Your Household's Carbon Footprint

Where a typical household's greenhouse gas emissions come from, how Indian footprints compare globally, and which choices make the biggest difference.

A carbon footprint measures the greenhouse gas emissions caused by a person’s or household’s activities.

India in context

India is the world’s third-largest emitter in total, but its emissions per person, around 2 tonnes of CO2 a year, are far below the global average and a fraction of those in the US or Australia.

Where household emissions come from

Electricity use, mostly from coal in India.
Transport: cars, two-wheelers and flights.
Cooking fuel.
Food: especially meat and dairy, which have higher footprints than plant foods.
Goods we buy, which require energy to make.

Big vs small choices

The biggest levers for many households are:

Air travel: a single long flight can add a large share of a person’s annual footprint.
Car use.
Air conditioning and electricity use.
Diet.

Small actions, like switching off lights, help but matter less.

Inequality

Richer households have much larger footprints. Studies find the top 10 percent of emitters globally account for a large share of emissions.

Measuring

Online carbon calculators estimate footprints, though with uncertainty.

The economics

Most emissions aren’t priced, so households don’t pay for climate damage. Carbon pricing and cleaner grids reduce footprints across society.

The flight trade-off

A family carefully saves electricity at home but takes several long-haul flights a year. Their flights produce far more emissions than their household electricity use.

Thinking all green actions have equal impact

Flights, driving, cooling and diet usually matter far more than small everyday actions.

Key takeaways

India's per-person emissions are around 2 tonnes a year, far below rich countries.
Electricity, transport, cooking, food and goods drive household emissions.
Flights, cars, cooling and diet are the biggest levers.
Richer households have much larger footprints.