Parameters
Parameters are values passed into the API in order to produce emissions estimations. Click below to find out more about parameters for each unit type.
Unit Types
Unit types describe the categories of units available to be queried by the API for an emission factor. Each emission factor accepts a particular unit type, such as money or volume; any unit described for the unit type is acceptable, as the API will handle conversions.
Query Unit Types
GET Get all available unit types and their respective supported units.
https://beta4.api.climatiq.io/unit-typesRequest
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://beta4.api.climatiq.io/unit-types' \ --header 'Authorization: Bearer API_KEY' \Response
The response includes a list of emission factors filtered by the request parameters above.
| Attribute |
|---|
| unit_types array A list of available unit types. |
Every unit type returned in the list is formed by the following properties:
| Attribute |
|---|
| unit_type string The unit type name. |
| units string The units that are available in this unit type. |
{ "unit_types": [ { "unit_type": "Area", "units": { "area_unit": [ "m2", "km2", "ft2", "ha" ] } }, { "unit_type": "AreaOverTime", "units": { "time_unit": [ "ms", "s", "m", "h", "day", "year" ], "area_unit": [ "m2", "km2", "ft2", "ha" ] } }, { "unit_type": "ContainerOverDistance", "units": { "distance_unit": [ "m", "km", "ft", "mi", "nmi" ] } }, { "unit_type": "Data", "units": { "data_unit": [ "MB", "GB", "TB" ] } }, { "unit_type": "DataOverTime", "units": { "time_unit": [ "ms", "s", "m", "h", "day", "year" ], "data_unit": [ "MB", "GB", "TB" ] } }, { "unit_type": "Distance", "units": { "distance_unit": [ "m", "km", "ft", "mi", "nmi" ] } }, { "unit_type": "DistanceOverTime", "units": { "distance_unit": [ "m", "km", "ft", "mi", "nmi" ], "time_unit": [ "ms", "s", "m", "h", "day", "year" ] } }, { "unit_type": "Energy", "units": { "energy_unit": [ "Wh", "kWh", "MWh", "MJ", "GJ", "TJ", "BTU", "therm", "MMBTU" ] } }, { "unit_type": "Money", "units": { "money_unit": [ "usd", "afn", "dzd", "ars", "aud", "bhd", "brl", "cad", "kyd", "cny", "dkk", "egp", "eur", "hkd", "huf", "isk", "inr", "iqd", "ils", "jpy", "lbp", "mxn", "mad", "nzd", "nok", "qar", "rub", "sar", "sgd", "zar", "krw", "sek", "chf", "thb", "twd", "tnd", "try", "aed", "gbp" ] } }, { "unit_type": "Number", "units": {} }, { "unit_type": "NumberOverTime", "units": { "time_unit": [ "ms", "s", "m", "h", "day", "year" ] } }, { "unit_type": "PassengerOverDistance", "units": { "distance_unit": [ "m", "km", "ft", "mi", "nmi" ] } }, { "unit_type": "Time", "units": { "time_unit": [ "ms", "s", "m", "h", "day", "year" ] } }, { "unit_type": "Volume", "units": { "volume_unit": [ "ml", "l", "m3", "standard_cubic_foot", "gallon_us", "bbl" ] } }, { "unit_type": "Weight", "units": { "weight_unit": [ "g", "kg", "t", "ton", "lb" ] } }, { "unit_type": "WeightOverDistance", "units": { "weight_unit": [ "g", "kg", "t", "ton", "lb" ], "distance_unit": [ "m", "km", "ft", "mi", "nmi" ] } }, { "unit_type": "WeightOverTime", "units": { "weight_unit": [ "g", "kg", "t", "ton", "lb" ], "time_unit": [ "ms", "s", "m", "h", "day", "year" ] } } ]}Available Unit Types
Area
Calculate emissions produced by an area, such as spraying fields, expressed in hectares (ha), square kilometers (km2), square meters (m2) or square foot (ft2).
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| area number Area size in the defined unit | required | |
| area_unit string Unit of area. One of m2, km2, ft2, ha | optional | km2 |
{ //... "parameters": { "area": 30, "area_unit": "ha" } //...}AreaOverTime
Calculate emissions produced by area over time.
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| area number Area size in the defined unit | required | |
| area_unit string Unit of area. One of m2, km2, ft2, ha | optional | km2 |
| time number Time amount | required | |
| time_unit string Unit of time. One of ms, s, m, h, day, year | optional | h |
{ //... "parameters": { "area": 30, "area_unit": "ha", "time": 365, "time_unit": "day" } //...}ContainerOverDistance
Calculate emissions produced by moving goods inside a certain amount of twenty-foot-equivalent (opens in a new tab) containers over a distance (in kilometers, miles, nautical miles, meters or feet).
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| twenty_foot_equivalent number The amount of twenty-foot-equivalent containers moved | required | |
| distance number Distance in the defined unit | required | |
| distance_unit string Unit of distance. One of m, km, ft, mi, nmi | optional | km |
{ //... "parameters": { "twenty_foot_equivalent": 2, "distance": 100, "distance_unit": "km" } //...}Data
Calculate emissions produced by a data amount, such as by transfer, expressed in megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB) or Terabytes (TB).
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| data number Data size in the defined unit | required | |
| data_unit string Unit of data. One of MB or GB, TB | optional | MB |
{ //... "parameters": { "data": 3, "data_unit": "GB" } //...}DataOverTime
Calculate emissions produced by data over time, such as storing data for some duration.
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| data number Data size in the defined unit | required | |
| data_unit string Unit of data. One of MB, GB or TB | optional | MB |
| time number Time amount | required | |
| time_unit string Unit of time. One of ms, s, m, h, day, year | optional | h |
{ //... "parameters": { "data": 3, "data_unit": "GB", "time": 1, "time_unit": "h" } //...}Distance
Calculate emissions produced by moving a vehicle in kilometers, miles, nautical miles, meters or feet.
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| distance number Distance in the defined unit | required | |
| distance_unit string Unit of distance. One of m, km, ft, mi, nmi | optional | km |
{ //... "parameters": { "distance": 100, "distance_unit": "mi" } //...}DistanceOverTime
Calculate emissions produced by distance over time, such as road maintenance.
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| distance number Distance in the defined unit | required | |
| distance_unit string Unit of distance. One of m, km, ft, mi, nmi | optional | km |
| time number Time amount | required | |
| time_unit string Unit of time. One of ms, s, m, h, day, year | optional | h |
{ //... "parameters": { "distance": 100, "distance_unit": "mi" "time": 365, "time_unit": "days" } //...}Energy
Calculate emissions produced by consumption of energy in kWh, terajoules, gigajoules, megajoules or MMBTU (opens in a new tab).
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| energy number Energy in the defined unit | required | |
| energy_unit string Unit of energy. One of Wh, kWh, MWh, MJ, GJ, TJ, therm or MMBTU | optional | kWh |
{ //... "parameters": { "energy": 30, "energy_unit": "TJ" } //...}Money
Calculate upstream emissions produced by purchase of goods or services, for example food, clothing or services, expressed in any of the supported currencies.
Where exchange rates are applied, these are aggregated from a variety of sources, but primarily from the UN Treasury Operational Rates (opens in a new tab) and the IRS average exchange rates (opens in a new tab) for the year that the source judges the emission factor is most valid for.
Due to varying exchange rates and inflation, calculating emissions based on money spent is most accurate when the year for the emission factor is the same as the year you spent the money.
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| money number Money amount in the defined unit | required | |
| money_unit string ISO code of currency, such as usd, eur or gbp. See the list of all supported currencies. | optional | usd |
{ //... "parameters": { "money": 100, "money_unit": "eur" } //...}Number
This method works as a fallback for units without conversions like Hotel nights.
| Attribute | Required |
|---|---|
| number number Unit amount | required |
{ //... "parameters": { "number": 3 } //...}NumberOverTime
Calculate emissions by a number in a given time expressed in days, hours, minutes, seconds or milliseconds. The numbers are multiplied together, so doubling the number or the time will yield the same results.
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| number number The number | required | |
| time number The time amount | required | |
| time_unit string Unit of time. One of ms, s, m, h, day, year | optional | h |
{ //... "parameters": { "number": 15, "time": 3, "time_unit": "m" } //...}PassengerOverDistance
Calculate emissions produced by moving a number of passengers over a given distance in kilometers, miles, nautical miles, meters or feet.
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| passengers number Number of passengers | optional | 1 |
| distance number Distance in the defined unit | required | |
| distance_unit string Unit of distance. One of m, km, ft, mi, nmi | optional | km |
{ //... "parameters": { "passengers": 4, "distance": 100, "distance_unit": "mi" } //...}Time
Calculate emissions in a given time expressed in (average) years, days, hours, minutes, seconds or milliseconds.
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| time number Time amount | required | |
| time_unit string Unit of time. One of ms, s, m, h, day, year | optional | h |
{ //... "parameters": { "time": 3, "time_unit": "m" } //...}Volume
Calculate emissions produced by volume of material consumed or utilised in a process or activity; for example diesel, expressed in litres, millilitres, cubic metres, standard cubic foot or US gallons.
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| volume number Volume in the defined unit | required | |
| volume_unit string Unit of volume. One of ml, l, m3, standard_cubic_foot, gallons_us, bbl | optional | l |
{ //... "parameters": { "volume": 15, "volume_unit": "l" } //...}Weight
Calculate emissions produced by total weight of material consumed, utilised or transported in a process or activity, expressed in kilograms, tonnes (metric tons) or US short tons.
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| weight number Weight in the defined unit | required | |
| weight_unit string Unit of weight. One of g, kg, t (metric ton), lb, ton (US short ton) | optional | kg |
{ //... "parameters": { "weight": 80, "weight_unit": "t" } //...}WeightOverDistance
Calculate emissions produced by moving goods of a certain weight (expressed in kilograms, tonnes (metric tons) or US short tons) over a distance (in kilometers, miles, nautical miles, meters or feet).
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| weight number Weight in the defined unit | required | |
| weight_unit string Unit of weight. One of g, kg, t (metric ton), lb, ton (US short ton) | optional | kg |
| distance number Distance in the defined unit | required | |
| distance_unit string Unit of distance. One of m, km, ft, mi, nmi | optional | km |
{ //... "parameters": { "weight": 80, "weight_unit": "t", "distance": 100, "distance_unit": "mi" } //...}WeightOverTime
Calculate emissions produced by weight over time.
| Attribute | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|
| weight number Weight in the defined unit | required | |
| weight_unit string Unit of weight. One of g, kg, t (metric ton), lb, ton (US short ton) | optional | kg |
| time number Time amount | required | |
| time_unit string Unit of time. One of ms, s, m, h, day, year | optional | h |
{ //... "parameters": { "weight": 80, "weight_unit": "t", "time": 20, "time_unit": "days" } //...}