Methodology
How We Calculate Emissions
CO₂ emissions are estimated using this formula:
CO₂ (kg) = Flight Duration (hours) × Fuel Burn Rate (gal/hr) × 9.75 (kg CO₂/gallon)
Inputs
- Flight duration — Derived from ADS-B position data (first airborne signal to last airborne signal)
- Fuel burn rate — From aircraft manufacturer specifications for each jet model
- CO₂ per gallon — 9.75 kg CO₂ per gallon of jet fuel (Jet-A), per EPA
Flight Detection
We poll public ADS-B data every 15-30 minutes from community receivers (adsb.fi / Airplanes.live). Aircraft are matched by FAA registration number. Departure and arrival airports are determined from the nearest major airport to the first and last tracked positions.
Aircraft-to-Celebrity Attribution
Each aircraft is linked to a public figure via FAA N-number registry records. We document the ownership chain and link to the FAA registry page for each tail number.
Benchmark Values
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| avg_american_annual_co2_kg | 14,700 kg CO2/year | US EPA, 2024 Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions |
| avg_american_monthly_co2_kg | 1,225 kg CO2/month | US EPA, 2024 Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (annual figure divided by 12) |
| avg_car_annual_co2_kg | 4,600 kg CO2/year | US EPA, Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle |
| avg_eu_annual_co2_per_capita_kg | 5,800 kg CO2/year | European Environment Agency, Greenhouse Gas Emissions per Capita |
| avg_global_annual_co2_per_capita_kg | 4,700 kg CO2/year | World Bank, CO2 Emissions (metric tons per capita) |
| avg_us_electricity_co2_per_kwh_kg | 0.4 kg CO2/kWh | US EPA, eGRID Summary Tables 2022 |
| avg_us_home_annual_co2_kg | 7,260 kg CO2/year | US EIA, Residential Energy Consumption Survey |
| gallon_jet_fuel_co2_kg | 9.8 kg CO2/gallon | US EIA, Carbon Dioxide Emissions Coefficients |
| nyc_to_la_commercial_economy_co2_per_pax_kg | 320 kg CO2/passenger | ICAO Carbon Emissions Calculator (JFK-LAX economy one-way) |
| one_tree_annual_co2_absorption_kg | 22 kg CO2/year | US Forest Service, Urban Forest Research |
| paris_agreement_target_annual_co2_per_capita_kg | 2,300 kg CO2/year | IPCC, 1.5°C pathway per-capita budget estimate |
| transatlantic_commercial_flight_co2_per_pax_kg | 490 kg CO2/passenger | ICAO Carbon Emissions Calculator (JFK-LHR economy round trip) |
Disclaimer
Fuel burn and CO₂ are estimates based on aircraft manufacturer specifications and flight duration. Actual values may vary based on payload, weather, routing, and operational factors. We show our complete calculation for every flight so anyone can verify the math.
All posts are delayed 12+ hours from actual flight time. We report city-to-city routes only, never specific coordinates or real-time positions.