How Big is a tonne of CO2 ?
How Big is a tonne of CO2 ?
The average 3 bedroom family home in the UK can produce around 10-15 tonnes of CO2 per year.
A tonne CO2 is 556,000 litres or 556 m3 (about the volume of a 3 bedroom house)
Around 2 tonnes of CO2 (equivalent to about 1000 cubic metres of pure CO2 gas) could be produced by driving a Ford Focus for 7,800 miles.
A tonne of coal (which is more or less pure carbon) will produce a tonne of atmospheric carbon.
A kilogram of CO2 occupies about half a cubic meter at normal atmospheric pressure and temp.
That is about the volume of a double kitchen unit filled with pure CO2 gas
Current levels of CO2
The current level of CO2 in the atmosphere is around 380 parts per million by volume – in a million cubic metres of air there are about 380 cubic meters of CO2. The rest is mostly nitrogen (78.9%), and oxygen (20.9%).
Scientist agree that anything over 450 ppmv of CO2 equivalent would be highly dangerous to the planet (and many put the desirable figure much lower).
A medium sized supermarket floor is about 20,000 sq ft and the ceiling is usually at least 10 ft high – so the volume of a supermarket is about 200,000 cubic feet, which is about 5,600 cubic meters. The CO2 gas from all the air in a typical supermarket could be fitted into a double wardrobe and would weigh about 4kg.
Further info:
The Numbers Game
http://www.rogerco.org.uk/articles/58-the-numbers-game–how-big-is-a-tonne-of-co2-
A Low Carbon Economy
http://www.lowcarboneconomy.com/community_content/_tips_did_you_know/818
Calculate Your Carbon Footprint here.
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