What is 1 ton of CO2?

We keep repeating it: to limit global warming, we must drastically reduce our carbon dioxide emissions. These emissions are produced by our various daily activities. This indicator, adopted worldwide as a benchmark for climate plans, often remains abstract for most people. Today, we would like to demystify this concept through concrete examples.

First of all, you may be wondering why we use 1 ton of CO2 equivalent as a reference. It is important to note that greenhouse gases (GHGs) are not only caused by CO2: methane, water vapor, and nitrous oxide also contribute to global warming.

In order to quantify 1 ton of greenhouse gases, scientists from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) decided to use 1 ton of CO2 equivalent as a reference unit. This tells us that one ton of methane is equivalent to 25 tons of CO2, and vice versa. This simplifies calculations for IPCC members and makes them accessible to everyone on the planet. However, while the figures are meaningful as a whole, we don’t really know what a kilo or a ton of CO2 corresponds to.1

Did you know? The average Swiss citizen emits 5.8 tons of CO2 equivalent per year. However, to limit global warming to +2°C by 2050, each inhabitant would have to limit their emissions to 1.7 tons of CO2!

In Switzerland, 1 ton of CO2 equivalent corresponds to:

• A round-trip flight from Zurich to New York for one person in economy class
• The production of 80kg of beef (taking into account the entire supply chain)
• A 7km commute (14km round trip) by gasoline-powered car for one year
• One year of oil heating for a 50m² apartment

Now it is certainly easier for you to visualize CO2 equivalent consumption. If you would like more examples or to calculate your own CO2 emissions impact, you can always refer to the MyClimate Foundation calculator.3

Sources:
1) https://www.bafu.admin.ch/
2) https://www.goodplanet.org/
3) https://www.myclimate.org/fr/

Photo: Phil Noble / Reuters