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Personal carbon reduction
Your carbon reduction plan
Personalised emission analysis and reduction roadmap
Prepared for: Alex Chen, Chicago IL
Date: 26/04/2026
Methodology version: v3.0
Next update scheduled: Q3 2026
14.2
tons CO₂e per year
Estimated range: 9.9 – 18.5 tons CO₂e
Current estimated emissions
−11.8
tons CO₂e per year
That’s ~83% of your current footprint.
Identified structural reduction potential
34%
Largest emission source: Finance
Results are estimates based on your profile. Reduction figures depend on implementation feasibility and local energy mix. Estimated range reflects category-level uncertainty (inputs + emission factors). It is not a guarantee. This report is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, tax, legal, or environmental advice.
Emissions breakdown
Distribution of emissions by category
Estimates. Verified against IPCC and IEA emission factors, methodology v3.0.
Emissions vary significantly by individual. The distribution below shows where your footprint is concentrated. Reduction potential is highest where the largest shares sit.
Use the category breakdown to identify where to focus first. The action plan on the following section is sequenced by impact.
4.8t · 34%
3.6t · 25%
2.4t · 17%
1.8t · 13%
0.8t · 6%
0.5t · 4%
0.3t · 2%
14.2 tons CO₂e/yr
Benchmark comparison
Your footprint: 14.2 tons CO₂e
Many 1.5°C-aligned pathways converge around 1.5–2.5 tons CO₂e per person by 2050, depending on accounting boundary. Decarb uses ~2 tons CO₂e per person annually to illustrate. Values vary by model and methodology.
Your carbon
footprint
USA average
World average
2050 target
Your estimated footprint of 14.2 tons CO₂e is below the US average of 16.0t, and approximately 7.1× the 2050 climate target of ~2 tons CO₂e per person. The reduction plan below identifies the highest-impact structural changes available to you.
Understanding financed emissions
Why your banking and investment choices appear as a major emissions category
Finance is the largest single category in this report at 34% of estimated total emissions.
What are financed emissions?
When you deposit money in a bank or hold investments, that capital is deployed into the real economy — funding companies, infrastructure, and industries. The emissions those activities generate are attributed back to the capital provider. This is known as Scope 3 Category 15 under the GHG Protocol.
Why is this category so large?
The US baseline assumes $8,000 held in a traditional bank and $87,000 in a market-rate investment fund (Federal Reserve SCF 2022 defaults). At an emission factor of 0.24 kg CO₂e per dollar per year (PCAF, Alexander et al. 2023), this produces an estimated 4.8 tons CO₂e per year. These are estimated emissions, not verified.
Standard banking & investing
4.8 tons CO₂e/yr
$8k bank (0.24 kg/$·yr) + $87k market fund (0.033 kg/$·yr)
Green investing, fossil-free bank
1.9 tons CO₂e/yr
$8k green bank (0.057 kg/$·yr) + $87k green fund (0.017 kg/$·yr)
Potential saving
−2.9 tons CO₂e/yr
By switching bank and investment provider
Sources: PCAF Standard, GHG Protocol Scope 3 Cat. 15, Alexander et al. (2023). This comparison is illustrative only and does not constitute investment advice.
Your reduction plan
Key actions to reduce your footprint
Actions ranked by reduction potential. Highest-impact steps first. Results are estimates.
Note: not all actions can be implemented simultaneously. Some have overlapping effects — for example, working from home, moving closer to work, and cycling to work all reduce commuting emissions. Implement in order of feasibility.
−0.8
−0.6
| Action | Est. saving | Category | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Divest from fossil fuels | −2.9t CO₂e/yr | Finance | Medium |
| Switch to electric vehicle | −2.4t CO₂e/yr | Transport | High |
| Install heat pump | −1.8t CO₂e/yr | Home energy | High |
| Shift to plant-rich diet | −1.3t CO₂e/yr | Food | Medium |
| Switch to green electricity tariff | −1.0t CO₂e/yr | Home energy | High |
| Fly less (−1 long-haul flight/yr) | −0.8t CO₂e/yr | Flights | High |
| Work from home (3 days/week) | −0.6t CO₂e/yr | Transport | Medium |
Reduction roadmap
Your 12-month reduction roadmap
Actions sequenced by impact. Each phase targets one category at a time with a structured deep dive.
Phase 1
Immediate
Months 1–2
· Finance
· Transport
Phase 2
Optimisation
Months 3–4
· Home energy
· Lifestyle
Phase 3
Structural
Months 5–8
· Flights
Phase 4
Residual
Months 9–12
· Offset residual¹
Results are estimates. ¹ Offsetting may compensate for residual emissions when reductions are not immediately feasible. Effectiveness depends on project quality, verification, and permanence.
Context
What your number means
14.2 tons CO₂e/year in context. Equivalents based on US EPA and ICAO conversion factors.
Flights
18 long-haul
round trips
NYC → Rome
0.775 tons CO₂e/flight · ICAO
Driving
35,500 miles
driven
Average passenger vehicle
0.40 kg CO₂e/mile · US EPA
Trees to offset
676 mature
trees
For one full year
1 tree ≈ 0.021 tCO₂e/yr · USFS
vs. Climate target
7.1×
the 2050 target
2 tons CO₂e/person/year
IPCC SR1.5 · Values vary by model
Methodology
How we calculate your footprint
Eight categories. Fixed emission factors benchmarked against publicly available IPCC, EPA, IEA, and related datasets. Methodology v3.0. Full details at decarb.co/methodology
Flights ICAO
Per-flight factors by duration. Only CO₂ included; RFI excluded.
Home energy EIA + EPA
Housing type × energy source. eGRID 2023: 0.37 kg CO₂/kWh.
Food Poore & Nemecek 2018
Diet type → lifecycle factor. Vegan 0.4t to omnivore 2.3t CO₂e/yr.
Waste EPA WARM
Landfill vs. recycling vs. minimalist. Net factor after diversion credits.
Goods USEEIO + Exiobase
Monthly spend bracket × weighted emission basket.
Finance PCAF + GHG Protocol
Fixed balances: $8k bank, $87k investments (Fed SCF 2022 defaults).
Hobbies EPA + Decarb
Carbon-intensive leisure only. Outdoor/social excluded to avoid double counting.
Transport EPA + eGRID
Vehicle type × 12,000 mi/yr. Full CO₂e (CO₂ + CH₄ + N₂O), EPA GHG Hub 2025.
Results are based on average emission factors and user-provided inputs. They do not represent audited or measured emissions and should not be interpreted as regulatory carbon accounting.
Transparency
Data confidence by category
Not all estimates carry the same certainty. Confidence reflects data availability, input granularity, and source quality.
HIGH Benchmarked against qualified source, low model uncertainty
MEDIUM Modelled average, depends on user inputs
LOW Fixed assumption, varies significantly by individual
| Category | Confidence | Basis for estimate | Planned improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights | High | ICAO per-route factors. RFI excluded by design. | Include RFI multiplier in v2 |
| Home energy | High | EIA/eGRID national averages, validated factors. | State-level grid intensity in v2 |
| Food | Medium | Diet archetypes, no regional or seasonal variance. | User-specific food diary input |
| Waste | Medium | EPA WARM model, fixed generation rate assumed. | Actual waste tonnage input |
| Goods | Medium | Spend brackets, not itemised receipts. EEIO-based. | Category-level spend breakdown |
| Finance | Low | $8k bank + $87k investments (US). Fixed assumptions. Varies widely by individual. | User-entered account balances |
| Hobbies | Low | Single fixed value for carbon-intensive leisure. | Hours and activity type input |
| Transport | High | Full CO₂e for ICE and EV. Manufacturing excluded. | Actual mileage and fuel type |
What to do now
Next steps
Three actions to take after reading this report.
01
Start with highest impact
Identify the category with the largest share of your footprint. Focus all effort there first before moving to lower-impact categories.
02
Assess feasibility
Work through the action plan above. For each action, assess what is feasible given your constraints, timeline, and budget.
03
Recalculate in 6–12 months
Return to the Decarb calculator to measure what changed. Only measurement tells you whether actions translated into actual reductions.
Monthly guidance on the highest-impact actions will follow by email after you complete the calculator. Questions on methodology or assumptions: [email protected]
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Sources: EPA · eGRID 2023 · IPCC · Poore & Nemecek 2018 · PCAF · ICAO · IEA
This report provides model-based estimates of greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions factors are derived from publicly available datasets. Results are not audited and should not be used for regulatory compliance. Financial comparisons are illustrative and not investment advice. Methodology: decarb.co/methodology