Calculate & Offset Flight Emissions
Compensate’s calculator takes into account the full climate impact of flying. Choose Compensate to ensure your climate action makes a true positive impact.
Compensate considers the full impact of flying
In a review of various flight emission calculators, we found that many providers underestimate the climate impact of flying. Compensate’s flight calculator is based on the latest science to ensure you’re truly offsetting your flight emissions.
Estimated emissions by provider
Based on a return trip from New York to Helsinki, economy class
Airways
Research suggests that aviation has indirect global warming effects beyond the direct effects of gases emitted from burning jet fuel. This indirect effect is quantified using a “radiative forcing index” (RFI), which acts as a carbon emissions multiplier. Some offset services don’t account for this, leading to an underestimated impact when compared to Compensate. Compensate uses an RFI value of 3, based on most recent data (Lee 2021).
Most airlines ignore the damaging impact of their non-CO2 emissions at high altitudes and use cheap, poor-quality carbon offsets. This type of compensation is extremely misleading and enables greenwashing.
Niklas Kaskeala, Chief Impact Officer at Compensate
One long-distance flight can exceed a person’s yearly maximum sustainable climate budget
2.8 tCO2e
Return flight from London to New York, this single trip exceeds an individual’s annual sustainable footprint
2.5 tCO2e
To stop global warming at the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees, every individual must limit their emissions to the Sustainable Annual Fooprint by 2030.
2.8 tCO2e
Return flight from London to New York, this single trip exceeds an individual’s annual sustainable footprint
2.5 tCO2e
To stop global warming at the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees, every individual must limit their emissions to the Sustainable Annual Fooprint by 2030.
The most sustainable flight is always the one not taken, so what are the more sustainable alternatives to flying?
In a return journey from London to Paris, travelling by train emits just 10% of the equivalent flight. And the difference is even greater for train journeys powered by renewable energy. We know that sometimes flying can't be avoided, but when considering your next flight, more sustainable options might be available.
Estimated emissions by mode of transportation
Based on one person’s emissions taking a return trip from London to Paris
All results are per person in kilograms of CO2e.
Car emissions are based on an average gasoline powered passenger vehicle.
Compensate is trusted by
Compensate’s Integrity Promise
We meticulously screen our carbon projects.
Because we know there are flaws in the Carbon Market. Only 10% of evaluated projects pass our scientific evaluation.
We mitigate risks through a portfolio of carbon projects.
Our dynamic and diverse portfolio of carbon projects maximizes your climate impact while mitigating the risks of carbon projects.
We safeguard with overcompensation.
With inbuilt overcompensation, the Compensate Credit ensures your offset makes a real impact while providing a more robust compensation claim than standard carbon credits.
We create impact beyond the climate.
Because carbon projects must also have a net positive impact on biodiversity, social justice, and human rights.
About the Carbon Store
We’re committed to finding the most sustainable and impactful carbon projects out there. To ensure both climate integrity and positive impact beyond climate, the sustainability-driven Compensate approach is built on 4 pillars: scientific evaluation, built-in overcompensation to mitigate risks, protection of biodiversity and social justice, and a portfolio approach.
CO₂e means carbon dioxide equivalent. This means that all greenhouse gas emissions caused by something are accounted for, and expressed in the functionally equivalent amount of carbon dioxide for clarity. If, for example, the carbon footprint of your activity is 1 340 tonnes of CO₂e, this means that all greenhouse gas emissions have been counted, and the end result is expressed in CO₂e.
The calculator determines the amount of greenhouse gas emissions the flight creates per passenger(s) for the given flight distance. All the emissions (CO2, CH4 and N2O) are accounted for, and expressed in CO2e. Additional emissions, such as nitrous oxides and water vapour when emitted at high altitude, are included in the calculations by using radiative forcing. The radiative forcing index (RFI) is a common measure to include the additional environmental impact of aviation. The calculations are based on average consumption for typical short, medium, and long haul flights. They also take into account whether you’re traveling economy, business, or first class.
The Compensate Credit is a high-quality carbon credit that builds upon international standards, like Gold Standard and Verra, but goes even beyond them. It is based on a diverse portfolio of carbon projects that meet tight criteria related to climate integrity, biodiversity, social justice, and human rights. The credit provides the best impact-cost ratio and it has an in-built overcompensation mechanism that mitigates risks related to carbon projects and enables a more robust compensation claim compared to standard carbon credits. One Compensate Credit equals at least one less tonne of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The price of the Compensate Credit is 35€. Compensate takes a fee, typically between 10 and 20%, to cover payment processing and operations costs.
Our carbon projects
By compensating, you're supporting these high-quality carbon projects and sustainable development.