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There is a lot of talk about greenhouse gases (GHGs) and their contribution to global climate change. GHGs are naturally occurring gases, whose levels have risen with human activity. Increased levels of GHGs in the atmosphere may trap more heat than necessary and cause changes in our climate.
While there are several types of GHGs, carbon dioxide (CO2) is considered the reference GHG, and other GHGs are compared to it. Scientists use a “carbon dioxide-equivalent” calculation to evaluate the various GHGs in a common metric.
Industries and facilities that track their GHG emissions will often report the emissions—and their emissions reductions—in a carbon dioxide-equivalent number. A common reporting unit is “million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents.”
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