Greenhouse Gases
Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat within the atmosphere, in which greenhouse gases may be found in the form of emissions added to the atmosphere and are still currently trying to be removed from the atmosphere at the same time. Greenhouse gases are one of the main “climate forcers” and causes of climate change, such as black carbon. Examples of greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases. Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is the most popular greenhouse gas as it enters the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil), solid waste, trees, wood products, and also as a result of certain chemical reactions like the manufacturing of cement. Carbon dioxide can be removed, or sequestrated, from the atmosphere when it is absorbed by plants as a part of the biological carbon cycle and stored underground through many rock layers for further usage. Methane, or CH4, is another greenhouse gas that is emitted during the production and transport of fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil. They are also emitted as a result of livestock and other agricultural practices and by the decaying of organic waste in metropolitan solid waste landfills. Nitrous oxide, or N2O, is another one that is released during agricultural and industrial activities, as well as during the burning of fossil fuels and solid waste. Fluorinated gases (F – gases), another common type of greenhouse gas, include hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen trifluoride as synthetically powerful greenhouse gases emitted from a variety of industrial processes. These gases are sometimes used as substitutes for stratospheric ozone-depleting substances, particularly that of chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and halons. (Ozone-depleting substances, also known as ODSs, are substances that deplete the ozone layer in the stratosphere and are widely used in refrigerators, air conditioners, fire extinguishers, in dry cleaning, as solvents for cleaning, electronic equipment, and also as agricultural fumigants or a form of agricultural pest control.) Fluorinated gases are typically emitted in smaller quantities and thought to be quite safe by the general public because of their small amounts, but surprisingly to most, they are actually very potent greenhouse gases. Having said so, these fluorinated gases are sometimes referred to as “High Global Warming Potential” gases, or “High GWP gases” because of the danger they impose in such small volumes. As a result, greenhouse gases are consisted of a range of many potentially harmful gases trapped within the air varying from that of carbon dioxide to fluorinated gases.
The effect of a greenhouse gas on climate change depends solely on three major factors, which are how much, how long, and how strong these gases in the atmosphere are. How much of a greenhouse gas is found in the atmosphere is one main factor, also known as the concentration or abundance of the amount of a specific gas is found in the air. Larger emissions of greenhouse gases lead to higher concentrations in the atmosphere, in which greenhouse gas concentrations are measured in parts per million, parts per billion, and even parts per trillion. One part per million is equal to approximately one drop of diluted water in about thirteen gallons of liquid, which is roughly the amount of fuel in the tank of a compact car. Another main factor is how long each of the gases stay in the atmosphere as each of these can remain in the atmosphere for different amounts of time, ranging from a few years to thousands of years. However, all of these gases do remain in the atmosphere long enough to become well-mixed, or mixed well enough so that the amount that is measured in the atmosphere is about the same as those all over the world, regardless of the source of the emissions. The last key factor is how strongly the gases impact global temperatures. For example, some gases are more effective than others at making the planet warmer and rising the temperatures throughout the world, or in other words, being able to “thicken the Earth’s blanket.” For every greenhouse gas, a Global Warming Potential (GWP) has been calculated to reflect how long it remains in the atmosphere on average, and how strongly it absorbs energy, in which fluorinated gases as stated above, are calculated for a high GWP. Gases with a higher GWP absorb more energy per pound than gases with a lower GWP, and therefore contribute more to warming the Earth. Although these are not the only key factors in determining the effects of greenhouse gases on climate change, these can be considered the primary aspects of concentration, time, and strength.
Greenhouse gases trap heat within the atmosphere and make the planet warmer. Almost all of the increases in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the last 150 years are due to human activities as the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities on average worldwide is from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation. Global greenhouse gas emissions can also be broken down by the economic activities that lead to their production. For example, energy supply makes up 26 percent of the 2004 global greenhouse gas emissions as the burning of coal, natural gas, and oil for electricity and heat is the largest single source of global greenhouse gases. The second largest source of nineteen percent is industrial processes as greenhouse gas emissions from this sector mainly involve fossil fuels that are burned at the site of facilities for energy, including emissions from chemical, metallurgical, and mineral transformation processes that are not related to energy consumption. Seventeen percent of the global emissions come from land use, land-use change, and forestry as gases from this particular area include carbon dioxide, emissions from deforestation, land clearing for agriculture, and fires or decay of peat soils. These are considered the three largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, while the smallest source is waste and waste water as it only contributes approximately three percent of the total amount as it is of landfill methane, waste water methane, and nitrous oxide. In between, agriculture makes up fourteen percent of all the sectors, while transportation is thirteen percent and commercial and residential buildings are eight percent, too. As one can see, the sources of greenhouse gas emissions are from economical human activities varying from that of the burning of fossil fuels to several industrial processes and land usage.
The effect of a greenhouse gas on climate change depends solely on three major factors, which are how much, how long, and how strong these gases in the atmosphere are. How much of a greenhouse gas is found in the atmosphere is one main factor, also known as the concentration or abundance of the amount of a specific gas is found in the air. Larger emissions of greenhouse gases lead to higher concentrations in the atmosphere, in which greenhouse gas concentrations are measured in parts per million, parts per billion, and even parts per trillion. One part per million is equal to approximately one drop of diluted water in about thirteen gallons of liquid, which is roughly the amount of fuel in the tank of a compact car. Another main factor is how long each of the gases stay in the atmosphere as each of these can remain in the atmosphere for different amounts of time, ranging from a few years to thousands of years. However, all of these gases do remain in the atmosphere long enough to become well-mixed, or mixed well enough so that the amount that is measured in the atmosphere is about the same as those all over the world, regardless of the source of the emissions. The last key factor is how strongly the gases impact global temperatures. For example, some gases are more effective than others at making the planet warmer and rising the temperatures throughout the world, or in other words, being able to “thicken the Earth’s blanket.” For every greenhouse gas, a Global Warming Potential (GWP) has been calculated to reflect how long it remains in the atmosphere on average, and how strongly it absorbs energy, in which fluorinated gases as stated above, are calculated for a high GWP. Gases with a higher GWP absorb more energy per pound than gases with a lower GWP, and therefore contribute more to warming the Earth. Although these are not the only key factors in determining the effects of greenhouse gases on climate change, these can be considered the primary aspects of concentration, time, and strength.
Greenhouse gases trap heat within the atmosphere and make the planet warmer. Almost all of the increases in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the last 150 years are due to human activities as the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities on average worldwide is from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation. Global greenhouse gas emissions can also be broken down by the economic activities that lead to their production. For example, energy supply makes up 26 percent of the 2004 global greenhouse gas emissions as the burning of coal, natural gas, and oil for electricity and heat is the largest single source of global greenhouse gases. The second largest source of nineteen percent is industrial processes as greenhouse gas emissions from this sector mainly involve fossil fuels that are burned at the site of facilities for energy, including emissions from chemical, metallurgical, and mineral transformation processes that are not related to energy consumption. Seventeen percent of the global emissions come from land use, land-use change, and forestry as gases from this particular area include carbon dioxide, emissions from deforestation, land clearing for agriculture, and fires or decay of peat soils. These are considered the three largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, while the smallest source is waste and waste water as it only contributes approximately three percent of the total amount as it is of landfill methane, waste water methane, and nitrous oxide. In between, agriculture makes up fourteen percent of all the sectors, while transportation is thirteen percent and commercial and residential buildings are eight percent, too. As one can see, the sources of greenhouse gas emissions are from economical human activities varying from that of the burning of fossil fuels to several industrial processes and land usage.