Biden Advances Plan to Make US Freight Shipping Carbon-Free
Table Of Content
- Commercial and Residential Sector Emissions Trends
- Thanks to termite tents, California is top U.S. emitter of a planet-warming pesticide
- AirPlay is now available in select IHG Hotels & Resorts properties
- Electric Power Sector Emissions
- ‘Humbling, and a bit worrying’: Scientists fail to fully explain record global heat
- Radiative forcing
Carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapour are the most important greenhouse gases. Human activities like burning fossil fuels have added huge quantities of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide to our atmosphere, creating a “greenhouse effect” that traps energy from the sun and causes Earth’s temperature to rise. Deforestation and intensive agriculture also contribute greenhouse gas emissions, but not nearly as much as fossil fuel production, which accounts for 75 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in North America.
Commercial and Residential Sector Emissions Trends
"A bit less than half of this increase [in emissions in WA] was due to energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, and most of the rest due to a reduction in the amount of carbon stored in forest and land. The Missouri company, which is owned by private equity firm Brightstar Capital Partners, also said the chemical had a “negligible” impact on climate because it makes up only 0.035% of total greenhouse gas emissions. "EPA is finalizing four separate rules that reduce pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants, protect communities from pollution and improve public health," said Michael Regan, EPA administrator, in a call with reporters. The gradual rise in the Earth’s temperature due to the trapped radiation is called global warming. This phenomenon is a major threat to the ecosystem and can lead to climate change.
Thanks to termite tents, California is top U.S. emitter of a planet-warming pesticide
Methane concentrations also varied over a smaller range (between roughly 350 and 800 ppb) in association with the Pleistocene ice age cycles. Preindustrial levels of CH4 in the atmosphere were approximately 700 ppb, whereas levels exceeded 1,867 ppb in late 2018. (These concentrations are well above the natural levels observed for at least the past 650,000 years.) The net radiative forcing by anthropogenic CH4 emissions is approximately 0.5 watt per square metre—or roughly one-third the radiative forcing of CO2.
AirPlay is now available in select IHG Hotels & Resorts properties
However, certain current sinks, such as the oceans, could become sources in the future. This may lead to a situation in which the concentration of atmospheric CO2 builds at an exponential rate (that is, at a rate of increase that is also increasing over time). One such process, the “solubility pump,” involves the descent of surface seawater containing dissolved CO2.
Electric Power Sector Emissions
Relatively small amounts of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are emitted during fuel combustion. In addition, hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions also occur from the Transportation sector. These emissions result from the use of mobile air conditioners and refrigerated transport.
Global greenhouse gas emissions
One such process, the “solubility pump,” involves the descent of surface seawater containing dissolved CO2. As these organisms expire and fall to the ocean floor, their carbon is transported downward and eventually buried at depth. A long-term balance between these natural sources and sinks leads to the background, or natural, level of CO2 in the atmosphere. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are released through the leakage of refrigerants used in vehicle air-conditioning systems. Leakage can be reduced through better system components and through the use of alternative refrigerants with lower global warming potentials than those presently used.
Reducing Emissions from Homes and Businesses
Human activities are driving the global warming trend observed since the mid-20th century. However, almost all the water vapour in the atmosphere comes from natural processes. In the chart, we see the breakdown of global emissions, measured based on carbon dioxide-equivalents (CO2e). Disappearing PenguinsEmperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) made a showbiz splash in the 2005 film March of the Penguins. In the 1970s, an abnormally long warm spell caused these Antarctic birds' population to drop by 50 percent.
The effect of each greenhouse gas on Earth’s climate depends on its chemical nature and its relative concentration in the atmosphere. To understand the relative influence of each greenhouse gas, so-called forcing values (given in watts per square metre) calculated for the time period between 1750 and the present day are given below. As discussed in previous sections, greenhouse gases vary in their relative contributions to global warming; i.e. one tonne of methane does not have the same impact on warming as one tonne of carbon dioxide. This interactive chart shows annual greenhouse gas emissions — the amount a given country produces each year — across the world.
"We are a highly industrialised, trade-exposed economy and so our pathway in relation to the energy transition is going to be unique in relation to the rest of the country." West Australian Premier Roger Cook says his state is on track to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, but 7.30 understands internal modelling is projecting it will not, based on its current trajectory. The next biggest year-on-year jump was in Victoria, where emissions rose by about 4 million tonnes – or around half the jump WA experienced. WA has no target for 2030 but is "committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050".
In the chart, we see the GWP100 value of key greenhouse gases relative to carbon dioxide. The GWP100 metric measures the relative warming impact of one molecule or unit mass of a greenhouse gas relative to carbon dioxide over a 100-year timescale. For example, one tonne of methane would have 28 times the warming impact of a tonne of carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. GWP100 values are used to combine greenhouse gases into a single metric of emissions called carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). CO2e is derived by multiplying the mass of emissions of a specific greenhouse gas by its equivalent GWP100 factor. The sum of all gases in their CO2e form provides a measure of total greenhouse gas emissions.
More national-level information about emissions from the residential and commercial sector can be found in the U.S. Inventory's Trends in Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy chapters (Chapters 2 and 4 respectively). Studies show that solar variability has played a role in past climate changes.
The agency estimates the U.S. will save $370 billion over the next two decades. That includes up to 1.38 billion metric tons of avoided carbon pollution through 2047 – the equivalent to the annual emissions of 328 million gasoline cars. "The path outlined by the EPA today is unlawful, unrealistic and unachievable," wrote Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in a statement. "This is a big deal. This ends the age of unlimited carbon emissions from power plants," says Manish Bapna, president and chief executive of the Natural Resources Defense Council. The researchers highlighted how California could eliminate emissions by finding ways to decarbonize the state’s cement factories.
Comments
Post a Comment