Estimation

Many endpoints return one or more of the Estimation models described below. One Estimation model always uses one Emission Factor , but when doing complex estimations, it is often necessary to combine multiple emission factors. In cases like that, endpoints often return multiple Estimation models.

Estimation

The Estimation response model is returned in a variety of estimation-related endpoints.

The model contains the total amount of emissions in kgCO2e, and includes the emission factor used for the calculation.

co2efloat
Emission factor carbon dioxide equivalent.
co2e_unitstring
The unit in which the co2e field is expressed. This is currently always kg
co2e_calculation_methodstring
Which calculation methodology that was used for the calculation. The value of this is either ar4, ar5 or ar6. Learn more about calculation methods here.
co2e_calculation_originstring
Whether or not the data source or Climatiq made the calculation. The value of this is either source or climatiq. Learn more about calculation methods here.
emission_factorobject
The emission factor that was used for the calculation.
emission_factor.namestring
The name of the emission factor.
emission_factor.activity_idstring
ID for the activity the emission factor applies to. Multiple factors can share the same activity_id, e.g. if they're from different sources or regions.
emission_factor.idstring
A unique ID for this particular emission factor.
emission_factor.access_typestring
Data access type: public, premium or private. Public factors are available to all. Premium factors require a specific license. Private factors are only accessible to you.
emission_factor.sourcestring
The source that published the emission factor.
emission_factor.source_datasetstring
Many sources publish multiple different datasets containing emission factors. This is the dataset that this particular emisison factor was published in.
emission_factor.yearinteger
Most relevant year for the emission factor according to the source.
emission_factor.regionstring
A region code that describes which geographic region the emission factor applies to.
emission_factor.categorystring
The category this emission factor belongs to.
emission_factor.source_lca_activitystring
Associated Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) activity.
emission_factor.data_quality_flagsarray of strings
List of data quality flags for this emission factor. An empty list means no detected data quality issues.
constituent_gasesconstituent gases object
Indicates which constituent gases the emission factor is composed of. These have already been factored into the final co2e, and are only needed if you want a more granular breakdown.
additional_indicatorsadditional indicators
Supplementary indicator data such as scope breakdowns for spend-based EFs. Empty ({}) when the emission factor does not have additional indicator data available.
activity_data
Indicates the parameters which were multiplied by the factor to estimate emissions.
audit_trailstring
This field is deprecated and should not be read.


{
    "co2e": 161,
    "co2e_unit": "kg",
    "co2e_calculation_method": "ar4",
    "co2e_calculation_origin": "source",
    "emission_factor": {
        "name": "Steel - Section",
        "activity_id": "metals-type_steel_section",
        "id": "7f743e8d-ce7c-43e7-af63-1b89e79916ce",
        "access_type": "public",
        "source": "Circular Ecology",
        "source_dataset": "ICE Database v4",
        "year": 2024,
        "region": "GLOBAL",
        "category": "Metals",
        "source_lca_activity": "cradle_to_gate",
        "data_quality_flags": ["notable_methodological_variance"]
    },
    "constituent_gases": {
        "co2e_total": 161,
        "co2e_other": null,
        "co2": null,
        "ch4": null,
        "ch4_fossil": null,
        "ch4_biogenic": null,
        "n2o": null
    },
    "additional_indicators": {},
    "activity_data": {
        "activity_value": 100,
        "activity_unit": "kg"
    },
    "audit_trail": "selector"
}

EstimationWithSourceTrail

The EstimationWithSourceTrail model is the same as Estimation, but includes an additional source_trail field as well.

Extra Attributes
source_trail array of Source Data Points An array of data points that help explain and provide trust in the calculation. Click to view more details about Source Trail.


{
    "co2e": 49.25493,
    "co2e_unit": "kg",
    "co2e_calculation_method": "ar5",
    "co2e_calculation_origin": "source",
    "emission_factor": {
        "name": "Fabricated metal products/except machinery and equipment",
        "activity_id": "metal_products-type_fabricated_metal_products_except_machinery_equipment",
        "id": "f9682106-3615-4d90-b200-89c7b938a256",
        "access_type": "public",
        "source": "EXIOBASE",
        "source_dataset": "EXIOBASE 3",
        "year": 2019,
        "region": "IN",
        "category": "Fabricated Metal Products",
        "source_lca_activity": "unknown",
        "data_quality_flags": []
    },
    "constituent_gases": {
        "co2e_total": 49.25493,
        "co2e_other": null,
        "co2": null,
        "ch4": null,
        "ch4_fossil": null,
        "ch4_biogenic": null,
        "n2o": null
    },
    "additional_indicators": {},
    "activity_data": {
        "activity_value": 22.35,
        "activity_unit": "eur"
    },
    "audit_trail": "enabled",
    "source_trail": [
        {
            "data_category": "emission_factor",
            "name": "Fabricated metal products/except machinery and equipment",
            "source": "EXIOBASE",
            "source_dataset": "EXIOBASE 3",
            "year": "2019",
            "region": "IN",
            "region_name": "India",
            "id": "f9682106-3615-4d90-b200-89c7b938a256"
        }
    ]
}

Constituent Gases

The constituent gases model explains which constituent gases the source of the data considers to be part of their calculations. A null means the constituent gas may or may not be present, and one of the following:

The source does not provide data about that constituent gas.
The source is a premium dataset, and part of the commercial terms dictate we cannot reveal this number.
You do not have a commercial agreement with Climatiq to view this data.

The constituent gases also depend on the calculation methodology chosen, displayed as factor_calculation_method in search results or co2e_calculation_method in estimate results. If you filter on different calculation methodologies, you might see different constituent gases. Learn more about calculation methods and constituent gases here

Attribute

co2e_totalfloat or null
The total amount of GHG emitted per unit of activity expressed as kgCO2e, as reported by the source. It is null for Climatiq-performed calculations.
co2e_otherfloat or null
The total amount of GHG emitted that are not CO2, CH4 or N20 - expressed in kgCO2e emitted per unit of activity, as reported by the source.
co2float or null
The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted per unit of activity expressed as kgCO2, as reported by the source.
ch4float or null
The amount of methane (CH4) emitted per unit of activity expressed as kgCH4, as reported by the source. This is the methane not included in the ch4_fossil or ch4_biogenic fields.
ch4_fossilfloat or null
The amount of methane (CH4) from fossil sources (e.g. fugitive emissions from fossil fuels) emitted per unit of activity expressed as kgCH4, as reported by the source.
ch4_biogenicfloat or null
The amount of methane (CH4) from biogenic sources emitted per unit of activity expressed as kgCH4, as reported by the source.
n2ofloat or null
The amount of nitrous oxide (N2O) emitted per unit of activity expressed as kgN2O, as reported by the source.

Additional Indicators

Additional indicators provide supplementary data beyond the core CO2e estimate, such as scope breakdowns for spend-based emission factors and the fossil / biogenic / land-use-change split that makes up the total co2e value. All fields are optional, as not all emission factors have additional indicator data. If an emission factor does not have data for a specific indicator, its field will be omitted from the response. If no additional indicators are available for an emission factor, or you do not have access to this, additional_indicators will be empty ({}).

The indicators are grouped below: the scope breakdown, the indicators that break down the total co2e, and the biogenic product disclosures that are reported separately and are not part of any total.

Scope breakdown

Attribute

scope1number
Scope 1 emissions for spend-based emission factors, expressed in kgCO2e per unit of activity.
scope2number
Scope 2 emissions for spend-based emission factors, expressed in kgCO2e per unit of activity.
scope3number
Scope 3 emissions for spend-based emission factors, expressed in kgCO2e per unit of activity.

Components of the total

These indicators break down the total co2e value. There are two overlapping ways of splitting it, which do not sum together:

By origin of the emissions, under the neutral accounting method: fossil_co2e + biogenic_neutral_co2e + luc_co2e = total_neutral_co2e. See the Biogenic CO₂ guide for the background.
By FLAG (Forest, Land and Agriculture) versus non-FLAG, where flag_co2e = luc_co2e + land_management_co2e, and the FLAG and non-FLAG portions sum to the same total. See the components of FLAG data for how each source dataset reports these.

luc_co2e is a component of both splits.

Attribute

fossil_co2enumber
Net fossil CO2e per unit of activity (kgCO2e) — the portion of the total CO2e attributable to fossil-origin emissions. A component of the total co2e.
biogenic_neutral_co2enumber
Net biogenic CO2e per unit of activity (kgCO2e) under the neutral accounting method (the biogenic CH4/N2O contributions; biogenic CO2 itself is treated as 0). May be negative when net removals dominate. A component of the total co2e.
luc_co2enumber
Net land-use-change CO2e per unit of activity (kgCO2e), capturing emissions and removals from land use and land-use change. May be negative. A component of the total co2e, and flag_co2e.
land_management_co2enumber
Land management CO2e per unit of activity (kgCO2e). A component of the total co2e, and flag_co2e.
flag_co2enumber
Forest, Land and Agriculture (FLAG) CO2e per unit of activity (kgCO2e), equal to luc_co2e + land_management_co2e. Because not all source datasets report a FLAG breakdown, these values may be estimated by Climatiq rather than taken directly from the source dataset. The API does not currently indicate whether a given value was provided by the source or estimated by Climatiq.
total_neutral_co2enumber
Total CO2e per unit of activity (kgCO2e) under the neutral accounting method (fossil_co2e + biogenic_neutral_co2e + luc_co2e). This is the same total that the FLAG and non-FLAG portions sum to. In many cases the top-level co2e field will be the neutral total, this field is for reducing ambiguity and is not generally populated yet.

Biogenic product disclosures

Under the neutral accounting method, biogenic CO2 is counted as zero in the total co2e: the CO2 released when biomass is burned or decays is treated as balancing the CO2 the biomass removed from the atmosphere as it grew. That keeps the total simple, but it also hides how much biomass a product actually involves, so the underlying “gross” quantities — the full emissions and the full removals, before they are netted against each other — are disclosed separately. See why biogenic CO2 emissions are reported separately for the reasoning.

None of these fields are a component of total_neutral_co2e or of the total co2e.

Attribute

biogenic_product_emissions_co2enumber
Gross biogenic CO2e emissions per unit of activity (kgCO2e) — the full amount of CO2e released from the biomass in the product, before any removals are netted off against it. Reported separately and not part of any total.
biogenic_product_removals_co2number
Gross biogenic CO2 removals per unit of activity (kgCO2) — the full amount of CO2 that the biomass took out of the atmosphere as it grew, given as a negative quantity. Reported separately and not part of any total.
biogenic_product_carbon_contentnumber
Mass of carbon physically contained within the product per unit of activity (kg). This is a mass of carbon, not a CO2e figure, and is not part of any total.


"additional_indicators": {
    "scope1": 0.1,
    "scope2": 0.2,
    "scope3": 0.3,
    "fossil_co2e": 0.238796,
    "biogenic_neutral_co2e": 0.0000792,
    "luc_co2e": 0.0001331,
    "total_neutral_co2e": 0.239008
}