Calculate your environmental impact based on activity data and emission factors.
Total Calculated Emissions:
0.00 kg CO2e
What is an Emission Rate?
An emission rate is the specific amount of a pollutant (commonly Carbon Dioxide, Methane, or Nitrogen Oxides) released into the atmosphere relative to a specific activity or timeframe. In industrial and environmental reporting, this is the foundational metric used to track carbon footprints and regulatory compliance.
The Standard Emission Calculation Formula
To determine the total emissions from any source, the following mathematical model is applied:
E = A × EF × (1 – ER / 100)
Where:
E: Total Emissions (usually in kg or metric tonnes).
A: Activity Rate (the measure of the source, such as fuel burned or distance driven).
EF: Emission Factor (a constant representing the average emission rate of a given pollutant for that activity).
ER: Emission Reduction Efficiency (the percentage of pollutants captured by control technologies).
Common Emission Factors (Benchmarks)
To use the calculator effectively, you need accurate emission factors. Here are some standard values provided by environmental agencies (EPA/DEFRA):
Diesel Fuel: ~2.68 kg CO2 per liter.
Gasoline (Petrol): ~2.31 kg CO2 per liter.
Natural Gas: ~1.93 kg CO2 per cubic meter.
Electricity (Grid Average): Varies by region (e.g., ~0.4 kg CO2 per kWh).
Step-by-Step Calculation Example
Imagine a transport company that consumes 1,000 liters of diesel in a month. They want to calculate their total CO2 output:
Identify Activity: 1,000 Liters of Diesel.
Find Emission Factor: 2.68 kg CO2e/Liter.
Calculate: 1,000 × 2.68 = 2,680 kg of CO2.
Final Result: The company emitted 2.68 metric tonnes of CO2.
function calculateEmissionRate() {
var activity = parseFloat(document.getElementById("activityData").value);
var factor = parseFloat(document.getElementById("emissionFactor").value);
var reduction = parseFloat(document.getElementById("reductionRate").value);
var hours = parseFloat(document.getElementById("timePeriod").value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("resultArea");
var totalOutput = document.getElementById("totalOutput");
var hourlyOutput = document.getElementById("hourlyOutput");
if (isNaN(activity) || isNaN(factor)) {
alert("Please enter valid numbers for Activity Data and Emission Factor.");
return;
}
if (isNaN(reduction)) { reduction = 0; }
if (isNaN(hours) || hours = 1000) {
var tonnes = totalEmissions / 1000;
totalOutput.innerHTML = tonnes.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 3, maximumFractionDigits: 3}) + " Metric Tonnes CO2e";
} else {
totalOutput.innerHTML = totalEmissions.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2}) + " kg CO2e";
}
if (hours > 1) {
hourlyOutput.innerHTML = "Emission Rate: " + hourlyRate.toFixed(2) + " kg per hour/unit of time";
} else {
hourlyOutput.innerHTML = "";
}
// Scroll to result
resultDiv.scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'nearest' });
}