If you want to reduce greenhouse gases, it helps to know where on Earth
"The greenhouse effect is an important mechanism of temperature regulation. The Earth returns energy received from the sun to space by reflecting light and emitting heat. Part of the out-going heat flow is absorbed by greenhouse gases and re-irradiated back to the Earth. Though they occur naturally, human activities have significantly increased their presence in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases vary considerably in amounts emitted, but also in their warming effect and in the length of time they remain in the atmosphere as active warming agents."
they come from. So what are some of the obvious ways of emitting GHGs that we may all be involved in, probably without even realising it? Here are some of the really glaring ones.
Energy for...
Energy is involved in just about everything we do. Depending on the source
"Energy generation is the single most important activity resulting in GHG emissions, in particular because most of it is produced from fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal, the latter being mainly used to generate electricity. Coal, particularly brown coal (also called lignite), is the energy source with the highest GHG emissions per energy unit. Burning coal generates 70 per cent more CO2 than natural gas for every unit of energy. At the same time, coal is cheap and is the most widely available fossil fuel. According to the World Coal Institute, it is present in almost every country, with commercial mining in over 50. It is also the fossil fuel with the longest predicted availability. At current production levels coal will be available for at least 155 more years (compared with 41 years for oil and 65 for gas).
But current production levels will not remain static. While coal use is falling in Western Europe it is rising in Asia and the United States. The Asia-Pacific region will be the main coal market – with 58 per cent of global coal consumption by 2025 – if current trends continue. The region is home to the largest consumer (China), the largest exporter (Australia) and the largest importer (Japan) of coal globally.
International commitments, the progress of new technologies such as Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS, see page 88) and increased efficiency of power grids, industrial processes and so on are all ways to reduce coal-related GHG emissions. But ultimately the challenge is to develop a clean, widely available and affordable alternative to satisfy the world’s energy needs (see page 144)."
of the energy, the efficiency of its use and the waste created in the process, its use and production emits from zero to enormous amounts of GHGs.
30 KICK THE HABIT THE PROBLEM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202