Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere (or "sequestered") when it is absorbed by plants as part of the biological carbon cycle.
To convert emissions of a gas into CO 2 equivalent, its emissions are multiplied by the gas's Global Warming Potential (GWP). GHG emissions are often measured in carbon dioxide (CO 2) equivalent. For reference, a metric ton is a little bit larger (about 10%) than a U.S. Inventory uses metric units for consistency and comparability with other countries. Thus, a million metric tons is roughly the same mass as 1 million small cars! For comparison, a small car is likely to weigh a little more than 1 metric ton. 6,457 million metric tons of CO 2: What does that mean?Ī million metric tons is equal to about 2.2 billion pounds, or 1 trillion grams.