Life is based on complex chemical compounds
and few of all available elements participate in life supporting action on
earth. Out of these elements, most characteristic element is carbon. It is the
only element which is so favored by life on earth. It is the only building
block of life and it has ability to form complex stable molecules with itself
and other molecules like hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.
Carbon is produced both from natural and from
anthropogenic source. Natural sources comprise of respiration, decomposition
and from ocean release. On the other hand, anthropogenic sources include cement
production, deforestation, burning of fossil fuels (Coal, Oil and Natural gas).
As the human activities increases, atmospheric
concentration of carbon dioxide rise widely since the industrial revolution and
now it reached to hazardous level which was not seen in last 3 Million years.
The human contribution to the carbon emission
is small as compared to the natural sources but it has upset the natural
balance of earth which was there for many thousand years before the human
effect.
The reason behind the balance is that natural
sinks remove the same amount of carbon dioxide which is produced by natural
sources. But human produced emission upset the balance by adding extra carbon
dioxide to atmosphere without removal or we can say dump.
If we look at the detailed picture, carbon
sources from anthropogenic sources includes the burning of fossil fuel, which
contribute about 87 % of the carbon emissions and reminder come from the
clearing of forests and other land use which contribute about 9%. Some
industrial units majorly cement industry produced the 4 % share in Carbon
dioxide emission.
Source: IPCC (2014) EPA WEBSITE Exit based on
global emissions from 2010. Details about the sources included in these
estimates can be found in the Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth
Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change EPA WEBSITE.
The above figure shows that major contribution
of carbon dioxide in greenhouse gases is about 65% and is mainly produced by
burning of fossil fuel and other industrial processes. Major industrial process
is as discussed earlier is the cement industry.
From the above figure it is concluded that
Global emissions are mainly produced in the process of electricity and
production of heat, it is further followed by transport, manufacturing (mainly
cement and other industries) and agriculture.
But this situation is not uniform around the
globe. I we see the situation of US major contributor to GHGs mainly Carbon
dioxide is transport sector however in Brazil major emissions comes from
agriculture and land use change.
To stop climate change, we have to cut the volume
of greenhouse gases mainly the carbon dioxide. Last 150 years’ fossil fuel were
used at high rate along with the deforestation took place due to population
increase. These trees naturally pull out carbon dioxide out of the air and
maintain the balance. Now there are two ways to stop ways to stop the problem
either stop adding pollution or increase earth ability to pull them out of the
air.
We can put constructive effort to reduce the
emissions, these are mentioned as under:
1. Use Less Energy.
Reducing less energy, mainly less consuming
electricity, especially when it comes to non-renewable energy sources. So it is
need to move towards renewable energy and use energy in sustainable way. The
sustainable way is to use energy efficient products, adjusting HVAC system,
adding insulation to homes and adjusting the thermostats, control the leakages
and also adjusting the air conditioning systems. In urban and sub urban area there is a concept
of green cool or green roofs, which limit the heat entering the building during
hot days and ultimately decrease the urban heat island effect.
2. Shrinking Of Food Footprint.
About a fifth of global emissions come from
raising farm animals to produce meat. Taking the example of cattle. A cattle
digest food, they belch and produce methane gas, which is powerful greenhouse
gas and their manure produce carbon dioxide. And forests, which take that
carbon dioxide out of the air has also been cut so that cattle graze.
3. Travel Without Greenhouse Gas.
As we must travel or commute from one place to
another, we need transport which mainly run-on fossil fuel. Burning of fossil
fuel ad up 14% of global greenhouse gas emission. This can be reducing by
shifting towards alternate sources of fuel or transport. We can use hybrid cars
or use electric vehicles. These days’ research is also carried out to run
airplanes on solar energy. Use public transport instead of using individual car
to reach same destination.
4. Reduce Emissions From Industry.
The extraction of natural resources like
mining of raw material and dealing with waste all require fuel. Most of the
things we bought starting from phones to TVs, clothing and shoes all are
created in factories which add up to 20% greenhouse gases worldwide. These emissions
from industries can be reduced by using the material which don’t release
green-house emissions. taking the example of cement, it produces carbon dioxide
as it hardens with time. However, there us another alternative used which is
known as bioplastics, there are made from plants. Companies can also use
renewable energy sources to power factories and transport products.
References:
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/10825622_5?noAccess=true
https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-solutions/reduce-greenhouse-gases
https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-sector#energy-electricity-heat-and-transport-73-2
About the Author: Meraj Ahsan Qureshi is a young, motivated environmentalist with
the passion to create awareness and change the environment.
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