Nature Conservancy Magazine: Summer 2007 - Have you changed your climate today?

Ever wondered how much you’re contributing to climate change? Find out how your actions stack up and learn how you can reduce your “climate footprint” through easy steps such as recycling, telecommuting and turning down the thermostat.

Go Deeper

The Consequences of Climate Change
Which will have the most impact on your life, or on the places you care about?

What We Are Doing
Helping threatened ecosystems adapt to climate change.

Have you changed your climate today?

Americans contribute about a quarter of the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions, the equivalent of 54,000 pounds of CO2 per person per year—or about five times the emissions of the average global citizen. On average an American produces:

	17,000 pounds of CO2 equivalent/year by using 1,100 kilowatt-hours of electricity/month
	8,800 pounds of CO2 equivalent/year by using 6,300 cubic feet of natural gas/month
	1,000 pounds of CO2 equivalent/year by creating 4.5 pounds of trash/day
	8,900 pounds of CO2 equivalent/year by driving 160 miles/week
	1,000 pounds of CO2 equivalent by flying 1,900 miles/year