Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Improving Air Quality
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course, ultimately focused on the goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions
and keeping the global temperature increase to 1.5°C.
2.5.1 Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The Paris Agreement on Climate Change includes the goal of achieving
a balance between greenhouse gas emissions and sinks such that the
concentrations of these gases are no longer increasing in the atmosphere.
The increase in carbon dioxide concentration shown in Table 2.1 is more uniform, whereas methane concentrations show more variation than carbon
dioxide. The values of the two concentrations were taken from graphs and
are approximate values. They show that there has been a significant increase
with time during the past 33 years.
Nitrous oxide concentration was 0.33 ppm in 2017, which is 122% of preindustrial values (i.e. before 1750). Atmospheric methane reached a new
record high of 1.86 ppm in 2017, which is 257% of pre- industrial values. The
value of 405 ppm for carbon dioxide is 146% of pre- industrial values. Most
of the contribution to radiative forcing is due to carbon dioxide; however,
methane contributes 17% and nitrous oxide contributes 6% (WMO, 2018).
Finding ways to reduce methane emissions should also be a high priority
because methane has a much greater impact than carbon dioxide on radiative forcing and climate change per mole of gas.
Since there are processes that remove greenhouse gas emissions from the
atmosphere, it is not necessary to end all emissions to achieve the goal of a
steady state concentration. Additionally, there are a number of components
under the general term of “greenhouse gases”, but one of these – carbon
dioxide – is the one most often and most intensively focused on. Carbon
dioxide is a significant proportion of the emitted greenhouse gases, and it has
a long lifetime in the atmosphere, meriting the greater amount of attention it
receives. An obvious solution to rising carbon dioxide emissions, along with
greenhouse gas emissions in general, is simply to produce fewer emissions,
but there are additional possibilities as well. Carbon capture and storage
to reduce emissions is an additional option to address the carbon dioxide
management issue. Another option is the possibility of developing ways to
increase the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Table 2.2 shows average annual carbon dioxide emissions for 2014 in kg/
person for selected countries. There are significant differences in values
because developed countries such as Germany and the United States have
much larger emissions compared to developing countries such as Kenya
and Nigeria. Countries that have weather- related heating and air conditioning emissions have larger values compared to locations where there
are lower emissions for thermal comfort. Saudi Arabia is an example of a
country where air conditioning is important for thermal comfort. The United
States and Australia are examples of large countries where emissions may be
greater because of travel over greater distances.
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18
course, ultimately focused on the goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions
and keeping the global temperature increase to 1.5°C.
2.5.1 Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The Paris Agreement on Climate Change includes the goal of achieving
a balance between greenhouse gas emissions and sinks such that the
concentrations of these gases are no longer increasing in the atmosphere.
The increase in carbon dioxide concentration shown in Table 2.1 is more uniform, whereas methane concentrations show more variation than carbon
dioxide. The values of the two concentrations were taken from graphs and
are approximate values. They show that there has been a significant increase
with time during the past 33 years.
Nitrous oxide concentration was 0.33 ppm in 2017, which is 122% of preindustrial values (i.e. before 1750). Atmospheric methane reached a new
record high of 1.86 ppm in 2017, which is 257% of pre- industrial values. The
value of 405 ppm for carbon dioxide is 146% of pre- industrial values. Most
of the contribution to radiative forcing is due to carbon dioxide; however,
methane contributes 17% and nitrous oxide contributes 6% (WMO, 2018).
Finding ways to reduce methane emissions should also be a high priority
because methane has a much greater impact than carbon dioxide on radiative forcing and climate change per mole of gas.
Since there are processes that remove greenhouse gas emissions from the
atmosphere, it is not necessary to end all emissions to achieve the goal of a
steady state concentration. Additionally, there are a number of components
under the general term of “greenhouse gases”, but one of these – carbon
dioxide – is the one most often and most intensively focused on. Carbon
dioxide is a significant proportion of the emitted greenhouse gases, and it has
a long lifetime in the atmosphere, meriting the greater amount of attention it
receives. An obvious solution to rising carbon dioxide emissions, along with
greenhouse gas emissions in general, is simply to produce fewer emissions,
but there are additional possibilities as well. Carbon capture and storage
to reduce emissions is an additional option to address the carbon dioxide
management issue. Another option is the possibility of developing ways to
increase the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Table 2.2 shows average annual carbon dioxide emissions for 2014 in kg/
person for selected countries. There are significant differences in values
because developed countries such as Germany and the United States have
much larger emissions compared to developing countries such as Kenya
and Nigeria. Countries that have weather- related heating and air conditioning emissions have larger values compared to locations where there
are lower emissions for thermal comfort. Saudi Arabia is an example of a
country where air conditioning is important for thermal comfort. The United
States and Australia are examples of large countries where emissions may be
greater because of travel over greater distances.