8 May, 2026

As carbon accounting becomes more detailed and more technical, it can also start to feel further removed from real life. Spreadsheets get smarter, boundaries get tighter, and yet the numbers themselves often become harder to contextualise. Project Drawdown’s recently released Carbon in Context tool is a refreshing response to that problem.

The tool takes an emissions figure and translates it into familiar reference points, giving people an immediate sense of scale. Have you ever wondered what 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide is roughly equivalent? Driving an average petrol car 544,000 kilometres, producing and eating 1,089 kilograms of beef, or taking 151 round‑trip economy flights from New York to LA. We think this is a great way to reconnect abstract data with things we use or experience in everyday life. These reference points can be a handy tool to engage a room, create urgency, help prioritise meaningful reduction actions or to simply get your head around a number.

It’s not an all-new concept, but it is simple, well-judged, and very easy to use. So, why not give it a go?

By Budd Nicholson