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Carbon math on the grid

Headlines throw around “clean” and “dirty” grids. These questions practise the numbers: lifecycle carbon per kWh, why two countries differ, and what mix charts can and can’t prove.

Question 1 of 5

When journalists compare how carbon-intensive a country’s electricity is, a lifecycle intensity (grams CO₂e per kWh) is useful because it:

Ignores what fuels actually run on the gridSummarises typical emissions per unit of electricity from the generation mix, in one comparable numberMeasures only your phone chargerIs always identical in every country