Emissionary
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About

What is Emissionary?

Emissionary is a game that trains your intuition about everyday CO₂ emissions. Each round compares two things you know — a hairdryer, a car trip, a load of laundry — and asks: how much of one equals the other? These quantities span several orders of magnitude, which makes them genuinely hard to feel. Playing builds that feel — and our public stats page measures how close players actually get.

The twist: the answer depends on where you live, because electricity is generated differently in every country. That is the deeper lesson the game wants you to take home.

How we compute every answer

One formula runs the whole game:

CO₂ = energy used × emissions per unit of energy

Worked example — 10 minutes of a hairdryer (1,800 W):

  1. Energy: 1,800 W × 0.17 h = 0.3 kWh — the same everywhere on Earth.
  2. In France, a kWh of electricity causes ~41 g of CO₂ (mostly nuclear and hydro), so: 0.3 × 41 ≈ 12 g CO₂.
  3. In Poland, where coal dominates, a kWh causes ~589 g, so the very same 10 minutes emit ≈ 180 g CO₂ — about 14× more.

Fuels are simpler: burning a liter of petrol releases the same 2.3 kg of CO₂ in every country — chemistry doesn’t care about geography. That is why gas-vs-electric comparisons flip between countries, and why the game asks where you live.

What counts — and what doesn’t

We count only the emissions from using a product: the electricity it draws or the fuel it burns. We do not count making the product, shipping it, or disposing of it. This keeps every comparison fair — the same boundary on both sides — and the numbers verifiable.

The numbers are honest approximations of typical products. The game teaches orders of magnitude, not lab precision — being 15% off never matters here; being 15× off is the thing to cure.

Scoring

A perfect guess (within ±10%) earns 100 points. Points fall off evenly on the multiplicative scale until 10× off in either direction, which earns 0. Guessing 3× too high costs exactly as much as 3× too low. “Which emits more?” rounds are worth 50 points. Only Daily Games count for the leaderboard — Free Play is unlimited practice.

Every country’s electricity, at a glance

Grams of CO₂ per kWh of electricity generated, latest year per country. Source: Ember yearly electricity data. Sorted cleanest to dirtiest.

CountrygCO₂/kWhYear
🇱🇸 Lesotho212022
🇪🇹 Ethiopia232025
🇧🇹 Bhutan242024
🇨🇷 Costa Rica242025
🇳🇵 Nepal242024
🇵🇾 Paraguay252025
🇦🇱 Albania252024
🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of Congo282024
🇮🇸 Iceland282024
🇳🇴 Norway282025
🇸🇪 Sweden352025
🇨🇭 Switzerland392025
🇫🇷 France412025
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone482024
🇳🇦 Namibia492024
🇲🇼 Malawi552024
🇫🇮 Finland572025
🇺🇬 Uganda592024
🇹🇯 Tajikistan732025
🇺🇾 Uruguay802025
🇻🇪 Venezuela862024
🇳🇿 New Zealand932025
🇸🇰 Slovakia952025
🇰🇪 Kenya952025
🇧🇷 Brazil1102025
🇩🇰 Denmark1142025
🇦🇹 Austria1172025
🇿🇲 Zambia1202024
🇱🇺 Luxembourg1232025
🇵🇹 Portugal1282025
🇲🇿 Mozambique1292024
🇸🇿 Eswatini1312024
🇦🇫 Afghanistan1312024
🇱🇹 Lithuania1382025
🇱🇻 Latvia1392025
🇸🇻 El Salvador1392025
🇬🇪 Georgia1462025
🇧🇪 Belgium1502025
🇬🇱 Greenland1502024
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan1532025
🇪🇸 Spain1542025
🇸🇩 Sudan1542024
🇭🇷 Croatia1592025
🇪🇨 Ecuador1592025
🇭🇺 Hungary1632025
🇧🇿 Belize1702024
🇬🇳 Guinea1812024
🇸🇮 Slovenia1832025
🇧🇮 Burundi1842024
🇦🇴 Angola1852024
🇨🇴 Colombia1872025
🇨🇦 Canada1912025
🇦🇲 Armenia2122025
🇬🇧 United Kingdom2172025
🇵🇦 Panama2212024
🇨🇲 Cameroon2262024
🇱🇦 Laos2322024
🇵🇪 Peru2382025
🇬🇫 French Guiana2452023
🇨🇰 Cook Islands2502024
🇺🇦 Ukraine2502022
🇷🇴 Romania2512025
🇳🇱 Netherlands2542025
🇮🇪 Ireland2572025
🇲🇪 Montenegro2642025
🇧🇬 Bulgaria2762025
🇫🇯 Fiji2782024
🇮🇹 Italy2852025
🇨🇱 Chile2892025
🇳🇮 Nicaragua3012024
🇬🇹 Guatemala3012024
🇧🇾 Belarus3092025
🇬🇷 Greece3152025
🇱🇷 Liberia3162024
🇪🇪 Estonia3192025
🇸🇷 Suriname3222024
🇭🇳 Honduras3222024
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka3292025
🇩🇪 Germany3302025
🇰🇵 North Korea3412024
🇹🇿 Tanzania3452024
🇦🇷 Argentina3462025
🇵🇰 Pakistan3472025
🇫🇴 Faroe Islands3472023
🇷🇼 Rwanda3542024
🇼🇸 Samoa3752024
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe3842024
🇺🇸 United States3842025
🇱🇧 Lebanon3902024
🇷🇪 Reunion3942023
🇨🇿 Czechia4012025
🇨🇮 Cote d'Ivoire4052024
🇵🇸 Palestine4142024
🇰🇷 South Korea4172025
🇹🇬 Togo4232024
🇵🇫 French Polynesia4312024
🇲🇬 Madagascar4322024
🇲🇰 North Macedonia4412025
🇷🇺 Russia4502025
🇩🇯 Djibouti4502024
🇳🇬 Nigeria4562025
🇻🇳 Vietnam4612025
🇨🇻 Cape Verde4622024
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates4682024
🇬🇭 Ghana4692024
🇲🇽 Mexico4742025
🇲🇴 Macao4742024
🇹🇷 Turkey4752025
🇯🇵 Japan4772025
🇧🇴 Bolivia4812025
🇲🇹 Malta4842025
🇨🇾 Cyprus4892025
🇮🇱 Israel4932025
🇬🇵 Guadeloupe4972023
🇸🇬 Singapore4972025
🇰🇭 Cambodia4992025
🇰🇮 Kiribati5002024
🇻🇺 Vanuatu5002023
🇲🇲 Myanmar5032024
🇸🇴 Somalia5122024
🇲🇷 Mauritania5122024
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea5142024
🇬🇦 Gabon5232024
🇦🇺 Australia5252025
🇨🇳 China5252025
🇯🇴 Jordan5302024
🇲🇶 Martinique5302023
🇭🇹 Haiti5352024
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic5372025
🇲🇱 Mali5392024
🇸🇳 Senegal5402024
🇴🇲 Oman5442025
🇹🇭 Thailand5462025
🇦🇼 Aruba5502024
🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe5562023
🇸🇨 Seychelles5562024
🇹🇳 Tunisia5602025
🇳🇨 New Caledonia5612024
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso5622024
🇯🇲 Jamaica5632024
🇪🇬 Egypt5632025
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina5712025
🇹🇴 Tonga5712024
🇪🇷 Eritrea5782024
🇶🇦 Qatar5822025
🇧🇯 Benin5842024
🇵🇭 Philippines5882025
🇵🇱 Poland5892025
🇬🇮 Gibraltar5912024
🇾🇪 Yemen5922024
🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda5952024
🇧🇧 Barbados5952024
🇲🇦 Morocco5962025
🇩🇲 Dominica6002023
🇳🇷 Nauru6002024
🇵🇲 Saint Pierre and Miquelon6002023
🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines6002024
🇲🇾 Malaysia6022025
🇬🇺 Guam6082024
🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis6092024
🇦🇸 American Samoa6112024
🇲🇻 Maldives6122024
🇹🇩 Chad6222024
🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau6252024
🇹🇨 Turks and Caicos Islands6302024
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan6322025
🇻🇮 United States Virgin Islands6322023
🇩🇿 Algeria6332024
🇲🇩 Moldova6332025
🇹🇼 Taiwan6332025
🇰🇾 Cayman Islands6342024
🇰🇼 Kuwait6352025
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands6362024
🇧🇲 Bermuda6392024
🇲🇺 Mauritius6422024
🇨🇺 Cuba6432024
🇰🇲 Comoros6432023
🇸🇸 South Sudan6432024
🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea6442024
🇬🇾 Guyana6452024
🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands6472023
🇱🇨 Saint Lucia6502024
🇧🇸 Bahamas6532024
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico6552025
🇮🇷 Iran6602025
🇬🇲 Gambia6672024
🇬🇩 Grenada6672024
🇹🇱 East Timor6672024
🇮🇳 India6702025
🇳🇪 Niger6742024
🇭🇰 Hong Kong6752024
🇮🇩 Indonesia6802024
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago6822024
🇮🇶 Iraq6832024
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia6922024
🇷🇸 Serbia6962025
🇧🇩 Bangladesh6962025
🇿🇦 South Africa6992025
🇸🇾 Syria7062024
🇨🇬 Congo7162024
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan8052025
🇲🇳 Mongolia8162025
🇱🇾 Libya8272024
🇧🇼 Botswana8512024
🇧🇳 Brunei8922024
🇧🇭 Bahrain9022024
🇫🇰 Falkland Islands10002023
🇲🇸 Montserrat10002024
🇸🇭 Saint Helena10002023
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan10002025
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan13062024

Where the numbers come from

Every number in the game traces to a public, authoritative source. No blogs, no guesswork. In plain terms:

Ember (2026)

How clean each country’s electricity is (grams of CO₂ per kWh generated), updated yearly for ~200 countries.

UK Government (DESNZ) (2025)

The CO₂ released by burning fuels — natural gas, LPG, petrol, diesel — and per-km values for cars, buses, trains and flights. The standard used in corporate carbon reporting worldwide.

US EPA ENERGY STAR (2026)

How much electricity real appliances use. We take the median of every certified model — for example, our refrigerator is the median of 4,659 certified fridges.

US DOE (2009)

Lab-measured cooking efficiency: how much of a stove’s energy actually reaches the pot (gas ~40%, electric coil ~74%).

US EPA ENERGY STAR (2021)

Induction cooking efficiency (~84%).

US EPA / DOE (2024)

Official US ratings for electric-car consumption, including charging losses.

US EPA (2024)

Real-world CO₂ per km of new cars in the United States.

NIST (2023)

Basic physics — for example, that heating one liter of water from 20 °C to boiling takes 0.093 kWh, no matter the device.

US DOE (2026)

Typical rated power for small appliances (hairdryers, toasters, irons) where no certified dataset exists — these values are marked “pending verification” in the appendix.

Full technical appendix (every item, every value)

Emissionary — data sources and methodology

Generated by scripts/generate-sources-md.ts — do not edit by hand.

Scope and boundary

All figures are use-phase (operational) CO₂ only: the energy consumed while using a product, multiplied by the emission factor of the energy carrier. Manufacturing, embodied carbon, and end-of-life are out of scope. The boundary is symmetric: combustion-only factors for fuels (no well-to-tank) and generation-based grid intensity for electricity (no upstream fuel supply). Gaseous fuel factors use the gross calorific value basis, which pairs consistently with US DOE appliance efficiencies (measured on the HHV basis) and with how gas is metered.

Core factors

  • Natural gas: 182.59 gCO₂/kWh thermal, gross CV (DESNZ 2025, CO₂-only component)
  • LPG: 214.19 gCO₂/kWh thermal, gross CV (DESNZ 2025)
  • Petrol: 2.32567 kgCO₂/L (100% mineral, tailpipe, DESNZ 2025)
  • Diesel: 2.62818 kgCO₂/L (100% mineral, tailpipe, DESNZ 2025)
  • Grid intensity: yearly gCO₂/kWh per country, Ember (latest year per country; see country_factors.json)
  • Water heating: 0.093 kWh useful per liter boiled from 20 °C (4.186 kJ/kg·K × 80 K)

Source registry

codata_physics

NIST — NIST Chemistry WebBook — thermophysical properties of water (specific heat 4.186 kJ/kg·K) (2023). License: Public domain (US federal). Retrieved 2026-07-16. https://webbook.nist.gov/chemistry/fluid/

desnz_2025

UK Government (DESNZ) — Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2025 (flat file, CO₂-only components) (2025). License: Open Government Licence v3.0. Retrieved 2026-07-16. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-factors-2025

doe_energysaver

US DOE — Energy Saver — appliances and home electronics guidance (typical product-class rated powers; used where no certified dataset exists — flagged for EPREL verification in SOURCES.md) (2026). License: Public domain (US federal). Retrieved 2026-07-16. https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/appliances-and-electronics

doe_tsd_cooking

US DOE — Technical Support Document for Residential Cooking Products (docket EERE-2006-STD-0070): cooking efficiency of gas (~40%) and electric coil (~74%) cooktops (2009). License: Public domain (US federal). Retrieved 2026-07-16. https://downloads.regulations.gov/EERE-2006-STD-0070-0053/content.pdf

ember_yearly

Ember — Yearly electricity data — CO₂ intensity of electricity generation (retrieved via Our World in Data grapher mirror) (2026). License: CC BY 4.0. Retrieved 2026-07-16. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/carbon-intensity-electricity

energystar

US EPA ENERGY STAR — ENERGY STAR certified product datasets (data.energystar.gov); medians computed from full dataset on retrieval date (2026). License: Public domain (US federal). Retrieved 2026-07-16. https://data.energystar.gov

energystar_induction

US EPA ENERGY STAR — 2021–2022 Residential Induction Cooking Tops program page (~84% induction cooking efficiency) (2021). License: Public domain (US federal). Retrieved 2026-07-16. https://www.energystar.gov/partner-resources/products_partner_resources/brand-owner/eta-consumers/res-induction-cooking-tops

epa_fueleconomy

US EPA / DOE — fueleconomy.gov vehicle data — 2024 Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD (vehicle id 47913), EPA combined 28.7 kWh/100 mi wall-to-wheels (2024). License: Public domain (US federal). Retrieved 2026-07-16. https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=47913

epa_trends

US EPA — The 2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report — MY2023 new-vehicle real-world CO₂ (319 g/mi incl. BEV; +38 g/mi excluding BEV/PHEV) (2024). License: Public domain (US federal). Retrieved 2026-07-16. https://www.epa.gov/automotive-trends

ipcc_2006_v2

IPCC — 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Volume 2: Energy (stationary combustion defaults) (2006). License: IPCC publication terms. Retrieved 2026-07-16. https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/vol2.html

Items

Item Value Year Sources
🍟 Air fryer (air_fryer) 1500 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
🪭 Ceiling fan (ceiling_fan) 29.8 W (electricity) 2026 energystar
❄️ Freezer (chest_freezer) 46.2 W (electricity) 2026 energystar
🚌 City bus (per passenger) (city_bus) 103.11 gCO₂/km 2025 desnz_2025
🚐 Intercity coach (per passenger) (coach) 27.27 gCO₂/km 2025 desnz_2025
💧 Dehumidifier (dehumidifier) 313 W (electricity) 2026 energystar
🖥️ Computer monitor (desktop_monitor) 28.7 W (electricity) 2026 energystar
🚙 Diesel car (diesel_car) 171.36 gCO₂/km 2025 desnz_2025
🍽️ Dishwasher (dishwasher) 1.11 kWh/cycles 2026 energystar
🚲 E-bike (e_bike) 0.011 kWh/km 2026 codata_physics
🛏️ Electric blanket (electric_blanket) 150 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
🍳 Electric coil hob (boiling) (electric_hob) 0.093 kWh useful/L ÷ 74% (electricity) 2009 codata_physics, doe_tsd_cooking
🫖 Electric kettle (electric_kettle) 0.093 kWh useful/L ÷ 85% (electricity) 2009 codata_physics, doe_tsd_cooking
🥧 Electric oven (electric_oven) 2000 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
🚿 Shower (electric water heater) (electric_shower) 9500 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
🪥 Electric toothbrush (electric_toothbrush) 0.002 kWh/charges 2026 codata_physics
📚 E-reader charge (ereader_charge) 0.006 kWh/charges 2026 codata_physics
☕ Espresso machine (espresso_machine) 0.02 kWh/espressos 2026 codata_physics
🔌 Electric car (ev_car) 0.178 kWh/km 2024 epa_fueleconomy
✈️ Flight, short-haul (per passenger) (flight_short_haul) 73.44 gCO₂/km 2025 desnz_2025
🕹️ Game console (game_console) 160 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
🎮 Gaming PC (gaming_pc) 350 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
🏠 Gas boiler (heating) (gas_boiler) 12000 W (natural_gas) 2026 doe_energysaver, desnz_2025
🔥 Gas hob (boiling) (gas_hob) 0.093 kWh useful/L ÷ 40% (natural_gas) 2025 codata_physics, doe_tsd_cooking, desnz_2025
🍗 Gas oven (gas_oven) 3000 W (natural_gas) 2026 doe_energysaver, desnz_2025
💇 Hair straightener (hair_straightener) 120 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
💨 Hairdryer (hairdryer) 1800 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
♻️ Heat pump (heating) (heat_pump) 800 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
🔦 800-lumen incandescent bulb (incandescent_bulb) 60 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
🌟 1600-lumen incandescent bulb (incandescent_bulb_1600) 100 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
🧲 Induction hob (boiling) (induction_hob) 0.093 kWh useful/L ÷ 84% (electricity) 2021 codata_physics, energystar_induction
👕 Clothes iron (iron) 1400 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
💻 Laptop (laptop) 50 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
💡 800-lumen LED bulb (led_bulb) 9 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
🔆 1600-lumen LED bulb (led_bulb_1600) 16 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
🍿 Microwave oven (microwave) 1100 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
🛵 Motor scooter (motor_scooter) 80.94 gCO₂/km 2025 desnz_2025
🚗 Petrol car (petrol_car) country average gCO₂/km 2025 desnz_2025, epa_trends
🧊 Refrigerator (refrigerator) 39.4 W (electricity) 2026 energystar
🌬️ Air conditioner (room) (room_ac) 800 W (electricity) 2026 energystar
🔊 Smart speaker (smart_speaker) 3 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
📱 Smartphone charge (smartphone_charge) 0.015 kWh/charges 2026 codata_physics
♨️ Electric space heater (space_heater) 1500 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
📲 Tablet charge (tablet_charge) 0.033 kWh/charges 2026 codata_physics
🍞 Toaster (toaster) 1000 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
🚆 Train (per passenger) (train_national) 35.1 gCO₂/km 2025 desnz_2025
🌀 Tumble dryer (tumble_dryer) 2.15 kWh/loads 2026 energystar
📺 55″ LED TV (tv_55) 97.5 W (electricity) 2026 energystar
🧹 Vacuum cleaner (vacuum_cleaner) 1200 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver
🧺 Washing machine (washing_machine) 0.47 kWh/loads 2026 energystar
📶 Wi-Fi router (wifi_router) 8 W (electricity) 2026 doe_energysaver

Verification status

33 of 51 item values come from certified datasets, government conversion factors, regulated test data, or first-principles physics. The following 18 use documented product-class conventions and are flagged for verification against EPREL / measured datasets:

  • microwave — Typical countertop microwave draws ~1,100 W while heating (product-class rated input, range 900–1,500 W). Pending certified-dataset verification.
  • electric_oven — Electric oven at ~200 °C averages ~2.0 kWh per hour of use, element cycling included (product-class convention). Pending certified-dataset verification.
  • espresso_machine — One espresso ≈ 0.02 kWh: heating ~40 mL of brew water plus boiler losses (physics estimate; range 0.01–0.05 kWh). Pending measured verification.
  • toaster — Typical 2-slice toaster rated ~1,000 W (product-class range 800–1,500 W). Pending certified-dataset verification.
  • air_fryer — Typical air fryer rated ~1,500 W, element cycling brings averages slightly lower (product-class range 1,200–1,800 W). Pending verification.
  • heat_pump — A heat pump delivering ~2.8 kW of heat at seasonal COP ~3.5 draws ~800 W of electricity — about 0.29 kWh electric per kWh of heat. Pending dataset verification.
  • gas_boiler — A home gas boiler actively heating burns ~12 kW of gas (thermal; modulating range 8–24 kW). Country-invariant. Pending dataset verification.
  • electric_blanket — Typical double electric blanket rated ~150 W on high (product-class range 60–200 W). Pending verification.
  • hairdryer — Typical consumer hairdryer on high: ~1,800 W (product-class range 1,200–2,200 W). Pending certified-dataset verification.
  • hair_straightener — Hair straighteners average ~120 W once at temperature (class range 40–300 W). Pending verification.
  • iron — Typical steam iron rated ~1,400 W; thermostat cycling lowers averages (class range 1,000–1,800 W). Pending verification.
  • vacuum_cleaner — Corded vacuum cleaners draw ~1,200 W (class range 500–1,800 W; EU ecodesign caps at 900 W). Pending verification.
  • laptop — Typical laptop in active use draws ~50 W (class range 20–100 W depending on load). Pending verification.
  • gaming_pc — A mid-to-high gaming desktop under game load draws ~350 W including monitor excluded (class range 200–600 W). Pending measured verification.
  • game_console — Current-generation consoles draw ~160 W while gaming (class range 70–220 W). Pending measured verification.
  • wifi_router — Home Wi-Fi routers draw ~8 W continuously (class range 5–20 W). Pending verification.
  • smart_speaker — Smart speakers idle/play at ~3 W (class range 1.5–6 W). Pending measured verification.
  • e_bike — A ~0.5 kWh e-bike battery delivers ~45 km of assisted riding ≈ 0.011 kWh/km including charging losses. Pending measured verification.