What is Carbon Dioxide Equivalency?

Carbon dioxide equivalency is a quantity that describes, for a given mixture and amount of greenhouse gas, the amount of CO2 that would have the same global warming potential (GWP), when measured over a specified timescale (generally, 100 years).

Carbon dioxide equivalency thus reflects the time-integrated radiative forcing, rather than the instantaneous value described by CO2e.

The carbon dioxide equivalency for a gas is obtained by multiplying the mass and the GWP of the gas. The following units are commonly used:

By the UN climate change panel IPCC: billion metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent (GtCO2eq).

In industry: million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (MMTCDE).

For vehicles: g of carbon dioxide equivalents / km (gCDE/km).

For example, the GWP for methane over 100 years is 25 and for nitrous oxide 298.

This means that emissions of 1 million metric tonnes of methane and nitrous oxide respectively is equivalent to emissions of 25 and 298 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide.[1]

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WOW, I DON'T GET IT PROFESSOR...

Ok, so you take methane, for example mammal emissions  (The Real Natural Gas - yes me and you and  the cows too) say, one pound of gas after your favorite spicy food, let it float up and around in the atmosphere for 100 years. While its up there,  It will reflect the same amount of heat back onto the ground as a lawn mower that emmits 25 pounds of CO2, and IT floats around for 100 years.

Yes the ratio or factor is what is important

1  Methane = 25 CO2
1 Nitrus Oxide = 298 CO2

etc.

So..... All Green House Gases have a CO2 Equivalent, and therefore a Carbon footprint....Did  I get this right professor?

-Editor