What exactly is calculated?

The greenhouse gas emissions are calculated based on activities of a specific entity, such as individuals (individual, family, and school class calculators), an institution (e.g., company and school calculators), or an activity (e.g., travel calculator).

In this process, not only the emission of CO2 is calculated, but also the emission of other climate-relevant gases such as methane and nitrous oxide. These emissions are then converted into CO2 equivalents, which is why the focus in communication is on CO2, even though other greenhouse gases are also taken into account. For example, 1g of methane is approximately 25 times more climate-impacting than 1g of CO2. Therefore, 1g of methane results in 25g of CO2 equivalents.