The Real Costs


Real Costs is a Firefox plug-in that inserts emissions data into travel related e-commerce websites. The first version adds CO2 emissions information to airfare websites such as,, etc, and to car direction websites such as Think of it like the nutritional information labeling on the back of food... except for emissions.

The objective of the Real Costs is to increase awareness of the environmental impact of certain day to day choices in the life of the Internet user. By presenting this environmental impact information in the place where decisions are being made, it will hopefully create an impact on the viewer, encourage a sense of individual agency, and provide a set of alternatives and immediate actions.

Experience the project by installing the Real Costs plug-in into your Firefox application. Currently, this plug-in pulls each flight/driving information from the page, calculates and reinserts the CO2 produced. It is configured to work on the websites of the major worldwide air carriers, and several car direction websites. A list of these sties and scientific documentation is available on the Wiki (

Project Created: 
April 2007