Travel Management
Published
3/20/24

The best sites for calculating the carbon footprint of a journey

Grégory Meslin
Responsable Marketing & Communication

The carbon footprint is a measure of the quantity of greenhouse gases emitted directly or indirectly by an activity, an individual, an organization, a product or a service. These greenhouse gases mainly include carbon dioxide (CO2), but also other gases such as methane (CH4) or nitrous oxide (N2O), which contribute to pollution and global warming.

What is the carbon footprint?

The carbon footprint is often expressed in tons of CO2 equivalent, which makes it possible to compare the effects of different types of gas on the climate by reducing them to the effect of CO2. It can encompass various activities, such as energy production and consumption, transport, product manufacturing, agriculture, and even our daily habits such as eating or using electrical products.

In the context of transport and mobility, the elements taken into account to calculate the carbon footprint include :

  1. Type of fuel used
  2. Energy efficiency of transport mode
  3. Occupancy rate
  4. Vehicle life cycle
  5. Infrastructure

How do you calculate the carbon footprint of a journey?

Trying to calculate the carbon footprint of a journey by hand can quickly prove complicated. That's why numerous simulators have appeared over the years, allowing you to consult your carbon footprint according to the vehicle used, the distance traveled, the fuel consumed, etc.

Below, discover Fairjungle's selection of the 3 best carbon footprint calculators.

ImpactCO2.fr by ADEME

The French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME) provides a free calculator of the carbon footprint of transport.

Easy to use and highly visual, this government tool allows you to observe the carbon emissions of each means of transport, according to the number of kilometers traveled. You can also view details of the environmental impact of the vehicle's manufacture and use.

As a bonus, you can even calculate the amount of CO2e you save over the year by teleworking.

MyClimate.org

The MyClimate website features a carbon emissions calculator dedicated to car journeys. By focusing on this type of journey, this calculator enables you to be more precise by indicating the type of fuel used and the consumption of your car, whether internal combustion or electric.

As well as showing the carbon footprint, the results allow you to compare it with :

  • the maximum amount of CO2 a person must produce per year to counteract climate change.
  • the amount of CO2 that an average person in the European Union generates per year.

EcoTree.green

This third calculator measures the CO2 emissions of a flight, a car journey and a train journey. This tool combines the advantages of the previous two calculators, as it allows you to specify stopovers for air travel, the type of vehicle for car travel and the type of train (TGV, Intercité, TER, etc.) for rail travel.

The result is clearly displayed, and even offers you a rather quirky comparison: "Your carbon footprint for this journey corresponds to X hours of lighting the Eiffel Tower."

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be beneficial to run several simulations on different carbon footprint calculation tools in order to cross-check the results obtained. This provides a more complete picture of the environmental impact of our journeys.

The key is to be aware of these results and actively seek solutions or alternatives to reduce our carbon footprint. Whether by opting for greener modes of transport, favoring renewable energies or adopting eco-responsible behavior, every action counts in preserving our planet and promoting sustainability.

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