CO2egyenértéket

CO2egyenértéket, often abbreviated as CO2eq, is a unit of measurement used to express the climate impact of greenhouse gases. It represents the amount of carbon dioxide that would cause the same amount of global warming over a specific time horizon, typically 100 years, as a given amount of a different greenhouse gas. This allows for a standardized comparison of the warming potential of various gases, as different greenhouse gases have different abilities to trap heat and persist in the atmosphere.

The concept of CO2egyenértéket is crucial for understanding and communicating the impact of different activities and emissions. For instance, methane (CH4) is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide (CO2) over shorter time scales. Therefore, one ton of methane emissions is equivalent to a much larger amount of CO2 emissions in terms of its warming effect. Similarly, other greenhouse gases like nitrous oxide (N2O) and various fluorinated gases have their own global warming potentials (GWPs) relative to CO2.

By converting the emissions of all greenhouse gases into their CO2eq, policymakers, scientists, and the public can better assess the overall climate change contribution of different sectors, products, or nations. This aggregated metric facilitates the setting of emission reduction targets and the tracking of progress towards climate goals. For example, a company might report its total greenhouse gas emissions in tonnes of CO2eq.