Greenhouse Gases - The Driver of Greenhouse Effect
- Jay Joshi
- Jul 7, 2021
- 3 min read
As described in the previous blog on the Greenhouse effect, the main reason for the warming of the globe is the Greenhouse Gases present in the atmosphere. The major greenhouse gases include Carbon Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide, Methane and Fluorinated gases.
These Greenhouse gases absorb the energy we get from the sun. They act as a blanket trapping the heat in the atmosphere leading to the rise in the temperatures of the planet. This effect is necessary for maintaining the planet's temperature, but this has been rising in the last 50 years as a problem that needs to be addressed in the first place.
This image shows the clear difference between the thin line of prosperity and devastation due to a single effect - The greenhouse effect. This shows the significance of having everything to a certain limit. If there were no greenhouse gases, our planet would be in the Ice Age period wherein it might be an impossible task for mother nature to develop Humans and many other species that exists today.
The climate crisis is both the easiest and the hardest issue we have ever faced. The easiest because we know what we must do. We must stop the emissions of greenhouse gases. The hardest because our current economics are still totally dependent on burning fossil fuels, and thereby destroying ecosystems in order to create everlasting economic growth.
- Greta Thunburg
As per a report by Climate Watch from raw data from IEA, the greenhouse gas emissions comprised 74.4% of Carbon Dioxide, 17.3% of Methane, 6.2% of Nitrous Oxide and 2.1% of Fluorinated Gases. The detailed image for that report is given below. You can also check the amazingly designed infographic over here.
The global warming potential (GWP) was developed to compare the warming effects caused due to different greenhouse gases. The factors accounting for it include their ability to absorb the radiation and how long they stay in the atmosphere accompanied by the number of emissions we humans make.
The fluorinated gases are the most devastating because they do break down the essential shield of the Ozone layer which increases the amount of radiation that reaches the Earth. The fluorinated gases are released in industrial processes such as the production of refrigerants, aerosol propellants and fire suppressants. Also, they stay in the atmosphere for thousands of years.
The Global Warming Potential (GWP) of Methane is 28 which means that One tonne of Methane would have 28 times the warming impact of one tonne of CO2 over the span of 100 years.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2):
Carbon Dioxide is the single biggest greenhouse gas directly released by Human activities. 73% of the total greenhouse gas in 2018 was constituted by CO2. They stay in the atmosphere from about 5 years to 200 years. Most industrial processes release CO2 as a byproduct. We'll get on to the full details of emissions and the sources in the next blog.
Methane (CH4):
The lifetime of Methane is much shorter compared to that of CO2 but it has a greater capacity to absorb the radiation. 19% of the total greenhouse gas in 2018 was constituted by Methane. While its lifetime is around 9 to 15 years the GWP of it is 28 which means it affects the Climate more vigorously than CO2.
Methane is mostly released by the waste generated by the food which goes to landfills. Also, the livestock industry is another major emitter of this gas.
Nitrous Oxide (N2O):
5% of the total greenhouse gas in 2018 was constituted by Nitrous Oxide. The lifetime of Nitrous oxide is 120 years and the GWP of it is much higher than CO2 but the lesser amount of emissions has been the real saver for us.
Nitrous oxide is mainly released by the following sources[5]:
Agricultural Sector (most of the fertilisers are made up of Nitrogen compounds)
Energy Sector (Vehicular emissions)
Industrial Sources (producing nitrogen compounds for fertilisers)
Waste Management (human and animal waste contain nitrogen-based organic material)
Fluorinated Gases:
Fluorinated gases are made up of Fluorine (F) and Chlorine (Cl) combined with other elements. They can stay in the atmosphere for thousands of years and has a high GWP of around 12,400 but the emissions are very low compared to other greenhouse gases (Roughly about 3%). The main sources of Fluorinated gases are[6]:
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (79% of Fluorinated emissions)
Foams (11% of Fluorinated emissions)
Aerosols (5% of Fluorinated emissions)
Others including fire protection, solvents, etc (5% of Fluorinated emissions)
The upcoming blogs will be focused on analysing these emissions by sources, uses and industries.
Agriculture is one of the biggest causes of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Cars? Planes? Trains? Nope. Cow farts.
- Zazie Beetz
For more details on the Greenhouse Gases and their effect on the Climate, you can follow these links [1] [2] [3] [4].
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