Common use of CARBON DIOXIDE (CO²) Clause in Contracts

CARBON DIOXIDE (CO²). Carbon dioxide is the first major contributor of Greenhouse Gas emissions. CO2 is the reference gas to compare the global warming impacts of all other greenhouse gases and therefore has a global warming potential of 1 irrespective of the time scale. Its atmospheric life time is very difficult to estimate due to its intertwining with the natural carbon cycle but typically it is estimated to be between 100 and 300 years (Table 8.A.1 in IPCC 2013). The units of CO2 measurement is ‘parts per million’ or ppm. Direct atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was measured from the 1950s; it was the first greenhouse gas measured. CO2 level rose from approximately 280 ppm in pre-1750 tropospheric concentration (Chapter 8.3.2 of IPCC 2013) to 399.5 ppm in 2015 (▇▇▇.▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇). The increased radiative forcing for Carbon dioxide is 1.94 W/m2 as of 2015 per Carbon Dioxide Information analysis center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. According to U.S EPA (2014) report14, the U.S. CO2 emissions by source are: 37% from Electricity, 31% from Transportation, 15% from Industry, 10% from Residential & Commercial and 6% from Other Non-Fossil Fuel Combustion. CO2 is sequestered or removed by biological (peat production, urban forestry, wetland restoration, agriculture, ocean related), chemical (mineral carbonation, industrial use, chemical scrubbers) and physical (Carbon capture and storage, ocean storage, geological sequestration) processes.15 Plants and soils on land play a significant role in absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. This was proved through measurements of absorption of carbon by plants and soils on land, also referred to as the 'spring drawdown' effect observed by NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2. On 2nd July, 2014, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched a dedicated Earth remote sensing satellite, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2), to study atmospheric carbon dioxide from space. Since its launch, OCO-2 has been collecting space-based global measurements of atmospheric CO2 so as to characterize sources and sinks on regional scales. It flies in the near-polar orbit, i.e., the satellite flies near both the poles, and it takes 16 days to scan the entire Earth and understand the global carbon cycle. The measurements from OCO-2 and ground-based sensors show staring differences in carbon concentrations during the seasons, particularly for the northern hemisphere. Carbon concentrations in winter were higher due to the steady absorption of carbon by 14 ▇▇▇▇▇://▇▇▇.▇▇▇.▇▇▇/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases 15 Energy Terms Glossary - Nebraska Energy Office plants and soils on land. Figures below show the carbon concentration changes that occurred in 2014; September showed less carbon concentration while May showed the highest carbon concentration. < ▇▇▇▇▇://▇▇▇.▇▇▇▇.▇▇▇/feature/jpl/excitement-grows-as-nasa-carbon-sleuth-begins-year-two >