Diet Carbon Footprint Calculator Formula

Understand the math behind the diet carbon footprint calculator. Each variable explained with a worked example.

Use the Diet Carbon Footprint Calculator

Formulas Used

Annual Diet CO2

total_diet_co2 = beef_co2 + poultry_co2 + dairy_co2 + plant_co2

Beef CO2

beef_share = beef_co2

Poultry CO2

poultry_share = poultry_co2

Dairy & Plant CO2

dairy_plant = dairy_co2 + plant_co2

Variables

VariableDescriptionDefault
beef_lbsWeekly Beef(lbs)2
poultry_lbsWeekly Poultry(lbs)2
dairy_lbsWeekly Dairy(lbs)5
grains_veg_lbsWeekly Grains & Vegetables(lbs)10
beef_co2Derived value= beef_lbs * 52 * 27 / 2204.6calculated
poultry_co2Derived value= poultry_lbs * 52 * 6.9 / 2204.6calculated
dairy_co2Derived value= dairy_lbs * 52 * 3.2 / 2204.6calculated
plant_co2Derived value= grains_veg_lbs * 52 * 2.0 / 2204.6calculated

How It Works

How to Calculate Your Diet's Carbon Footprint

Food production is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, varying widely by food type.

Emission Factors (lbs CO2 per lb of food)

  • Beef: ~27 lbs CO2/lb
  • Poultry: ~6.9 lbs CO2/lb
  • Dairy: ~3.2 lbs CO2/lb
  • Grains & Vegetables: ~2.0 lbs CO2/lb

    • Formula

    Annual CO2 = Sum of (Weekly lbs * 52 * Emission Factor) / 2,204.6

    Worked Example

    A person eats 2 lbs beef, 2 lbs poultry, 5 lbs dairy, and 10 lbs grains/veg per week.

    beef_lbs = 2poultry_lbs = 2dairy_lbs = 5grains_veg_lbs = 10
    1. 01Beef: 2 * 52 * 27 / 2,204.6 = 1.27 metric tons
    2. 02Poultry: 2 * 52 * 6.9 / 2,204.6 = 0.33 metric tons
    3. 03Dairy: 5 * 52 * 3.2 / 2,204.6 = 0.38 metric tons
    4. 04Plants: 10 * 52 * 2.0 / 2,204.6 = 0.47 metric tons
    5. 05Total: 1.27 + 0.33 + 0.38 + 0.47 = 2.45 metric tons/year

    Ready to run the numbers?

    Open Diet Carbon Footprint Calculator