UPPER PARK
The Upper Park opened in the stratosphere over the European Union from the fall of 2006 through 2007, with the purchase of 51 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission allowances (EUAs) in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS). The park remained open to the public until the expiration of the offsets at the end of 2007.
The Upper Park opened again from April to August 2010 over the United States with the purchase of the right to emit 500t/CO2 (Chicago Climate Exchange Carbon Financial Instruments – CCX CFIs).
The Upper Park is currently closed.
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Q: How large was the Upper Park in 2006-7?
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A: “CO2 in the atmosphere is now something like 380 ppm by volume. The atmosphere can be said to have an equivalent mass (N2 + O2) of roughly 29 atomic mass units (amu), and CO2 has a mass of 44 amu. One cubic meter of air is about 1.3 kg, or 1300 g. Multiplying this by 380 ppm, and correcting for the heavier mass of CO2, gives about 3/4 gram CO2 in 1 m3 of air.
So if you bought 1 (metric) ton of CO2, you would have bought all the CO2 in 1,334,000 m3, or a cube roughly 110 m on a side. This is a good fraction of the air in a football stadium.” (Source: Dr. Thomas Cahill)
So 51 tons of CO2 emissions, in normal distribution in the atmosphere would fill a volume 5,610 m on each side, or roughly the volume of 51 football stadiums.
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Or, if the distance to space is 100km (and half density), one ton of CO2 would buy a 5 meter by 5 meter box (or about a 16 feet square column of air) up to space, so the park could also take this form, of a 205 x 205 m wide column from earth to space. (Source: Dr. David Pepper)
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