What carbon offsets would be needed for an "average" American family?

Question

I found a price per ton to buy carbon offests from various sources:

http://www.tufts.edu/tie/tci/carbonoffsets/price.htm

Now I'd just need some estimates for an average family's use such as the following:

1.One year of driving an average MPG car an average number of miles.

2. One year of average household electrical power use.

3. One year of average household heating (gas).

4. Yearly food production and transportation per person or family of four.

5. Carbon cost to produce and ship the average consumption of domestic goods (clothes, etc).

6. One-time carbon cost to manufacture a new car (steel and parts from China, etc).

7. One-time cost to build a new house (materials, commutes of laborers, etc).

No, this is not homework. I was just curious what the current bill would be for an average person or family.

Answer 1

Carbon offsets are dumb, if you look at most of the companies that sell these things they're owned by native americans and are operated by the same people that run the casinos.

Answer 2

If you think that buying carbon offsets will do anything more than make someone like Al Gore, and his companies rich, you're fooling yourself.

This is no different than giving money to the church to absolve yourself of sins, back in the Middle Ages.

This is a scam designed to separate well meaning, but foolish, people from their hard earned money.

Answer 3

Your calculations compare with what I've read elsewhere.  I read that $90 US can plant 900 trees in developing countries, which is enough to offset the average CO2 emission.  The so called economic stimulus "rebate" I'll get from the government can cover that for several years.  I think the hardest part is making sure you're dealing with a reputable organization (any new market is a prime area for hucksters).