Claude-estimated CO2 per dollar: AI chatbot subscription emits just 0.009 kg, far below gas heating
AndyMasley · x · 2026-11-09
Andy Masley had Claude estimate kilograms of CO2-equivalent emissions per US dollar across spending categories, charting the results.
Key numbers:
- Home natural gas tops the list at 4.32 kg/dollar, followed by gasoline (2.45) and home electricity (1.95)
- Renting a cloud GPU (H100) is 0.15 kg/dollar
- AI API tokens including training and hardware come in at 0.05 kg/dollar; inference-only 0.025; a typical AI chatbot subscription is 0.009, near the very bottom
- The average US GDP dollar is 0.21 kg
His takeaway: AI usage is remarkably carbon-light per dollar, another argument that people should actually try AI models and see how powerful they are. He notes the estimates aren't super reliable and invites further work.
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