Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a gas released into the air when coal, oil, or natural gas is burned. It makes up less than 0.04 percent of the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is called a “greenhouse gas” because it traps heat that would ordinarily be radiated into space near the earth’s surface.

The U.S. Global Change Research Program reports that the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere has increased about 35 percent since the start of the industrial revolution in the 19th century. Some researchers think that increases in atmospheric CO₂ and other greenhouse gases may contribute to temperature increases and climate changes that could affect our weather, raise sea levels and alter our approach to farming.

Read more about what TVA is doing to reduce emissions of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases.

Carbon dioxide emissions at TVA coal fired plants

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In CY 2011, TVA-owned generation sources (which include both coal-fired and gas-fired plants) produced 142,884 GWh and emitted 81,489,797 tons of CO2, resulting in a CO2 emission rate of 517.39 tons/GWh.