Understanding What a Ton of Carbon Emissions Looks Like
· General. In one year, the average citizen in an industrialized country produces about 10 tons of carbon emissions. In that same time period, the average American creates 23 tons of CO 2. In 2010, New York City emitted 54 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and a single hour of the city's CO 2 emissions amounted to 6,204 metric tons.