AI Carbon Footprint Report

1. Annual Carbon Footprint Estimate

Usage Level	Interactions/Year	CO₂ Emissions (kg/yr)
Medium User	7,300–18,250	7.3–91.25 kg

Based on 20–50 daily interactions

2. Comparison to Everyday Activities (Annual)

AI Footprint vs. Daily Activities

Key Comparisons

Low: 3 days of kettle use
High: 2 months of TV watching
Car: London to Brighton (450km)
Flight: 60% of London→Paris

Context

AI footprint represents 0.07-0.91% of average UK personal carbon footprint (10,000 kg CO₂/year)

3. Tree Planting Offset Requirements

🌳 Trees Needed to Offset Annual AI Usage:

Low Estimate (7.3 kg)

0.3

trees per year

High Estimate (91.25 kg)

4.2

trees per year

Assumption: 1 UK tree absorbs ~22 kg CO₂/year

4. Key Takeaways & Recommendations

Takeaways

✅ AI footprint is relatively small vs. major activities
⚠️ Actual footprint varies by model and energy source
🌍 Collective impact matters as usage grows
📊 High estimate = 1 round-trip to Edinburgh

Recommendations

Offset: Plant 1-4 trees/year via verified schemes
Reduce: Batch queries, use efficient models
Choose: AI providers using renewable energy
Advocate: Support green data centers