Flight: DEFRA π¬π§
π‘ High-Level Description:
The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) of the United Kingdom plays a key role in shaping environmental policies and approaches to carbon reduction. As part of its sustainability initiatives, DEFRA has developed a carbon calculation methodology specifically for the flight passenger sector, providing a standardized and credible means to evaluate the emissions associated with air travel.
DEFRA's methodology for evaluating carbon emissions from passenger flights incorporates a range of factors. These include the aircraft's fuel consumption, flight distance, type of aircraft, and even the indirect effects of high-altitude emissions. The aim is to offer a holistic view of a flight's environmental impact. By developing this standardized approach, DEFRA not only aids the aviation industry in understanding and reducing its carbon footprint but also provides a reliable reference point for policymakers and environmental advocacy groups.
Versioning: Add methodology_version
to pin a specific Conversion Factors year (e.g., "2024"
). If omitted, SQUAKE uses the latest supported year.
Sample API Request
{
"expand": ["items"],
"items": [
{
"type": "flight",
"methodology": "DEFRA",
"external_reference": "test_4",
"number_of_travelers": 2,
"origin": "LON",
"destination": "LAX",
"booking_class": "first",
"aircraft_type": "737",
"radiative_forcing_index": true,
"energy_scope": "wtw",
"methodology_version": "2024"
}
]
}
Default Values
"booking_class": "average"
"energy_scope": "wtw"
"radiative_forcing_index": true
"methodology_version"
: latest supported DEFRA year (default if omitted)
Calculation Specifics
An 8% uplift is applied to Great Circle Distance (GCD) to account for indirect paths, delays, etc.
If both
distance_in_km
andorigin
/destination
are provided,distance_in_km
takes precedence.
API Request Items
"type": "flight"
(required)"methodology": "DEFRA"
(required)"methodology_version"
: DEFRA Conversion Factors year (e.g.,"2024"
). Optional; if omitted β latest supported year."external_reference"
: Unique identifier (max 128 chars)."number_of_travelers"
: Minimum1
(default:1
)."origin"
/"destination"
: Flexible formats (postal, IATA/ICAO^[A-Z]{3,4}$
, UN/LOCODE^[A-Z]{2}\W?[A-Z2-9]{3}$
, or"lat,lon"
)."distance_in_km"
: If present, overrides origin/destination resolution."booking_class"
: If not provided, passfare_class
+airline
to auto-resolve; default:"average"
."aircraft_type"
: IATA/ICAO code; only applied when at least one airport is in the UK."fare_class"
/"airline"
: Mutually exclusive with"booking_class"
."radiative_forcing_index"
: Apply high-altitude climate impact multiplier (default:true
)."sustainable_fuels"
: Indicates SAF use (reduces emissions in SQUAKE; not part of official DEFRA factors)."carbon_reduction_percentage_of_total"
: Fraction0β1
from SAF; default:0
."energy_scope"
:"wtw"
(default) or"ttw"
.
Aircraft Type Distribution
32N
32N
32N
32Q
32Q
32Q
319
318
320
320
319
321
321
320
332
AT4
321
333
AT5
332
339
AT7
333
343
738
359
359
D38
AT7
338
ER3
7M8
7M8
ER4
7M9
738
E70
733
752
E90
734
763
E95
735
764
J41
736
772
SF3
737
773
738
77F
739
77W
752
788
753
789
763
781
772
77W
788
789
221
223
CR9
DH8
E70
Sample API Response
{
"carbon_quantity": 15273823,
"carbon_unit": "gram",
"items": [
{
"carbon_quantity": 15273823,
"carbon_unit": "gram",
"external_reference": "test_4",
"type": "flight",
"methodology": "DEFRA",
"methodology_version": "2024",
"distance": 8804.0,
"distance_unit": "kilometer"
}
]
}
Versions
Behavior: If
methodology_version
is omitted, SQUAKE automatically applies the latest supported DEFRA Conversion Factors year. Pin a year for reproducibility and audit readiness.
Bibliography
UK Government β Greenhouse gas emissions: Research & statistics: https://www.gov.uk/environment/greenhouse-gas-emissions#research_and_statistics
Bramwell, R., et al. (2024). Government Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors for Company Reporting β Methodology. (Methodology paper PDF).
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