Flight Carbon Calculator

A carbon offset is a certificate representing the reduction of one metric ton (2,205 lbs) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions, the principal cause of climate change. Although complex in practice, carbon offsets are fairly simple in theory. If you develop a project that reduces carbon dioxide emissions, every ton of emissions reduced results in the creation of one carbon offset. Project developers can then sell these offsets to help finance their projects.

Offsets should be used for all activities that add to your carbon footprint.

We encourage individuals and organizations alike to first reduce their carbon footprint as best they can. Most of us can’t reduce our carbon footprint to zero, so offsets should be used to mitigate the impact of these remaining emissions.

For individuals, the three most common and measurable activities include:

(1) Car Travel: If you own a car, chances are that burning gasoline is a major source of carbon emissions.

(2) Home energy use: Heating, cooling, and using appliances can be a significant source of emissions for many people.

(3) Air travel: A round-trip flight between New York and Los Angeles uses about 120 gallons of jet fuel per passenger. This single trip creates CO2 emissions equal to about 2 months of driving.

Go to our calculator to calculate the emissions from these activities.

For businesses: Businesses engage in a number of activities that are carbon intensive and vary based on business type. In general, these activities include employees’ commutes, building energy use, servers and data storage, employee travel and shipping or other freight.  Our corporate carbon calculator can help you assess the major components of your business’ carbon footprint, or you can contact one of our advisors.

Our flight emissions calculator asks you to input the origin and destination for any flights you want to offset. We then calculate the distance of each of these flights. By applying some standard factors for fuel consumption during airline flights provided by the World Resource Institute, we are able to convert your total flight miles into estimated carbon dioxide emissions.

Carbon offsets allow individuals and businesses to be accountable for their unavoidable carbon emissions. While conservation is an important first step in fighting climate change, we need to do more to reduce greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. When you purchase carbon offsets from Terrapass you are supporting emissions reductions projects in communities throughout the North America and the world.

For businesses, calculating your carbon footprint is an important measurement of resources. Knowing and offsetting your carbon footprint creates value for your business by:

Showing leadership and innovation. Taking action sends a strong message to your key stakeholders — employees, customers, and investors, many of whom will hold your business accountable for its contribution to climate change.

Involving your employees. A Terrapass employee program will help communicate your business’ dedication to the environment and infuse that commitment into your company’s culture.

Aligning with your customers’ values. People prefer to do business with companies whose values align with their own. Demonstrating your business’ commitment to addressing climate change with a carbon offset program will help attract and retain valuable customers.

When you buy carbon offsets from Terrapass your purchase is supporting emissions reduction projects in communities across the North America and the world. These projects include reforestation, renewable energy produced by wind power and methane capture at dairy farms, landfills, and abandoned coal mines.  Carbon offsets help fund the development and operation of these projects. All Terrapass projects meet the highest standards for quality, monitoring, and independent verification. To learn more about the projects in our current portfolio please visit our projects page.