CO 2 calculator

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A CO 2 calculator , including climate calculator , Kohlenstoffdioxidrechner , CO₂-equivalency calculator , greenhouse gas calculator or emissions calculator called, is a software , are displayed with the personal conduct or institutional processes with their greenhouse effect.

description

The resulting CO₂ balance can - depending on the nature of the CO 2 calculator - be created for individual persons and households or for institutions. As a detailed view, balances for means of transport or production processes can also be calculated. The CO₂ equivalent or CO 2 e is a term used to describe the effect of anthropogenic greenhouse gases on the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) serves as a base quantity here. Other greenhouse gases are converted into CO 2 equivalents based on their effectiveness on the climate . The result that a CO 2 calculator delivers is therefore not to be understood as direct carbon dioxide emissions, but as a conversion into comparative values ​​based on the most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. The result or balance sheet, having a CO 2 can be placed in machines is colloquially called CO 2 (English footprint carbon footprint hereinafter). There are CO 2 calculators that do not output results in the form of CO 2 equivalents, but rather show the result in the form of an assessment of individual behavior, such as CO 2 calculators specially tailored for young people or children . In addition to CO 2 calculators, tools for calculating an ecological footprint are also widespread. In addition to the anthropogenic greenhouse gases, other environmental impacts of humans are also taken into account. The result is then often expressed in the form of an area balance.

CO₂ calculator for private individuals

Content

CO 2 calculators for private individuals and households consider individual areas of private life or take stock of all of them. In order to draw up a balance, the domestic areas of heat and electricity, mobility, but also nutrition and consumption must be taken into account. For this, the CO 2 calculator uses the data entered by the user and calculates the CO 2 balance with the help of scientifically determined parameters . In Germany, this procedure has developed into the standard for calculating CO 2 balances since 2007 . CO 2 calculators for private individuals and households use approximate values to calculate a balance sheet that come from various research institutes and are constantly being improved or adjusted. The parameters that the CO 2 calculator uses for the equations are sometimes very complex due to the different categories such as consumption or use of transport and are subject to constant scientific revision.

Result

The results of a CO 2 calculator are to be understood as approximate values, as a large number of factors must be taken into account for the calculation of the result. Direct greenhouse gas emissions resulting from heat generation or individual mobility, as well as indirect greenhouse gas emissions from electricity, can still be determined relatively precisely. In the area of ​​consumption and nutrition, the indirect greenhouse gas emissions can only be determined indicatively. The calculation of the climate impact of air traffic should take into account not only the greenhouse gases emitted by the Kyoto Protocol but also the other influences of air traffic. These include nitrogen oxide N 2 O and soot particles as well as the ice crystals of the contrail that is generated in the stratosphere .

Standardized procedure in Germany

The CO 2 calculator developed by the non-profit organization KlimAktiv in Tübingen and made available, for example, on the website of the Federal Environment Agency , is widespread on the German-speaking Internet . To calculate the CO 2 balance, this uses scientific data that has been researched and calculated by various research institutes such as the ifeu Institute .

use

CO 2 calculators are now used by hundreds of companies and municipalities in Germany. The number of private individuals who have already calculated their personal CO 2 balance at least once with an online CO 2 calculator is well over a million. CO 2 calculators are a frequently used component of online-based climate protection campaigns , as they offer users a quick, individual balance of their own greenhouse gas emissions. A further spread of CO 2 computers can be found among providers of climate compensation services . When using these tools, it should be noted that the avoidance potential should always be in the foreground. The personal greenhouse gas emissions should only be offset for the unavoidable portion. Accordingly, a CO 2 calculator should also provide individual advice on avoidance and the possibility of determining personal target values.

Energy in CO 2

A constant factor is sufficient to directly convert the amount of energy into CO 2 equivalents. It depends on the energy mix chosen; the individual way of life is not taken into account.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The CO₂ calculator for private individuals. In: klimaktiv.de . Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  2. ↑ Information on the CO₂ calculator for companies , last accessed on March 28, 2011.
  3. ↑ CO₂ calculator for cars, planes and the like on Quarks.de, last accessed on March 2, 2020; CO₂ calculator for journeys ( memento from September 30, 2011 in the Internet Archive ), last accessed March 28, 2011.
  4. ↑ The WWF climate calculator , last accessed on March 2, 2020.
  5. ↑ Student-friendly CO₂ calculator: "Climate Checker" on schülerVZ ; last accessed March 28, 2011.
  6. ↑ Information on the ecological footprint ( memento of September 23, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), WWF Switzerland, last accessed March 28, 2011.
  7. ↑ Katharina Schächtele, Hans Hertle: The citizen's CO₂ balance sheet: research for an internet-based tool for creating personal CO₂ balance sheets , PDF (4.6 MB); last accessed March 28, 2011.
  8. ↑ CO 2 calculator of the Federal Environment Agency . Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  9. ↑ Germany's CO2 calculator now on Facebook ( memento of October 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), information portal co2-handel.de, December 3, 2010, last accessed March 28, 2011.
  10. ↑ Calculator of energy in kWh to tons of CO 2 ( Memento from May 7, 2016 in the Internet Archive )