The Earth has had to come through many change-braking events that shaped the world we know now. Since very beginning it was more or less about changing the temperature, atmospheric gasses and water moisture, respectively. Thanks to plants, from moss to trees, the Earth started to breath and first animals appeared. In the meantime, the climate has changed couple of times and brought new challenges for all living plants and creatures. Trees rise and fall, and with time, heat and pressure they turned into today’s reservoirs of coal, oil and gas. Somehow, the nature got all of these in balance. Maybe because humans were not involved that much yet.
The UN Environment Programme’s Emission Gap Report is evaluating every year the greenhouse gas emissions and where those emissions are heading. They rise, year-by-year and they reach a new high, the 55 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2eq).
(Note: CO2eq is a sum of CO2 emissions and the same warming potential of other greenhouse gases – methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)).
We keep adding greenhouse gas to the atmosphere, building larger imbalance of atmospheric gasses and increasing the temperature of planet. There are many charts available on greenhouse gas emission by sector. But, the way how Bill Gates tabulates those sectors simply by the things we do makes sense the most:
- Making things (cement, steel, plastics, textiles) 31%
- Plugging in (electricity) 27%
- Growing things (plants, animals) 19%
- Getting around (planes, trucks, cargo ships) 16%
- Keeping warm and cold (heating, cooling, refrigeration) 7%
What are those greenhouse gasses? They make life possible on Earth for all kind of plants and creatures incl. humans. In fact, the atmosphere provides the protective layer or blanket and keeps average temperature about +15°C, otherwise, we would face constantly chill temperature of -18°C. Under normal circumstances sunlight goes through atmosphere and warms up surface. Some radiation is absorbed and some is emitted to the space. Here, other part of energy is absorbed and makes it more difficult for the planet to cool down.
What are those greenhouse gasses? They make life possible on Earth for all kind of plants and creatures incl. humans. In fact, the atmosphere provides the protective layer or blanket and keeps average temperature about +15°C, otherwise, we would face constantly chill temperature of -18°C. Under normal circumstances sunlight goes through atmosphere and warms up surface. Some radiation is absorbed and some is emitted to the space. Here, other part of energy is absorbed and makes it more difficult for the planet to cool down.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most abundant greenhouse gas remaining in the atmosphere for centuries and in the ocean for even longer. The critical drivers for CO2increased comes from extracting and burning coal, oil and gas (65%), land use changes (11%) including deforestation (cutting down forests), forest burning, fertilisers containing nitrogen, and many more. Since 1850 pre-industrial revolution CO2 emissions and average global temperature rose. Currently, the temperature rose more than 1°C and it is predicted continuously rise up-to 5°C but, when accurate step will be taken towards mitigation, the temperature will be stabilised.
This Keeling Curve shows monthly average atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration from 1958 to present at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii. Graphic credit to Scripps CO2 program.
Last two years, we experience a novel pandemic, the COVID-19. Our lives and habits has changed. We travelled less and the economy slowed down. The planet took breath and the emissions declined by 5%. Is it small or big decline? Obviously, it is not enough to fly or drive less. There needs to be done more to reduce emissions and to keep our planet cool enough.
What little can we do?
- We can change habits of transportation, get more oft on the feet – walk small distances or get on bike instead driving by car everywhere – it is healthy and clears the mind.
- Buy food, cheese, fruits and vegies from the region – perhaps on the local market
- At home efficiently heating, instead classic light bulb using LED (from 39 g to 7 g CO2 per hour) , energy efficient TV (from 200 g to 50 g CO2 per hour), instead 9 min shower only 3 min (from 9 kg to 1.5 kg CO2 per shower), decrease laundry temperature from 90°C to 30° (1060 g to 260 g CO2) and if possible do not dry clothes in tumble dryer but just line drying them on air (from 3700 to 0 g CO2)
- Become a sustainable consumer – by buying high quality products we need less, give 2nd chance to products, buy products without palm oil