How much CO2 does a car put into the air a year?

If the average car uses 19 lbs of co2 per gallon, and the car gets 20 miles to the gallon, and travels an average of 12,000 miles a year, then 12,000/20=600 gallons at
19 lbs = 11,400 lbs co2 per year.


Additionally, while that is true regarding the average American car, 20 mpg is a very low figure in the rest of the world. Even 20 year old cars with (then) above average sized 2.0 litre engines could manage close to 30 mpg, and cars have gotten better since. This sort of car would then produce only around 7,600 lbs of CO2 per year. Modern European and Japanese cars often achieve combined figures of around 35 mpg using a petrol engine and around 40 mpg using a diesel engine.