What is CO2e?
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CO2e stands for carbon dioxide equivalent, and is the standard unit used to measure the global warming potential (GWP) of greenhouse gases emitted into the earth’s atmosphere. The GWP of each gas is normalized by the GWP of carbon dioxide, and they are summed together to give a total GWP as grams carbon dioxide equivalent.
Put more simply, a variety of gases (NO2, methane, CFCs, etc.) contribute to global warming, some more so than others. CO2e is a way to measure the impact of each of them in the same way.
What does 1 kilogram (1000 g) CO2e equate to?
Some activities that produce an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases are an estimated:
- 9 miles of driving the average car
- 22 hours of burning a 50w light bulb
The damage caused by 1 kg CO2e is equivalent to…
