What's the average cost of a electric bill in the US? According to this study, back in 2004, it was $1400 a year, or a little over $100 each month.

Try this: Go to Al Gore's "Carbon Calculator", and tell it you live alone in the US (no specific state), drive 12,000 miles per year (the national average) in an average-sized car (I chose a 2006 Ford Taurus, which gets 20-27 MPG -- the US average), and pay NOTHING for electricity, natural gas or oil. (Which it rounds up to $25 per month.) And tell it you NEVER FLY anywhere.

And what's your carbon footprint? I got 7.55 tons per year, where the average is allegedly 7.5 tons per year. Clearly, something is amiss here. I doubt that the average American never flies, and pays that little for their utility bills.

I found I could make my average go down by claiming I had several people living in my household. So if I had 3 people in my house, and (improbably) still paying zero money for electricity, then I'd finally be beating the national average.

Yet, with three people still in the house, change the electric bill to the national average ($100-$120/month) and you'll find it claims you're spewing 9.5 tons of CO2 each year: more than 25% above the national average. "LARGER THAN AVERAGE" you are condemned to read.

So, given average mileage, average electric bill, an average car, and average driving distance, living in an average state, does average American also supposedly have at least 5 people in their house or apartment, NEVER fly anywhere, pay less than $25 each month for natural gas and fuel oil?

In the magic land of Albert Gore, the answer is apparently YES!

Of course, the calculator assumes the only pollution a car generates is while you drive it (false: hybrids have a higher lifetime per-mile cost than a Hummer H3), and that "green" power sources don't require any CO2 emissions in their construction, operation, or maintenance (false again), but hey, what do you expect.

Just click a link, offer to pay a for-profit LLC (which promises no audits or accountability) about $100 (the most expensive per-offset cost on the market) and your annual carbon sins are apparently forgiven!