We have created a set of simple calculators to help you determine your carbon footprint. Our calculators are based on estimates of energy consumption and carbon emissions. They are a reference only.
Automobile Travel
We estimate fuel consumption per kilometer using data from the Portal of Vehicle Emissions and Efficiency, published by the Mexican government and based on popular car models of three sizes: small/medium (30.58 mpg), large (21.17 mpg), and commercial (16.47 mpg).
We use data provided by the US Environmental Protection Agency to calculate that 8.89 kg of CO2 are emitted for every gallon of gasoline.
Air Travel
We base our air travel calculators on Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s calculator, “GHG emissions from transport or mobile sources.” We estimate carbon emissions for air-travel to be:
- 120 kg of CO2 for a short-haul round trip under 463 km each way (e.g. Mexico City to Oaxaca).
- 148 kg of CO2 for a medium-haul round trip of 463 – 1,107 km each way, (e.g. Mexico City to Dallas).
- 661 kg of CO2 for a long-haul round trip over 1,107 km each way (e.g. Mexico City to Madrid).
These calculations account for the fact that planes burn more fuel at take-off and landing, making short-haul trips less efficient per kilometer traveled.
Please note that these numbers are estimates. Exact fuel consumption per passenger depends on many factors, including the type of plane, the number of people on board, and the weight of the cargo.
Events
We estimate that each guest generates a footprint of 10 kg of CO2 emissions, assuming an average travel distance of 32 km by car per guest and the consumption of 1-2 meals per guest (emissions estimates for meals are based on a review of carbon calculators by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health).
Additionally, we estimate that one night in a hotel generates 25 kg of CO2 emissions per guest. This estimate is the midpoint of emissions generated in budget hotels (16.8 kg) and upscale hotels (33.3 kg), and is based on data from the Environmental Protection Agency and calculations from the Carbon Fund.
Household
Our household CO2 calculator is based on average, annual, residential per-capita electricity use in Mexico (435 kWh in 2014 – sourced from Energydata via World Energy Council) as well as average, annual, per-capita natural gas use in Mexico (6,813.248 kWh or 609 cubic meters in 2014 – sourced from the CIA World Fact Book. Population data sourced from indexmundi.com).
We estimate CO2 emissions using calculations developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency: 0.690 kg of CO2 produced per kWh of electricity and 0.172 kg of CO2 produced per kWh of natural gas (conversion factors provided by the UK Power and EIA).
