Assessing a proposed project's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adaptation strategies can help decision makers identify opportunities to make more informed choices when designing their project. Therefore, it's important that environmental documents, required by the Minnesota Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), include usable information about potential climate effects.
Below, you can find guidance, best management practices, and resources for completing climate assessments on the approved Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW).
Climate Calculator
The EQB provides the Minnesota Environmental Review Climate Calculator to help assess a proposed project’s climate impacts in items 7 and 18 within the EAW. The calculator provides additional accuracy, transparency, and consistency while reducing the time, cost, and uncertainty for government units and project proposers.
The calculator covers most mandatory categories and prompts for user input including project basics, construction materials and equipment, and operational information specific to the project. Many input prompts offer default assumptions specific to Minnesota if more specific information isn’t known. In general, inputs to the calculator should be a best effort and can be based on other applicable sources when specific information is not known.
Anyone can use this tool to evaluate how climate change affects their communities, economies, and ways of life. It is not a requirement that projects utilize this calculator for completion of the EAW climate items. The tools used to complete these climate assessments are up to the discretion of the project proposer based on their needs for their specific project. See below for additional resources to determine if the Climate Calculator is applicable for a specific project.
March 2026
The Minnesota Environmental Review Climate Calculator has received an update! Based on user feedback, the calculator’s functionality has expanded to include quantitative mitigation, expanded wetland land types, and alternative calculation methods for some emission sources. Below, you can download the latest version, the user manual, and a final report on the new version.
Recorded Trainings
Additional information
Below you can find more information about the calculator including the reports, FAQ, and training demonstrations. For questions, please reach out the Environmental Review team via email at: env.review@state.mn.us.