Parameters

The Parameters model represent parameters passed into a given emission factors. Parameters can represent e.g. money spent, kilometers travelled, energy consumed, or fuel burned. Parameters are used together with an emission factor to produce emissions estimations.

Parameters can take multiple different unit types, depending on the emission factors. 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.

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).

{
    //...
    "parameters": {
        "area": 30,
        "area_unit": "ha"
    }
    //...
}

AreaOverTime

Calculate emissions produced by area over time.

{
    //...
    "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).

{
    //...
    "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).

{
    //...
    "parameters": {
        "data": 3,
        "data_unit": "GB"
    }
    //...
}

DataOverTime

Calculate emissions produced by data over time, such as storing data for some duration.

{
    //...
    "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.

{
    //...
    "parameters": {
        "distance": 100,
        "distance_unit": "mi"
    }
    //...
}

DistanceOverTime

Calculate emissions produced by distance over time, such as road maintenance.

{
    //...
    "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).

{
    //...
    "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.

{
    //...
    "parameters": {
        "money": 100,
        "money_unit": "eur"
    }
    //...
}

Number

This method works as a fallback for units without conversions like Hotel nights.

{
    //...
    "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.

{
    //...
    "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.

{
    //...
    "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.

{
    //...
    "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.

{
    //...
    "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.

{
    //...
    "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).

{
    //...
    "parameters": {
        "weight": 80,
        "weight_unit": "t",
        "distance": 100,
        "distance_unit": "mi"
    }
    //...
}

WeightOverTime

Calculate emissions produced by weight over time.

{
    //...
    "parameters": {
        "weight": 80,
        "weight_unit": "t",
        "time": 20,
        "time_unit": "days"
    }
    //...
}