The idea is to compare the CO2 savings of the posts (since the beginning of the programme) with more tangible examples:
Example 1 - comparison to cities (video)
To date, posts have collectively saved 31m tonnes CO2 (Source: IPC Sustainability Report 2024) This is equal to the annual emissions of:
Kuala Lumpur (30.9 million tonnes)1
Johannesburg (29.1 million tonnes)2
Madrid (31 million tonnes)3
New York (35 million tonnes)4
Paris (30.7 million tonnes)5
Rome (30.6 million tonnes)6
Example 2 - comparison to cars/solar panels (infographic)
The emission savings made by the posts are equivalent to:
- Taking approximately 6.7 million average cars off the road for a year7
- The emissions saved by 31m solar panels a year8, generating enough energy for four million average European homes annually, or nearly 3.5% of the total annual electricity consumption of Germany9.
Notes
1. C40 Cities – Urban Climate Action Programme (UCAP CAI) City Fact Sheets, 2025 Figure based on 2022 GHG inventory, updated in June 2025, covering scope 1: Direct emissions from within the city (e.g., fuel combustion in buildings, vehicles) and scope 2: Indirect emissions from electricity and energy imported into the city.
2. 2023 projection, based on City of Johannesburg’s GPC inventories and Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Dataset, covering Scope 1: Direct emissions from within the city (e.g., fuel combustion in buildings, vehicles, and industry) and scope 2: Indirect emissions from electricity and energy imported into the city.
3. 2023 projection based on Madrid’s GPC (Global Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories) and Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Dataset, covering scope 1: Direct emissions from sources within the city (e.g., fuel combustion in buildings, vehicles, and industry) and scope 2: Indirect emissions from electricity and energy imported into the city.
4. Projection for the year 2023, based on data from the city's GPC (Global Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories) and Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Dataset. Scope 1 (Fuel combustion in buildings and vehicles/ Industrial processes within city boundaries). Scope 2 (Electricity, heating, and cooling consumed in the city but generated elsewhere).
5. 2023 projection derived from Paris’s GPC (Global Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories) and Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Dataset, covering Scope 1: Direct emissions from sources within the city (e.g., fuel combustion in buildings, vehicles, and industry) and Scope 2: Indirect emissions from electricity and energy imported into the city.
6. 2023 projection derived from Rome’s GPC (Global Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories) and Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Dataset, covering Scope 1: Direct emissions from sources within the city (e.g., fuel combustion in buildings, vehicles, and industry) and Scope 2: Indirect emissions from electricity and energy imported into the city.
7. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tonnes of CO₂ per year. 31,000,000 tonnes CO₂ equals to r≈6.74 million cars
8. According to multiple sources, including Heatable and Renewable Energy Hub, a typical residential solar panel saves about 1 tonne of CO₂ per year. 31,000,000 tonnes CO₂ equal to 31 million panels
9. The Green Watt