Every gallon of gasoline burned produces about 20 pounds of CO2.
From
here.
CO2 from electricity production varies based on the fuel source. For wind, solar, and even biomass, the CO2 is essentially zero, once the equipment is operating (though there is CO2 generated in the manufacture and installation of the equipment).
Electricity produced from natural gas creates less CO2 than electricity produced from coal (because coal has more carbon per unit of energy).
According to
Wikipedia:
Quote:
... Since the useful energy output of coal is about 30% of the 6.67 kW·h/kg(coal), we can say about 2 kW·h/kg(coal) of energy is produced. Since 1 kg coal roughly translates as 1.83 kg of CO2, we can say that using electricity from coal produces CO2 at a rate of about 0.915 kg/(kW·h), or about 0.254 kg/MJ.
This estimate compares favourably with the U.S. Energy Information Agency's 1999 report on CO2 emissions for energy generation, which quotes a specific emission rate of 950 g CO2/(kW·h). By comparison, generation from oil in the U.S. was 890 g CO2/(kW·h), while natural gas was 600 g CO2/(kW·h). Estimates for specific emission from nuclear power, hydro, and wind energy vary, but are about 100 times lower. See environmental effects of nuclear power for estimates.
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So, for every kWh of electricity used, between 1.3 and 2.1 pound of CO2 is produced, unless the electricity is from renewable sources.
For a typical household use of 29 kWh/day, this results in production of 38 to 61 lb of CO2 per household per day.
Natural gas or oil used for space heating also produces CO2.
There are, of course, a lot of other sources of CO2, but this helps put the 106 lb/person per day into perspective.
Here is a chart showing sources of CO2 production in the US in 2005. From
here.
