0.9-1.4
Bottled smoothie‡	1.1
Organic new potato‡	0.29
Potato, not organic‡	0.24
Source: Carbon Trust, a UK nonprofit, has a summary and Report CTC744. Orange juice is from a Pepsico study reported in the NY Times
2 - OTHER HOME ITEMS							Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculations
Personal computer	61	pounds CO₂ per pound of product kilos CO₂ per kilo of product
Tires	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
Textbooks	2.4
Newspapers	2.1						making 36 pages releases 1 pound (9 sheets of broadsheet paper), printing is additional
Magazines & bulk mail	1.9
Office paper	1.1						making 88 sheets of 20# 8.5"x11" releases 1 pound of CO₂, printing additional
Corrugated cardboard	1.0
Source: EPA 2006, p.24, column g, chapter 2: "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. 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
Shampoo‡	0.6						Hot water uses much more; shown at the end of "Services," in bright yellow below
Sweatshirt‡	5-6	per shirt
Polo shirt‡	2.4
T-shirt‡	1.1-1.4
Incandescent light bulb‡	1	per bulb					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
Compact fluorescent bulb‡	1-3	per bulb
Tablet laundry detergent‡	0.7	per wash					If you heat the water, it releases more CO₂ than making the detergent. A basic 3 cubic foot washer uses 31 gallons of water. Heating half this water (for wash cycle) to 140^oF or 170^oF (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
Powder laundry detergent‡	0.5
Liquid laundry detergent: capsule or not‡	0.4
Super concentrated liquid laundry detergent‡	0.2
Source: Carbon Trust, a UK nonprofit, has a summary and Report CTC744.
House	78	per square foot built in US					1997 (This is for construction. Lifetime consumption is also significant.)
House	170,000	per new house in US
House†	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.
Source: US data based on $67 per square foot (Census), 1.3 lb CO₂ per 1997 dollar (Weber+Matthews), and 2,140 square feet per new house sold (Census) Australian 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. Treloar's study of Australian roads provides an estimate of CO₂ per unit of energy which would be 9% higher.
Car	20,000 22,000 26,000	per Chevy Trailblazer SUV per Toyota Camry sedan per Ford F series pickup					4, 7 & 5 pounds CO₂ per pound of vehicle, respectively. .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%.
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. Consistent figures are in: Argonne National Laboratory: Stodolsky, Vyas, Cuenca and Gaines 1995 "Life-Cycle Energy Savings Potential from Aluminum-Intensive Vehicles" and Sightline, a Seattle nonprofit, Williams-Derry 2007 "Increases in greenhouse-gas emissions from highway-widening projects"
3 - MATERIALS							Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculations
Iron & steel	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. 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."
Steel	4	pounds CO₂ per pound of product kilos CO₂ per kilo of product Recycling saves 90% of the CO₂ released by making aluminum and plastic; 40% for glass, steel, paper.
Copper†	6
Aluminum	2 - 9						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
PVC/3\ plastic†	4
Acrylic paint†	3.4
LDPE/4\ plastic	2.5
HDPE/2\ plastic	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						0.15 pounds CO₂ per 12 oz. plastic bottle 0.8 per gallon jug
Glass	0.6						0.38 pounds CO₂ per 12 oz. glass bottle 1.8 per gallon jug
Granite, imported†	0.8						180 pounds CO₂ per 8' of countertop
Granite, local†	0.3						80 pounds CO₂ per 8' of countertop
Bricks†	0.1						0.6 pounds CO₂ per standard brick
Concrete blocks†	0.1						25 pounds CO₂ per 8x8x16 block
Source of US data: EPA 2006, p.24, column g, chapter 2: "Raw materials Acquisition and Manufacturing" in Solid Waste Management and Greenhouse Gases: A Life-Cycle Assessment of Emissions and Sinks http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/waste/reports.html 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. (also EPA 2002) Source of Australian data, marked †, Australian Government and design and construction industries. Info on kinds of plastic and recycling is at Earth911.com/
Concrete	1,400	per cubic yard, including indirect effects					Includes calcining, fuel, quarrying, suppliers, placement, etc.
Concrete	400-800	per cubic yard, depends on strength					Direct manufacturing only, including calcining
Portland Cement	0.9	per pound of cement (60% of this is from chemical process; 40% from energy used)					Direct manufacturing only, including calcining
Source: 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. Direct effects of cement manufacture come from Portland Cement Association Technical Brief and from Altshuler 2007 "Lowering the Carbon Footprint When Using the Wafflemat^TM System for Concrete Slab Foundations" 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; Treloar, Love & Crawford, 2004, "Hybrid Life-Cycle Inventory for Road Construction and Use"
Drywall/plasterboard	0.2	pounds CO₂ per pound of product kilos 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 at http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/fs52.html
4 - WOOD							Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculations
Plywood†	0.6	pounds CO₂ per pound of product kilos CO₂ per kilo of product					23 pounds CO₂ per 4x8x half inch sheet
Particleboard†	0.4
Lumber, construction	0.2						1.8 pounds CO₂ per 2x4x8'
Hardwood, kiln dried†	0.1
Hardwood, air dried†	0.03
Source: Australian Government and design and construction industries; US data from EPA 2006, p.24, column g, chapter 2: "Raw materials Acquisition and Manufacturing" 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
5 - ROADS							Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculations
Full-depth asphalt road†	4,300,000	Pounds of CO₂ per lane mile (40 years expected life. Definitions given in source.)					0.06 pound CO₂ per passenger mile
Continuously reinforced concrete road†	3,900,000						0.05 pound CO₂ per passenger mile, at 5,000 trips per lane per day
Plain concrete road†	3,300,000
Composite, asphalt, and concrete road†	3,300,000
Deep-strength asphalt road†	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†	2,900,000
Asphaltic concrete on bounded subbase road†	1,900,000	Pounds of CO₂ per lane mile (20 years expected life)					0.05 pound CO₂ per passenger mile
Granular road (thin asphalt over compacted earth)†	900,000	Pounds of CO₂ per lane mile (20 years expected life)					0.02 pound CO₂ per passenger mile
Source: Treloar, Love & Crawford, 2004, "Hybrid Life-Cycle Inventory for Road Construction and Use." See higher estimates for Korean roads: Park, Hwang, Seo and Seo 2003, "Quantitative Assessment of Environmental Impacts on Life Cycle of Highways"
Interstate highway	2,000,000	Pounds of CO₂ per lane mile (Includes calcining of concrete; pavement widths given in source)
Arterial road	1,500,000
Collector street	1,200,000
Local urban street	900,000
Local rural street	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
CO₂ POUNDS RELEASED BY DAILY OPERATIONS
6 - SERVICES		Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculations
Mail a postcard (USPS)	0.06	Pounds of CO₂ per postcard
Mail a letter (USPS)	0.09	Pounds of CO₂ per letter					Getting 11 letters per month releases a pound of CO₂
Mail a package (USPS)	0.8	Pounds of CO₂ per pound of package mailed					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." US Postal Service (USPS) paid for this study of CO₂ primarily from buildings, delivery and long distance transport, from 1985-2001. Further discussion
Government & defense	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†	1.2	per AU $ taxes or fees
Finance or Insurance	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‡	0.4	per bank account per year
General banking†	0.4	per AU $ interest or fees					5% interest on $200,000 = $10,000 interest per year, releases 4,000 pounds CO₂
Insurance†	0.3	per AU $ premiums or fees
Health, social work	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	0.6	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	0.8	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	1	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	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
Source: Australian data are from Treloar. US & others are from Weber & Matthews 2007, "Embodied Environmental Emissions in US International Trade" based on Carnegie-Mellon's EIOLCA.net model of the US economy, with comparisons to other countries' Input-Output models. Other industries for these same countries are compared in graph & 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."
Bake potatoes‡	1	Pounds of CO₂ per pound of potatoes					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 below).
Boil or microwave potatoes‡	0.2 - 0.3	Pounds of CO₂ per pound of potatoes
Source: Carbon Trust Report CTC744.
Hot water	0.11 0.24	Pounds of CO₂ per gallon, gas heater Pounds of CO₂ per gallon, electric heater					Heat water from temperature of pipes in the ground (50^o) to 105^oF. Each 5-minute shower with a water-saving 2.2gpm shower head releases 1-3 pounds CO₂ plus whatever it took to collect, treat & deliver the water.
Source: CO₂ emissions from fuel data below. 105^oF is a typical temperature of the mixed (hot+cold) water for a shower or handwashing. OSHA Technical Manual recommends 140^oF in the heater to kill Legionella, and 122^oF at the faucets to minimize Legionella growth in the pipes while also minimizing scalding (Technical Manual Sec.III Ch.7 subsection V.C.3.a). A "tempering valve" at the tank can achieve both goals. Washing machine temperatures are discussed with appliances. The 140^oF washing machine temperature discussed there can be achieved by bypassing the tempering valve. Wisconsin has a calculator to estimate water heater fuel use at various temperatures.
7 - TRANSPORT, Total CO₂		Includes manufacture & maintenance of vehicles, fuel, stations, roads, airports, ports, pipelines. Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculation
Car	1.8 1.2	Pounds of CO₂ per mile at 17 mpg Pounds of CO₂ per mile at 28 mpg					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%.
Airplane	362 + 7206× (1.000127325^miles−1)	Pounds of CO₂ per passenger, per takeoff					Note exponential formula, which correctly increases emissions for long flights which have to carry a lot of fuel (theory). 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.
Airplane	230+ 1.2×miles	Pounds of CO₂ per passenger, per takeoff					This is a simpler linear approximation, with a smaller constant per takeoff, but more per mile.
Local bus	0.7	Pounds of CO₂ per passenger mile					Empty on much of route; stop & go.
Long distance bus	0.2						Routes are designed so buses are full
Commuter rail	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
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. 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, including Toyota and Environmental Defense Fund. For air, Chester reports small, medium and large planes, typically used on short, medium and long trips. We add effects of NO_X, water vapor & contrails, and fit an equation to show how emissions vary per mile. The spreadsheet compares our estimates to several other sources. An effect not included here is that contrails reduce the daily temperature range about 2^oF by cooling the days and warming the nights. It is not clear how or whether this affects global warming: www.nature.com/nature/journal/v418/n6898/abs/418601a.html and http://facstaff.uww.edu/travisd/pdf/jetcontrailsrecentresearch.pdf
Walking	0.7	Pounds of CO₂ per mile at 2-4 mph					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	0.6	Pounds of CO₂ per mile at 6-11 mph (5-10 minute mile)
Bicycle	0.2-0.3	Pounds of CO₂ per mile at 10-20 mph, or 30 mph in electric bicycle					Includes CO₂ from building bike lanes for 10% of bike-miles traveled. Includes food to supply calories burned, and emissions from producing bike lane and bike (whose parts last weighted average of 20,000 miles). Electric bike assumes 1,000 watts and 20% recharging loss.
Rail freight	0.06-0.07	Pounds of CO₂ per ton mile
Inland water	0.07
Ocean shipping, container	0.05
Ocean shipping, bulk	0.04
Ocean shipping, tanker	0.02
Oil pipeline	0.05
Gas pipeline	0.58						includes gas leaks (methane) from pipeline
Truck	0.58
Air freight	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
TRANSPORT, Direct Fuel		Omits manufacture & maintenance of vehicles, stations, railroads. Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculation
Power boat	10 5	Pounds of CO₂ per mile at 2 mpg Pounds of CO₂ per mile at 4 mpg					Source: Boats range from less than half a mile per gallon to 11 miles per gallon. 2 - 4 mpg is a fairly common level 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	0.4	Pounds of CO₂ per passenger mile					National averages are nearly the same for local & long distance trains
Diesel trains (Amtrak)	0.4
Electric trains (Amtrak)	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"
8 - FUELS		Pounds CO₂ per unit shown below		Grams CO₂ per Megajoule Compares CO₂ for same energy of each fuel			Grams per megajoule (MJ) is 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/MJ. Divide by 1,000 to get kilos/MJ.
Summary: Grams CO₂ per Megajoule Electricity ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] 230 USA average Hydroelectric ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]] > 120 to 1400 from plants decaying into methane Ethanol ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] 120 from growing crops & clearing land Coal ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] 100 when used for heating Gasoline ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] 85 Natural Gas ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] 65 Nuclear ]]]]]]]]]]] 35 Wind ]]]] 13 from construction & land clearing Solar ]] 8 from manufacture Figures below include production & delivery except where stated. Complete sources and step-by-step calculations are in spreadsheet. "Electricity" figures omit CO₂ from deforestation and from nuclear mining & waste. Hydro, biofuels, wind & coal all release CO₂ by deforestation. Solar can avoid deforestation if placed on roofs and deserts. Even with omissions, grid Electricity emits higher CO₂ for the same energy (per MJ) than other fuels, because of losses in generating & transmitting.
Electricity	1.8	per kilowatt hour delivered US average				230	Includes CO₂ from fossil fuels, hydroelectricity, nuclear, wind, solar. Further discussion and other countries
Electricity	17	per US $ 2008				210	2008 prices & 2004 production methods, only fossil fuels
Electricity	20	per US $ 1997				250	11 Canada, 13 Mexico, 15 China, 9 Japan, 7 Korea, 7 UK, 15 Germany, all per US $ 1997 at purchasing power parities (PPP), only fossil fuels
Nuclear	0.3	per kilowatt-hour delivered				35	Will rise when growth requires mining & enriching lower grade ores. Further discussion
Source: Basic data are from Battelle 6/2007 for US Dept. of Energy, Deru and Torcellini "Source Energy and Emission Factors." Prices by state are from EIA table 5.6.B. 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." 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. None of the studies includes permanently guarding or monitoring the storage of radioactive waste. Further discussion.
Solar panel: monocrystalline silicon	0.13	per kilowatt-hour delivered, if it produces electricity for 30 years				17	64 pounds CO₂ per square foot photovoltaic
Solar panel: multicrystalline silicon	0.13					16	58 pounds per square foot photovoltaic
Solar panel: ribbon silicon	0.11					14	42 pounds per square foot photovoltaic
Solar panel: cadmium telluride	0.07					8	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.
Wind Turbine	0.11	per kilowatt-hour delivered, if it produces electricity for 20 years				13	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	1-11	per kilowatt-hour delivered				120-1400	Preliminary. Includes deforestation for reservoir. Reservoir 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. Further discussion
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. Source for hydroelectric: Farrer 2007 "Hydroelectric Reservoirs - the Carbon Dioxide and Methane Emissions of a 'Carbon Free' Energy Source" Further discussion.
Anthracite coal	3	per pound				101	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	3					104
Lignite	24					162
Natural gas	14 - 17	per 100 cubic feet or per therm				60-70	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	27 - 28	per gallon				83-86
Gasoline	21 - 25	per gallon				80-90	Go slow: *52 saves CO2*
Source: Battelle 6/2007 for US Dept. of Energy, Deru and Torcellini "Source Energy and Emission Factors." European Union 2008 Well to Tank Report, pp.47-51,regularly updated. 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 or draft copy. Note this is just CO₂ from the fuel; full impact of transport is above, at the heading "Transport."
Ethanol from corn in USA	35	per quantity of each fuel, having the same energy as one gallon of gas				119	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	20					69
Ethanol from corn in USA	20					72	Omits deforestation.
Ethanol from sugar cane in Brazil	3 - 7					10-20
Ethanol from sugar beets in EU	4 - 11					10-40
Biodiesel	4 - 22					20-80	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."
Hydrogen in EU from natural gas	33	per quantity of hydrogen, having the same energy as one gallon of gas				112	Hydrogen is clean at point of use, but producing it uses more energy than it contains.
Source: 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. Deforestation is estimated from several sources, shown in spreadsheet. 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 and Crutzen et al. 2008 "N₂O Release..."), (d) methane (CH₄) created in animal stomachs and intestines, (e) deforestation when fields expand. Another thorough discussion is ICSU's 2009 report on Biofuels, particularly chapters 6 on land use and 5 on greenhouse gases.
Propane, LPG	15 - 16	per gallon				70-80
"Residual" Fuel Oil	30					87
Kerosene, used by 99% of civilian planes	25					81
Source: Battelle 6/2007 for US Dept. of Energy, Deru and Torcellini "Source Energy and Emission Factors.
"Aviation gas;" used by 1% of civilian planes	18 - 24	per gallon				70-80	Omits production & delivery
"Jet fuel," used by some military planes, but declining	21 - 32					70-90
Petroleum coke	32					97
Lubricants	28					89
Butane	15					69
Tires, tire-derived fuel	3	per pound				82
Municipal solid waste	1	per pound				86
Crude oil	950	per barrel (42 gallons)				71
Source: EIA Emission Coefficients
9 - Land Clearance		Pounds CO₂ per square foot					Spreadsheet has complete sources and calculation
Equatorial Forests in Tropics	18-21 21-25	if cleared if flooded					Flooding in a long term reservoir, as for a dam, releases more Carbon as methane than clearing, so it has a stronger greenhouse effect
Seasonal Forests in Tropics	11-16 13-18	if cleared if flooded
Dry Forests in Tropics	7-12 9-14	if cleared if flooded
Temperate & Northern Forests	7-9 7-8	if cleared if flooded					Less methane in cold climates than in the tropics
Source: 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Gibbs et al., "Monitoring and estimating tropical forest carbon stocks," Soil data from Houghton+Hackler. CDIAC 2001, Carbon Flux to the Atmosphere from Land-Use Changes: 1850 to 1990
What is the answer? Personal and collective solutions are discussed at: co2list.weebly.com/1/category/solutions/1.html Contact us Notes are at CO2List.org/files/carbons.htm and complete sources and calculations are at xls.CO2List.org Data from US, except: ‡ Data are from UK † Data are from Australia

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Red meat

Chicken, fish, eggs

Dairy

Cereals, carbohydrates

Fruit, vegetables

Oils, sweets, condiments

Balanced Diet

Personal computer

Tires

Shampoo‡

Sweatshirt‡

Polo shirt‡

T-shirt‡

Incandescent light bulb‡

Compact fluorescent bulb‡

Tablet laundry detergent‡

Powder laundry detergent‡

Liquid laundry detergent: capsule or not‡

Super concentrated liquid laundry detergent‡

Car

Concrete

Concrete

Web bank account‡

Long distance bus

Commuter rail

Diesel trains (Amtrak)

Electric trains (Amtrak)

8 - FUELS

Electricity

Gasoline

Crude oil

Equatorial Forests in Tropics

Seasonal Forests in Tropics

Dry Forests in Tropics

Temperate & Northern Forests