Interactive Tool · Spring 2026
AI Carbon Simulator
Adjust assumptions and see how Northeastern's footprint changes in real time. Every slider update recalculates instantly — no page reload required.
Control Panel — NU AI Carbon Model v1.0
Usage parameters
12,000
1,000of 24,000 total24,000
8
150
15%
0%e.g. Midjourney, Sora100%
30%
0%e.g. lightweight, on-device100%
Adjustments
Peer comparison
Computed avg energy / query4.95 Wh
15% × 20 Wh + 30% × 1 Wh + 55% × 3 Wh
Footprint Status
LOW
Northeastern's AI footprint is manageable and within best-practice ranges for research universities.
Emissions Output
Daily CO₂
183.4kg
Semester CO₂
20,727kg
Annual CO₂
50,076kg
Equivalencies (annual)
Transatlantic flights
33.4round trips
Trees needed to offset
2,385tree-years
Carbon cost @ $50/tonne
2,504USD
vs. Peer University Avg
Northeastern (sim)50.1 t/yr
Peer University Avg52.0 t/yr
Peer estimates are modelled projections, not confirmed figures.
Scenario Presets
Snap all sliders to a preset configuration. Values animate smoothly.
Generate Report Snapshot
Uses Claude AI to write a 3-sentence executive summary for a provost briefing, based on current simulator values.
Users
12,000
Queries/day
8
Semester CO₂
20.7 t
Status
GREEN
Click “Generate Report Snapshot” to create an AI-written executive summary based on the current simulation state.