Päästökerroimet

Päästökerroin is a Finnish term that translates to "emission factor" in English. It represents the rate at which a pollutant is released into the environment from a specific source or activity. Emission factors are crucial for estimating and quantifying greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants from various sectors such as energy production, transportation, industry, and agriculture.

These factors are typically expressed as a quantity of a pollutant released per unit of activity. For example, an emission factor for a vehicle might be measured in grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer driven, or grams of nitrogen oxides per liter of fuel consumed. For industrial processes, it could be kilograms of sulfur dioxide per ton of product manufactured.

The development and application of emission factors are essential for environmental monitoring, policy-making, and the implementation of climate change mitigation strategies. They enable the calculation of emissions inventories, which are fundamental for understanding emission sources, tracking progress in reducing emissions, and setting emission reduction targets. Different methodologies and databases exist globally to provide emission factors for a wide range of activities, and these factors can vary depending on the specific technology, fuel type, and operational conditions. Accuracy in emission factor data is vital for reliable environmental assessments and effective pollution control measures.