Carbon Savings Tool

This calculator i) demonstrates the carbon footprint of taking a given journey by a range of transport modes, ii) demonstrates the possible carbon savings from switching to a different mode of travel, and iii) illustrates the difference in journey length for different travel choices on a map. The calculator currently supports air, rail, ferry and electric / fossil fuel car travel. You may wish to use it alongside the travel decision tree.

How we collectively choose to travel can have a huge impact on carbon emissions. Road vehicles are responsible for almost three quarters of transport emissions. Meanwhile, aviation currently accounts for around 3% of global carbon emissions, but it plays an even greater role in climate change. It is also one of the most difficult to decarbonise sectors. As such, changing our travel practices is both key and urgent if we are to stay within safer levels of warming. You can read more about why here.

To use the calculator, enter your departure and arrival airports below and select whether it is a direct or return journey. When you select the dropdown, a search box will open. This enables you to easily search for your desired airport. You can search using the airport or city name.

The tool has been developed and funded by the School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) as part of their work on Social Responsibility, but is available for anyone to use within and beyond the University of Manchester. The project has been led by Dr Jonny Huck (SEED Director of Social Responsibility) and Dr Joe Blakey (Department of Geography). You can read about our methodology here.