Compare the carbon footprint of a journey across transport modes.
Emission factors differ by roughly a factor of six between flying and rail for the same distance. Cars become competitive when fully occupied because their emissions divide across passengers. A single long-haul return flight can exceed a year of driving emissions, which is why flying dominates the footprint of anyone who does it regularly.
Travel Carbon Footprint
Emissions = distance × emission factor for the mode
Emissions = distance × emission factor for the mode Emission factors differ by roughly a factor of six between flying and rail for the same distance. Cars become competitive when fully occupied because their emissions divide across passengers.
A single long-haul return flight can exceed a year of driving emissions, which is why flying dominates the footprint of anyone who does it regularly.
This calculator takes 4 inputs: Distance each way, Return journey, Transport mode, Passengers sharing the journey. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.