A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases that are generated by our actions, this includes carbon dioxide and methane. Sixteen tons is the average amount of carbon footprint for a person in the United States, one of the highest rates in the world.
Globally the average carbon footprint is closer to 4 tons. To best avoid the chance of a two degree celcius rise in global temperatures, the average global carbon footprint per year needs to drop to under 2 tons by 2050.
Lowering individual carbon footprints to two tons from sixteen tons doesn’t occur at such ease. Small changes to our actions can cause differences. Some actions being eating less meat, taking fewer connection flights, and line drying clothes can cause these differences.
Global Environmental Change 