Carbon Calculator
What is my personal climate impact?
Use the Nanaimo Carbon Calculator to find out how many tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) you have emitted in a year. The lower your GHG emissions are, the lower your impact on the planet.
Once you have it completed, post your results online and challenge yourself and your friends to reduce your emissions and see who can get to the lowest number! (Visit the City of Nanaimo’s Green Initiatives for more information for how to get involved)
(If you do not live in British Columbia please use a different calculator. These results will not be reflective of your emissions, as the emissions factors are specific to our region)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Carbon Calculator?
In our day to day lives, we emit greenhouse gasses through the goods and services we use such as in our daily drive to work, how we heat our homes, and the food that we eat. A Carbon Calculator measures all the greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) produced from these activities.
In Nanaimo, many goods and services that we use are made outside of the community and imported into the community. The Carbon Calculator measures the emissions from the goods and services created inside and outside of Nanaimo.
What should my goal be?
To keep the average global warming temperature from increasing, GHG emissions must lower. Your goal should be decreasing the amount of GHG emissions you emit as much as possible. The effort to lower emissions falls on everyone. Industries, local governments, and residents all have a responsibility to reduce their emissions. Check out Nanaimo ReImagined for more information on the City of Nanaimo’s community-wide Climate action strategy.What is a "tCO2e"?
Short for "tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent." This is a way to describe all greenhouse gas emissions (e.g. carbon dioxide, methane, and refrigerants) in the same measurement.
Why is there automatically 0.96 tCO2e in the Food Consumption category?
We all need to eat, and even the lowest waste vegan diet emits approximately 0.96 tonnes of CO2e. So, zero tCO2e is not possible using this calculator. Future technologies to reduce emissions in agriculture may cause this number to lower.
Why should I change my lifestyle to reduce my emissions?
On a global scale, we are emitting more greenhouse gasses and using more resources than our planet can absorb or regenerate. Within Nanaimo we are taking far more then our fair share of resources. It is much easier for people with large emissions to lower their emissions in comparison to those who have small emissions.
For example, it is difficult to reduce emissions when you are already living on the smallest amount of food, water and shelter. Choosing to recycle will not cause your total emissions to reduce in a dramatic way.
In contrast, if you can afford your daily needs as well as luxuries, it is easier to reduce your emissions. An example can be car travel. You can have a large reduction on your total emissions by choosing to bike or walk to destinations over driving your car.
Compared to the rest of the globe, many Nanaimo residents fall into the second example. So, by reducing our emissions here in Nanaimo, we can work to achieve living within the limits of our planet in a fair and equitable way.
How can I reduce my GHG emissions?
Reduce your GHG emissions by:
- Transportation: Choosing active transportation methods such as biking, walking, or utilizing public transit. Another option is switching to an electric car or electric bike!
- Travel: Choose to travel locally and avoid air travel. Tourism Vancouver Island has many ideas for road trips around Vancouver Island!
- In your home: When it comes time to replace your space and water heaters, consider switching from fossil fuels (e.g. natural gas) to renewable energy (such as electric heat pumps). The City of Nanaimo offers different types of rebates available to homeowners who decide to make their houses more efficient!
- Food and waste: Choose a diet with lower impact foods and reduce the amount of food waste. (learn more at the City of Nanaimo’s Zero Waste Green Initiatives page)
Last updated: October 1, 2024
Help us improve our website
Collection and use of your personal information
Information collected on this form is done so under the general authority of the Community Charter and
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA), and is protected in accordance with FOIPPA. Questions about the collection of your personal information may be referred to the Legislative Services Department at 250-755-4405, or via email at foi@nanaimo.ca. Please also see our Privacy Policy.
-
Parks, Rec & Culture
- Recreation Facilities & Schedules
- Parks & Trails
- Activity Guide
- Events
- Register for a Program
- Drop-In Schedules
- Public Art
- Culture
- Poetry
-
City Services
- Garbage & Recycling
-
Home & Property
- Property Taxes
- User Rates
- Animals, Trees, & Gardens
- Change Your Address
- Damage/Injury Claims
- City Charges and Your Property Title
- Pre-Authorized Withdrawals - Terms & Conditions
- Pre-Authorized Withdrawals (PAWS)
- Water & Sewage
- Emergency Services
- Online Services
- Cemetery Services
- City Services Directory
-
Property & Development
-
Building Permits
- Online Building Permit Application
- Building Permit Revision
-
Application for a Residential Building Permit
- Access (driveway) Permit
- Accessory Building Permit
- Alteration Permit
- Building Envelope Repair
- Carriage House
- Demolition Permit
- Fence or Retaining Wall Permit
- Geotechnical Reports
- Locate Permit
- New Construction Permit
- Plumbing or Services Permit
- Secondary Suite Permit
- Special Inspection Permit
- Swimming Pool Permit
- Woodstove Installation Info
- Green Home Initiatives
-
Apply for a Commercial Building Permit
- Access (driveway) Permit
- Commercial Alteration Permit
- Building Envelope Repair Permit
- Demolition Permit
- Fence or Retaining Wall Permit
- Geotechnical Reports
- Leasehold Improvement
- Locate Permit
- New Commercial Construction Permit
- Occupant Load Permit
- Signs Permit
- Special Inspection Permit
- Sprinkler Requirements
- Fees and Bonding
- Commercial Plumbing Permit
- Bylaws for Building
- Forms and Guidelines
- Book a Building Inspection
- Report Illegal Construction
- Request Building Plans
- Building Permit Statistics
- Permit Fee Calculator
- Building News and Alerts
- Fast Track Building Permits
- Development Applications
- What's Building in my Neighbourhood
- Development Activity Map
- Community Planning
- NanaimoMap
- Rebates
- Engineering Survey
- Land Use Bylaws
- Soil Removal and Depositing
- Heritage Buildings
- Sustainability
-
Building Permits
- Transportation & Mobility
-
Your Government
- News & Events
-
City Council
- Advocacy
- Contact Mayor & Council
- Council Meetings
-
Boards & Committees
- Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness
- Board of Variance
- Design Advisory Panel
- Finance and Audit Committee
- Governance and Priorities Committee
- Mayor's Leaders' Table
- Nanaimo Performing Arts Guild
- Nanaimo Port Authority Board
- Parcel Tax Roll Review Panel
- Special District 68 Sports Field and Recreation Committee
- Public Safety Committee
- Understanding Council Committee Structures
- Council Policies
- Mayor's Office
- Council Initiatives
- Proclamations
- Bastion Lighting Requests
- City Bylaws
- Alternative Approval Process
- Budget & Finance
- Records, Information & Privacy
- Elections
- Departments & Contacts
- Careers
- Maps & Data
- Projects
- Tourism Nanaimo
- Community Safety and Wellbeing
- Grants
- Awards
- Accessibility & Inclusion
-
Doing Business
- Economic Development
- Doing Business with the City
- Business Licences
- Filming in Nanaimo
- City Owned Property
- Encroachments onto City Property
- Liquor Licences
- Cannabis Retail
- Business Improvement Areas
- Procurement Services
- Get Involved
- About Nanaimo
- Green Initiatives