Imagine: 20 pounds of a gas.
How many balloons would that fill?
It seems impossible that a gallon of gasoline, which weighs about 6.3 pounds, could produce 20 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) when burned. However, most of the weight of the CO2 doesn't come from the gasoline itself, but the oxygen in the air.
When gasoline burns, the carbon and hydrogen separate. The hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water (H2O), and carbon combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide (CO2).
A carbon atom has a weight of 12, and each oxygen atom has a weight of 16, giving each single molecule of CO2 an atomic weight of 44 (12 from carbon and 32 from oxygen).
Therefore, to calculate the amount of CO2 produced from a gallon of gasoline, the weight of the carbon in the gasoline is multiplied by 44/12 or 3.7.
Since gasoline is about 87% carbon and 13% hydrogen by weight, the carbon in a gallon of gasoline weighs 5.5 pounds (6.3 lbs. x .87).
We can then multiply the weight of the carbon (5.5 pounds) by 3.7, which equals 20 pounds of CO2!
It's true.
The amount of carbon dioxide released by a gallon of combusted gasoline weights three times as much as the gallon of gas.
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President Obama's big carbon crackdown readies for launch. "The EPA will launch the most dramatic anti-pollution regulation in a generation early next month, a sweeping crackdown on carbon that offers President Barack Obama his last real shot at a legacy on climate change -- while causing significant political peril for red-state Democrats. The move could produce a dramatic makeover of the power industry, shifting it away from coal-burning plants toward natural gas, solar and wind....The Environmental Protection Agency's proposed rule is aimed at scaling back carbon emissions from existing power plants, the nation's largest source of greenhouse gases." Erica Martinson in Politico.
How Obama could try to go really big on the power plant rules. "People familiar with the discussions say the administration is seeking steep reductions -- as much as 25 percent -- that could be met if power plant owners expand renewable energy, improve the efficiency of their grids or encourage customers to use less power. There's disagreement even within the administration about what's allowable under the Clean Air Act, the law that gives it the authority to curb emissions....With Congress unlikely to act, the rules on carbon-dioxide emissions promise to be the backbone of U.S. action on global warming for years to come. Obama may even unveil the power plant rules himself." Mark Drajem, Jim Snyder and Jonathan Allen in Bloomberg.
Analysis: Obama's moment of environmental decision -- and his legal dilemma. Jonathan Chait in New York Magazine.
Administration tries to beat the clock on EPA rules. "White House records show there have been a flurry of meetings in recent weeks between administration officials and outside groups trying to influence the final language of EPA rules under construction. The activity is evidence that Obama's push to combat global warming with regulation has entered a critical phase, with officials hammering out the details of rules that carry major implications for the environment and the economy." Ben Goad and Timothy Cama in The Hill.
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