Carbon Calculator

What is my personal climate impact?

Use the Nanaimo Carbon Calculator to find out how many tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) you have emitted in a year. The lower your GHG emissions are, the lower your impact on the planet.

Once you have it completed, post your results online and challenge yourself and your friends to reduce your emissions and see who can get to the lowest number! (Visit the City of Nanaimo’s Green Initiatives for more information for how to get involved)

(If you do not live in British Columbia please use a different calculator. These results will not be reflective of your emissions, as the emissions factors are specific to our region)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Carbon Calculator?

In our day to day lives, we emit greenhouse gasses through the goods and services we use such as in our daily drive to work, how we heat our homes, and the food that we eat. A Carbon Calculator measures all the greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) produced from these activities.

In Nanaimo, many goods and services that we use are made outside of the community and imported into the community. The Carbon Calculator measures the emissions from the goods and services created inside and outside of Nanaimo.

What should my goal be?

What is a "tCO2e"?

Short for "tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent." This is a way to describe all greenhouse gas emissions (e.g. carbon dioxide, methane, and refrigerants) in the same measurement.

Why is there automatically 0.96 tCO2e in the Food Consumption category?

We all need to eat, and even the lowest waste vegan diet emits approximately 0.96 tonnes of CO2e. So, zero tCO2e is not possible using this calculator. Future technologies to reduce emissions in agriculture may cause this number to lower.

Why should I change my lifestyle to reduce my emissions?

On a global scale, we are emitting more greenhouse gasses and using more resources than our planet can absorb or regenerate. Within Nanaimo we are taking far more then our fair share of resources. It is much easier for people with large emissions to lower their emissions in comparison to those who have small emissions.

For example, it is difficult to reduce emissions when you are already living on the smallest amount of food, water and shelter. Choosing to recycle will not cause your total emissions to reduce in a dramatic way.

In contrast, if you can afford your daily needs as well as luxuries, it is easier to reduce your emissions. An example can be car travel. You can have a large reduction on your total emissions by choosing to bike or walk to destinations over driving your car.

Compared to the rest of the globe, many Nanaimo residents fall into the second example. So, by reducing our emissions here in Nanaimo, we can work to achieve living within the limits of our planet in a fair and equitable way.

How can I reduce my GHG emissions?

Reduce your GHG emissions by:

• Transportation: Choosing active transportation methods such as biking, walking, or utilizing public transit. Another option is switching to an electric car or electric bike!
• Travel: Choose to travel locally and avoid air travel. Tourism Vancouver Island has many ideas for road trips around Vancouver Island!
• In your home: When it comes time to replace your space and water heaters, consider switching from fossil fuels (e.g. natural gas) to renewable energy (such as electric heat pumps). The City of Nanaimo offers different types of rebates available to homeowners who decide to make their houses more efficient!
• Food and waste: Choose a diet with lower impact foods and reduce the amount of food waste. (learn more at the City of Nanaimo’s Zero Waste Green Initiatives page)