CO2 Equivalents

What is CO2e?

“Carbon” is the most common shorthand for emissions measuring because carbon dioxide (molecular structure CO2) is the most common pollutant in the atmosphere. However, CO2 is not the only pollutant measured when keeping track of emissions. Generically, the group of harmful climate emissions are referred to as “greenhouse gases”, or GHGs.

When measuring emissions, all of these substances are taken into account. For simplicity’s sake, they are often referred to collectively as GHGs or CO2 equivalents, abbreviated as “CO2e”.

What is Included in CO2e?

Obviously, CO2e includes carbon dioxide. Other common substances include methane (CH4), which is the substance that cows release commonly and is 80x more potent than carbon dioxide, as well as nitrous oxide (NOx).

Why Do We Quantify With CO2e?

CO2e is the most accurate way to measure climate impact. While carbon dioxide is the most common, there are many substances that affect the environment. By quantifying with CO2e, we include all of the other harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

👉 Specifically, Carbonlink quantifies with kg/CO2e, not tonnes. Every kg counts!