CO2e

Science & Engineering abbreviation · Environmental

CO2e
Stands forCarbon dioxide equivalent
CategoriesScience & Engineering

CO2e stands for Carbon dioxide equivalent, an environmental abbreviation.

Common unit for comparing and adding up emissions of different greenhouse gases, converting each into the amount of carbon dioxide that would cause the same warming over a set period, usually 100 years. One tonne of methane, for example, counts as roughly 28-30 tonnes of CO2e.

Example: The supplier reported 4,200 tonnes of CO2e across scopes 1 and 2 for the fiscal year.

Usage notes

Also written CO2eq or CO2-e, and totals are often given in metric tons (tCO2e) or gigatonnes (GtCO2e). Global greenhouse gas emissions were about 57 GtCO2e in 2023. Because CO2e depends on the chosen time horizon and IPCC report, inventories must state which global warming potentials they use.

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