Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator

Other Calculators

There are a number of other web-based calculators that can estimate greenhouse gas emission reductions for

For basic information and details on greenhouse gas emissions, visit the Emissions section of EPA’s climate change site.

This calculator requires JavaScript, which is currently disabled in your browser. To calculate the equivalencies manually, you can refer to the calculations and assumptions page.

UPDATED May 2011. New NYUP sub region and national average non-baseload emissions rates updated. See the revision history page for more details.

Did you ever wonder what reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 1 million metric tons means in everyday terms? The greenhouse gas equivalencies calculator can help you understand just that, translating abstract measurements into concrete terms you can understand, such as "equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions of 183,000 cars annually."

This calculator may be useful in communicating your greenhouse gas reduction strategy, reduction targets, or other initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Enter Your Data Below

There are two options for entering reduction data into this calculator.

Option 1: If You Don’t Have Emissions Data

If you are starting with data in units of "gallons of gasoline consumed," "kilowatt-hours of electricity," "therms of natural gas," or "passenger vehicles per year" instead of a quantity of emissions of specific greenhouse gases, use this option.
Enter a quantity and pick the desired unit below; and
Click on the "Calculate Equivalent" button to convert your value to Carbon Dioxide Equivalent.
If you are entering kilowatt-hours of electricity, please be sure to read the caveats and explanations on the Calculations and Reference page.
Please note that these estimates are approximate and should not be used for emission inventory or formal carbon footprinting exercises.

? Click Here for Calculations and References

Option 2: If You Already Know the Quantity of Emissions

If you have already estimated the quantity of emissions (e.g., metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent), you can input the amount of emissions and select the appropriate units for the corresponding greenhouse gas type.

Amount	Unit	Gas
		CO₂ - Carbon Dioxide or CO₂ Equivalent*
		Carbon or Carbon Equivalent
		CH₄ - Methane
		N₂O - Nitrous Oxide
		- Hydrofluorocarbon gases
		- Perfluorocarbon gases
		SF₆ - Sulfur Hexafluoride

*If your estimated emissions of methane, nitrous oxide, or other non-CO₂ gases are already expressed in CO₂ equivalent or carbon equivalent, please enter your figures in the row for CO₂ or carbon equivalent.

The sum of the greenhouse gas emissions you entered above is of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent.

This is equivalent to one of the following:

Equivalency Results

Click on the question mark ? link to read the explanation of that particular calculation. Read about all calculations.

The information you entered above is equivalent to one of the following statements:

Annual greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles ? (click to read more about this calculation)

CO₂ emissions from gallons of gasoline consumed ?

CO₂ emissions from barrels of oil consumed ?

CO₂ emissions from tanker trucks’ worth of gasoline ?

CO₂ emissions from the electricity use of homes for one year ?

CO₂ emissions from the energy use of homes for one year ?

Carbon sequestered by tree seedlings grown for 10 years ?

Carbon sequestered annually by acres of pine or fir forests ?

Carbon sequestered annually by acres of forest preserved from deforestation ?

CO₂ emissions from propane cylinders used for home barbeques ?

CO₂ emissions from burning railcars’ worth of coal ?

Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by recycling tons of waste instead of sending it to the landfill ?