ghg
greenhouse gas ghg wraps the Earth like a dirty "blanket" creating a greenhouse effect warming the planet until it eventually becomes uninhabitable. The world is getting hotter and hotter by the year.
CO2 and CH4 and N2O
the Earth's troposphere (the lowest layer of the atmosphere) is filled with a combination of noxious gases called greenhouse gas ghg creating a greenhouse effect; carbon dioxide CO2, methane CH4, nitrous oxide N2O, and ozone O3, and water vapor.
ghg is produced by humans burning fossil fuels: oil, gas and coal. We are leaking dangerously high levels of methane into the atmosphere. We have made the air so bad that it traps heat in the atmosphere causing global warming, a global emergency.
global levels of carbon dioxide CO2 passed 400ppm. 100ppm is a healthy level, and 300ppm is a hazardous concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We have exceeded all levels of global greenhouse gas emissions.
| world's largest emitters of ghg | |
| 1 | China |
| 2 | U.S. |
| 3 | India |
| ghg | |
China's greenhouse gas emissions exceeded world: China 27%, US 11%, India 6.6%, EU 6.4%
annual greenhouse gas index NOAA climate.gov
cars, energy
sources of ghg: burning fossil fuels 27 cars, truck, ship, train, airplane; gas and diesel 25 electricity production 24 industry 13 commercial, res heating 11 ag food production, cows
sources of ghg emissions EPA.gov
commercial air travel accounts for 3% of total U.S. ghg emissions. Concrete is 5%. Cement mfg contributes ghg both directly in production of carbon dioxide when calcium carbonate is thermally decomposed, producing lime and carbon dioxide, and also through the use of energy, particularly from the combustion of fossil fuels.
are you driving an SUV to get a croissant?
SpacePlace NASA for kids
what is the greenhouse effect?
global warming is the result of the greenhouse effect which is the way in which heat is trapped close to the Earth's surface by greenhouse gas ghg in the atmosphere.
the sun's light passes through the atmosphere and heats the ground. The infrared rays radiate from the ground and cannot pass through the ghg layer and are reflected back to the Earth heating the atmosphere.
CO2 carbon dioxide, CH4 methane, N2O nitrous oxide, and O3 ozone, and water vapor.
some greenhouse gases occur naturally and enter the atmosphere as a result of both natural processes (such as decomposition of organic matter) and human activity (such as burning fossil fuels and agriculture). Greenhouse gases that occur both naturally and from human activities include water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and ozone (O3). Other greenhouse gases have essentially no natural sources, but are side products of industrial processes or manufactured for human purposes such as cleaning agents, refrigerants, and electrical insulators. These include the fluorinated gases: chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HCFCs), bromofluorocarbons (halons), perfluorcarbons, PFCs, nitrogen trifluoride, NF3, and sulfur hexafluoride, SF6.
humans burning fossil fuels
fossil fuels: oil is extracted for gasoline so you can drive your SUV, fossil gas, a.k.a "natural gas" for your stovetops and dryers, and of course our all time favorite coal to burn to make electricity for the cities so you can leave your lights on all night.
greenhouse gas ghg is produced from fossils fuels; the extraction, processing, and industrial carbon emissions from oil, fossil gas and coal.
air too toxic to breathe
by burning coal to make electricity for the cities we are producing large amounts of carbon emissions making the air too toxic to breathe.
hyper climate
ghg is heating the Earth which is producing a hyper climate which is causing wildfires and floods, drought and sea level rise, hurricanes and heat waves.
numerous studies in recent years have linked bigger U.S. wildfires to global warming. Climate change has made California much drier. A drier California means plants are more flammable.
12 December 2015
the goal of the Paris Climate Agreement is to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius (1.5° C) by reducing greenhouse gas. The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. This is within reach if we treat this crisis as a crisis. Words that sound great, and action is required now.