German

Life in Germany: keeping an eye on your carbon balance

Climate protection is important. And the goal for Germany is clear: From over 11 tonnes of CO2-equivalent to less than 1 tonne of CO2-equivalent per person and year. This is the position of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) in line with the international community of states. We still have a lot to do in order to achieve this goal. And ultimately we'll only get there if we have effective government framework conditions.

But today we can already take the lead as individuals. We can already avoid not only kilograms but tonnes of carbon - both when it comes to our own emissions (our carbon footprint) as well as when it comes to helping others avoid emissions (our carbon handprint). The UBA Carbon Calculator will help you keep track: Where do you stand today? What are the main tools at your disposal? What contribution can you make to climate protection in future?

Please note: Calculations only apply to the German context. Using the calculator while living in other countries will only give you some indication of your footprint, the actual values might differ substantially.
Emissions from shared amenities such as heating and electricity are automatically divided by the number of members in your household. Only in the case of car rides you have to make this allocation yourself, as only you can estimate the way you share.

Give it a try!

Get a first estimate of your carbon balance in just a few steps.

My Household
2
m2
Transportation & Travel
Hours/Year
Hours/Year
Eating habits
Income
Reset all data

My carbon balance

In your carbon balance different areas of your life from heating to miscellaneous consumption are being considered. It not only tells you your personal carbon footprint, but also the avoidance you achieved as well as a carbon handprint, which quantifies your positive impact on the climate by enabling others to avoid emissions.

Carbon footprints in comparison

carbon footprint

The personal carbon footprint shows how many tonnes of CO2 equivalents are emitted due to your current lifestyle.

In addition to CO2, the greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide are taken into account, which are converted into CO2 equivalents with the corresponding climate impact. The additional non-CO2-related climate impact of flying is also taken into account.

In order to assess your carbon footprint, the German average is always displayed for comparison.

Housing & Electricity

Transportation & Travel

Food

Miscellaneous Consumption

Public Consumption

My carbon scenario

In your carbon scenario you can now look to the future. Answer questions about changes you're planning, new habits and even investments. On the basis of your carbon balance today the projections are carried out, up to what the German average would be in 2050.

Today

Your carbon scenario picks up where you've left off in your carbon balance.

Short-term

Personal changes in the next 5 years are reflected in your short term scenario.

Medium-term

A more climate-friendly society and your personal changes then lead to a medium-term scenario covering the next 10 to 15 years.

Germany 2050

Your acceptance of long-term climate protection measures and the corresponding policies then lead to a projected German average value for the year 2050.

Save the current status of your calculation if you want to edit it later, send it to friends or post it in a social network. The data is available for you to retrieve for a period of 18 months. If you do not retrieve the data during this period, it will be deleted.

Please record the status of the calculation, this information is for statistical purposes only.

None of us are truely average. Therefore, we would like to get a more accurate picture of your living circumstances to put your carbon balance into context. By voluntarily entering some additional information, you can make an important contribution to further the anonymous, scientific evaluation of carbon balances! Your help is much appreciated!