Greenhouse emissions are gases produced by human activities. These gases can cause a range of environmental effects. Common greenhouse gases include methane and carbon dioxide. The most significant source of methane emissions is agriculture, livestock raising, and damming projects that create artificial breeding grounds for methanogenic bacteria. Other greenhouse gases include nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons. These gases are often lumped together with CO2, but they have very different lifecycles.
Human activities
The amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere has increased dramatically since the Industrial Revolution. In the United States, the largest contributor to greenhouse emissions is the burning of fossil fuels. The EPA tracks the amount of emissions and sinks of greenhouse gases and estimates the amount of carbon that has been removed from the atmosphere.
Carbon isotopes reveal that human activities are the primary source of recent increases in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The increased carbon dioxide concentrations are a result of fossil fuel burning and massive land cover changes. Scientists can also trace the sources of carbon dioxide molecules by using carbon isotopes.
Common greenhouse gases
Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and cause climate change. Carbon dioxide and other common greenhouse gases are emitted from both man-made and natural sources. Studies have found that greenhouse gases are a major contributor to global warming. In addition to CO2, these gases include methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gases.
Methane (CH4) is the second-most-common greenhouse gas. Methane concentrations in the atmosphere have increased by 150 percent in the last century. The leading human-induced methane emissions are from agricultural practices. Other sources of methane are wastewater treatment and landfills. Once released into the atmosphere, methane stays there for 10-12 years.
Reductions in emissions
Reductions in greenhouse emissions are an essential part of addressing climate change. This is important because the use of energy for manufacturing, mining for raw materials and dealing with waste generates considerable amounts of greenhouse gases. Factory production accounts for over 20% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. In the short term, these emissions can be avoided by making more sustainable choices and using renewable energy sources.
However, substantial reductions in greenhouse emissions may not be enough to reverse this change. The social cost of carbon quantifies damage to humans and the environment. Damage can include losses from global warming, sea level rise, and more severe tropical cyclones and wildfires. The US President Barack Obama has modeled the social cost of carbon at $50 per ton by the year 2019.
Impacts on developing countries
The most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change are those in developing countries. Developing countries are already facing challenges such as deteriorating infrastructure, rising temperatures, water-borne diseases, and extreme droughts. The consequences of climate change will worsen these problems and put millions of people at risk of disease and food insecurity.
To address climate change, developing countries must develop policies to shift their economies away from carbon-intensive industries. Such policies should be coordinated internationally to achieve a shift towards a more equitable, environmentally responsible future.
Goals for Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol sets goals for countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By 2008-2012, the goal for most countries is to reduce emissions by 5% below 1990 levels. Other countries are given different targets. The Kyoto Protocol is important symbolically, but it has limited effect because most developed nations have not signed on.
A majority of Canadians support the Kyoto Protocol, but business groups, non-governmental climate scientists, and energy concerns are opposed to it. Although the protocol will not affect US companies, Canadian companies will face significant disadvantages in trade. As a result, the Kyoto debate has boiled down to a "war of words."
Adaptation committee for reducing emissions
The Adaptation Committee is a statutory body which provides advice to the UK Government on the impact of climate change and how best to adapt to it. It has two key statutory roles: to give advice on climate risks and to evaluate the UK's progress in delivering the National Adaptation Programme. The Committee can be called upon to make recommendations under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act. In addition, the UK Government is required to undertake an assessment of climate risks every five years, a process known as a climate change risk assessment.
The committee's mandate is to develop recommendations for reducing greenhouse emissions and other emissions that contribute to climate change. It will also advocate for policies to use renewable energy and adopt carbon neutral or green building standards. In addition, the committee will recommend policies that will encourage development of resilient conservation-oriented land uses and other environmentally friendly buildings.