why co2 matters

we are putting more carbon dioxide (co2), a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere every year than nature’s carbon sinks (forests, plants, and oceans) can absorb. the primary source of co2 is produced from burning fossil fuels like oil and coal. carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for a long time lasting from 300 to 1,000 years, so there’s no short-term fix. the excessive amounts of co2 are overheating the planet and causing a chemical reaction in the oceans making them more acidic. other greenhouse gases, like methane, are released from the permafrost (our largest terrestrial carbon sink).

tundra permafrost

many providers are emerging in the practice of carbon accounting, so it takes research to keep up to date. one widely used software for enterprise is by persefoni.

iso14001 is the international benchmark for environmental management.

• note > did you ever notice the use of “co2e”? that’s a contemporary definition for the total greenhouse gases emitted and expressed as the “equivalent” measure of carbon dioxide. “co2” measures carbon emissions only.