What does ¼ tonne of CO2 look like?

My CanSaveCarbon drinks can litter-picking challenge will generate 30kg of aluminium drinks cans, assuming I reach my target of 2,000 cans. Once the cans are recycled this will save 270kg of CO2 – over ¼ tonne.

But what does ¼ tonne of CO2 look like?

Is it the size of a car, a house? Or as big as a football stadium? Can you see it?

We can see CO2 in its solid state as dry ice, and are familiar with the clouds of ‘mist’ when it first vaporises from a dry ice machine, but CO2 emissions are invisible to the human eye.

According to www.unep.org, one tonne of CO2 occupies a cube the size of a three-story building: 8.2m x 8.2m x 8.2m (27ft x 27ft x 27ft). One tonne of CO2 is how much we are each responsible for emitting per month, on average in the UK.

co2-busA few calculations later, and we have…

A double decker bus

The 270kg of CO2 my CanSaveCarbon challenge will take up about 5,000 cubic feet, slightly more than the size of a modern double-decker bus (dimensions).

270kg of CO2 is the amount generated by driving 1,000 miles (@ 50mpg).

For some interesting interpretations of what a tonne of CO2 looks like, have a look at CO2cubes.

And don’t forget to donate or  sponsor me! All proceeds to the Snowdonia Society.

Frances
CanSaveCarbon blog
info@snowdonia-society.org.uk


 

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