Calculate the Carbon Footprint of Your Next Flight

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We've all heard about how bad flying can be for the climate, given the prodigious fuel burned to get an airplane off the ground, and the altitude at which pollution is injected into the atmosphere.

Now, you can find out exactly how bad your next flight will be for the environment.

The U.N.'s International Civil Aviation Organization has published a new online calculator that estimates the carbon footprint of your flight based just on the airports you depart from and land in.

"The Carbon Calculator responds to the wish of many travelers for a reliable and authoritative method to estimate the carbon footprint of a flight, so they can choose the program best suited to offset the impact of their trips on climate change according to the amount of carbon dioxide they are responsible for," Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez, president of the ICAO Council, said.

For instance, a flight for two in premium seats from New York City's JFK airport to Los Angeles LAX results in approximately 1.42 tons of carbon dioxide. (The same flight in economy seats results in half as much pollution.)

Try the new calculator: ICAO calculator.

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