MIT Carbon Footprint Exercise

For this multi sector estimate of annual emissions for a Massachusetts resident

,please use the USA EPA emission factor hub and the assumptions noted below: (don't worry, you need only 3 numbers from EPA's emission factor sheet). You are welcome to submit any questions or answers via my email address: susansubak@msn.com

1. Residential heating: Assume 1,200 therms/year

2. Residential Electricity: Assume 2,500 kWh/year

For Fuel Mix use Massachusetts state average of 76% natural gas, 24% non fossil

(source: state energy profile for MA, EIA Departmment of Energy)

3. Personal Transport

Assume 4,000 miles per year, Prius car (50 miles per gallon ave)

.

4 Air Travel

One round trip Boston to London, a) average jet fuel consumption of 2.9 L/100 km/person.

b) effective radiation forcing includes heating effects from contrails and induced cirrus cloudiness

comparable to the direct effects of jet fuel, which means that the total radiative forcing calculated

i in a) is doubled.

5. Diet

Select a point within this range (dervied from the US national inventory)

Vegan: 0.5 tonnes CO2, average US: 2.0 tonnes, major carnivore 3.0 tonnes