Archive:000/Term:CO2eq: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 16:30, 26 October 2024

CO_2eq stands for "CO₂ equivalent".

Emitting some amount of any greenhouse gas, is equivalent to emitting some amount of CO₂.

This is calculated based on the GWP^{[global warming potential]} of the gas involved.

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-CO<sub>2eq</sub> stands for "CO<sub>2</sub> equivalent". It's a way to measure the relative strengths of different [[greenhouse gases]].
+CO<sub>2eq</sub> stands for "CO<sub>2</sub> equivalent".
-In other words: "Emitting 1 ton of [whichever greenhouse gas] is equivalent to emitting how many tons of CO<sub>2</sub>?"
+Emitting some amount of any [[greenhouse gas]], is equivalent to emitting some amount of CO<sub>2</sub>.
-See main page on [[greenhouse gases]] for tables with the CO<sub>2eq</sub> values for each gas.
+This is calculated based on the [[Term:GWP|GWP]]<sup>[global warming potential]</sup> of the gas involved.
-Also note that the use of CO<sub>2eq</sub> implies a standard ''timescale'', because some gases stay longer in the atmosphere than others. If you ever find that two sources seem to contradict themselves on the CO<sub>2eq</sub> of a given gas, it's probably because they each specify different timescales. The most commonly used timescale is 100 years {{p2|(why)|While it's probably worth considering longer-term timescales, [[climate change]] is currently close to a ''tipping point'', so shorter-term emissions matter more right now.}}.