Greenhouse gases are a group of compounds that are able to trap heat

(longwave radiation) in the atmosphere, keeping the Earth's surface warmer

than it would be if they were not present

.1 These gases are the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect.

2 Increases in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere enhances the

greenhouse effect which is creating global warming and consequently climate
change.

Greenhouse gases allow sunlight (shortwave radiation) to pass through the

atmosphere freely, where it is then partially absorbed by the surface of the
Earth.

3 But some of this energy bounces back out towards space as heat. Of the
heat emitted back to space, some is intercepted and absorbed by greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere. This is because these compounds are made of three
or more atoms. This molecular structure allows them to absorb some of the
escaping heat and then re-emit it towards the Earth which increases global
temperatures.

The ability of these gases to trap heat is what causes the greenhouse effect. So

the more greenhouse gases you have in the atmosphere, the more heat stays
on Earth. This process, which is very similar to the way a greenhouse works, is
why the gases that can produce this effect are collectively known as greenhouse
gases.

There are 2 ways that a greenhouse gas (often abbreviated GHG) can enter our
atmosphere. One of them is through human activities. The main human sources
of GHG emissions are: fossil fuel use, deforestation, intensive livestock farming,
use of synthetic fertilizers and industrial processes. The other is through natural
processes like animal and plant respiration.

The principal forcing greenhouse gases are:

 Carbon dioxide (CO2)

 Methane (CH4)
 Nitrous oxide (N2O)
 Fluorinated gases
Source: Forcing greenhouse gases - Global emissions (2012), International
Energy Agency.

Forcing greenhouse gases take many years to leave the atmosphere. CO2, CH4,
N2O and the fluorinated gases are all well-mixed gases in the
atmosphere.4 They do not react to changes in either temperature or air
pressure and thus do not get removed easily like water that condenses to
become rain or snow. Their long atmospheric lifetimes allows them to have a
lasting effect on global warming and climate change.

Water vapor on the other hand has a residence time of a few days.5 It is a
highly active component of the climate system that responds rapidly to changes
in conditions by either condensing into rain or snow, or evaporating to return to
the atmosphere. Thus the impact of the greenhouse effect is primarily circulated
through water vapor, and it acts as a fast feedback, accentuating the warming
provided by the forcing greenhouse gases.

CO2 and the other forcing greenhouse gases are the key gases within the Earth's
atmosphere that sustain the greenhouse effect and control its strength. In fact,
the greenhouse effect would collapse were it not for the presence of CO2 and the
other non-condensing greenhouse gases.

Greenhouse gases greatly affect the temperature of the Earth. Without them,
surface temperatures would be on average about 32.5°C colder than the
present average of 14.4°C (57.9°F),6 making life on Earth as we know it not
possible. Greenhouse gases are not, inherently, a bad thing. But the growing
concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has been raising average
temperatures around the world.

CO2, CH4 and N2O are emitted to the atmosphere through natural processes as
well as human activities (use of fossil fuels, industrial production, etc). The
fluorinated gases on the other hand, are created and emitted almost exclusively
through human activities.

Since the Industrial Revolution, which began in the 18th century, human
activities have been a major source of all forcing greenhouse gases. Human
activities have led to a sharp and dangerous increase of these gases within the
Earth's atmosphere, so much so that the growth of all forcing greenhouse gas
(GHG) concentrations is now directly controlled by humans.
1.Power Plants

Futtsu Thermal Power Station near Tokyo. Generating electricity and heat by burning fossil fuels like
coal, natural gas and oil produces more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than any human activity,
accounting for at least one quarter of all global emissions. CO2 emissions from electricity and heat
have increased as coal has been the fastest growing energy source since 2000, reports the
International Energy Agency.

2.Residential Buildings
The largest single source of global emissions, according to calculations by Ecofys, is our homes.
Residential buildings demand heat as well as electricity for the increasing numbers of electrical
devices used in homes, such as air conditioners and domestic appliances.

Consequently, making the housing stock as energy-efficient as possible is one of the most effective
ways to rapidly reduce emissions. More efficient appliances, better insulated buildings, and improved
or alternative energy systems are all necessary solutions.

3.Road Transport
Gridlock on the road into Beijing. There are now well over one billion cars, trucks, and buses on the
world’s roads, more than one vehicle for every seven people. The spectacular growth of road
transport, driven in recent years by China and other emerging economies, produces over 10 percent
of man-made greenhouse gas emissions.
These emissions have increased by over 50% since 1990 despite improvements in vehicle fuel-
efficiency and now account for about three quarters of transport emissions, says the International
Energy Agency.

4.Deforestation, Forest Degradation & Land Use Change

Virgin Amazon rainforest borders an area of jungle destroyed to make way for farms in Brazil.
Deforestation, forest degradation and decay, forest and peat fires and other land use changes are
responsible for over 10 percent of global emissions.

5.Energy Industry Processes & Losses

A significant part of the energy industry’s carbon footprint consists of its own use of fossil fuels in its
processes as well as the ‘losses’ incurred through leakages from pressurized equipment in power
plants and refineries as well as activities like flaring or venting gases from drilling or mining
operations.

6.Cement, Ceramics and Glass Production

A laborer walks over newly made pipes at a cement plant in Yingtan, China. There is increasing
global demand for cement, bricks, wall and floor tiles due to a construction boom in emerging
economies in particular

7.Iron & Steel Manufacture

The iron and steel industry has one of the largest carbon footprints of any single industrial sector and
is growing in tandem with other construction and infrastructure-related industries like cement
making. It significantly increased its share of global emissions from 3.2% in 2000 to 4.8% in 2010.

8.Agricultural Soils
Plowing the ground releases carbon dioxide from the soil into the air. Modern agriculture also relies
heavily on fertilizers and pesticides, which release nitrous oxide into the air. Nitrous oxide is 300
times more potent than carbon dioxide as a warming agent although it does not last as long in the
atmosphere.

9.Chemical & Petrochemical Industries

The manufacture of industrial chemicals and petrochemicals which provide the building blocks for
plastics, textiles, dyes and resins, detergents, fertilisers and tens of thousands of other products
happens at very large scale in chemical and petrochemical plants

10.Oil & Gas Production

An oil platform stands in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. Extracting, transporting, refining
and processing oil and natural gas requires large amounts of energy and involves considerable risks
of leakage of ‘fugitive emissions’ at each stage, particularly as the industry looks to drill in more
demanding environments such as deep offshore

11.Waste and Waste Wate

A man scavenges for waste to recycle at a garbage dump in Linfen, China. Landfill sites like this
produce greenhouse gases because rotting organic waste like food waste emits methane which
warms the atmosphere unless it is captured. Advanced industrialsed countries like the United States,
the UK and Japan throw away between 20% and 30% of edible food

Processing waste water also produces methane. If garbage is burned, however, it emits CO2.
Almost everything we produce, consume and throw away, including human waste, results in some
greenhouse gas emissions

12.Coal Mining
 Coal mining produces methane as ‘fugitive emissions’ because methane absorbed by the coal is
released from coal seams when they are fractured or disturbed. Surface mining releases methane
directly into the atmosphere whilst methane remaining in the coal can be released during the
subsequent processing and transportation

13.Aviation
A jet airliner leaves condensation trails in the sky. The trails are formed by soot and water vapor
from the plane engines which burn kerosene. Aircraft emissions of water vapor, nitrous oxides,
aerosols and CO2 at altitude could be two to four times stronger than emissions of CO2 alone.

Global warming

Greenhouse gas levels have been increasing since the start of the Industrial
Revolution, but over the last few decades growth has been particularly fast.
Total greenhouse gas emissions have increased by about 80% since
1970,2creating a radiative forcing of 2838 mW/m^2 equivalent to an
atmospheric concentration of 473 ppm CO2e.3

With increasing levels of greenhouse gases being added daily, the greenhouse
effect is now enhanced to the point where too much heat is being kept in the
Earth's atmosphere. The heat trapped by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
gases has increased surface temperatures by 0.75°C (1.4°F) over the last 100
years.4

Global warming is harming the environment in several ways including:

 Desertification
 Increased melting of snow and ice
 Sea level rise
 Stronger storms and extreme events

Ocean Acidification

Increases in carbon dioxide levels have made the world's oceans 30% more
acidic since the Industrial Revolution.5 The ocean serves as a sink for this gas
and absorbs about a quarter of human carbon dioxide emissions,6 which then
goes on to react with seawater to form carbonic acid.7 So as the level of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere rises, the acidification of the oceans increases.
Changes to plant growth and nutrition levels

Since plants need carbon dioxide to grow, if there are higher amounts in the air,
plant growth can increase. Experiments where carbon dioxide concentrations
were raised by around 50% increased crop growth by around 15%.8 Higher
levels of carbon dioxide makes carbon more available, but plants also need
other nutrients (like nitrogen, phosphorus, etc.) to grow and survive. Without
increases in those nutrients as well, the nutritional quality of many plants will
decrease. In different experiments with elevated carbon dioxide levels, protein
concentrations in wheat, rice, barley, and potato tubers, decreased by 5-14%.9

14%.9

Smog and ozone pollution

Over the last century, global background ozone concentrations have become 2
times larger due mainly to increases in methane and nitrogen oxides caused by
human emissions.10 At ground level, ozone is an air pollutant that is a major
component of smog which is dangerous for both humans and plants.11

Long-term ozone exposure has also been shown to reduce life expectancy.
362000-700000 of annual premature cardiopulmonary deaths worldwide are
attributable to ozone.12 13 Recent studies estimate that the global yields of key
staple crops, like soybean, maize (corn), and wheat, are being reduced by 2-
15% due to present-day ozone exposure.14

Ozone layer depletion

Nitrous oxide damages the ozone layer and is now the most important ozone
depleting substance and the largest cause of ozone layer depletion.15 This is
because CFCs and many other gases that are harmful for the ozone layer were
banned by the Montreal Protocol (MP) which has reduced their atmospheric
concentration. Nitrous oxide is not restricted by the MP, so while the levels of
other ozone depleting substances are declining, nitrous oxide levels are
continuing to grow.
Here are 15+ easy ways to reduce greenhouse gases.

1. People especially those who can afford it can use hybrid cars. The Hybrid
technology works in such a way that it allows the car to significantly reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions. Hybrid cars use more of electricity than gasoline thus reduced
carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, when it comes to usage people should not
consume meat daily as it leads to higher carbon footprint. The whole process of getting
meat down from the pasture to the table for consumption a lot of fuel together with
energy is required.

Energy is used in raising the animals, processing the meat and most of all keeping it from
spoiling. If one learns how to diet or take meat in reduced amounts then they can reduce
their carbon footprints. Besides, growing veggies requires very less energy as compared
to that of meat. Hence, changing our lifestyles is just the right step towards reducing
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

2. Use hair conditioning and less heat. Keep the temperatures at moderate rates all the
time. Additionally, when one is away during the day or in the night while they sleeping
they can turn down the heat. A programmable thermostat can be installed because having
to set it 2 degrees lower during winter and even higher in summer could save around
2,000 pounds of the gas carbon dioxide annually.
One can also add insulation to their walls together with windows because they help lower
the amount of heating which costs more than 25% the amount of energy which is needed
to heat and even cool the home.

3. Reduce, recycle and reuse. When people recycle close to half of their household
waste, they can save around 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. Instead of
throwing excess waste to the atmosphere increasing the amount of carbon dioxide one
can instead buy products with minimal packaging. Reducing waste also
involves purchasing reusable products rather than disposable ones like getting a reusable
water bottle.

Most importantly, people have to figure out the size of their carbon footprint which is the
amount of carbon they are releasing to the atmosphere through their activities.
Additionally, they can determine the appliances which are producing the high amount of
energy and work on eliminating them.

4. Buy energy-efficient products. When purchasing home appliances it is important that

one looks at the energy-efficiency models. These home appliances come in various
ranges of energy-efficient models thus there is need to determine those that will ensure
reduced emission of energy and greenhouse gases in return. Additionally, compact
fluorescent bulbs which are designed to provide a more natural-looking light can be used
instead of the standard light bulbs because they use far less energy.5. Drive smart and
less. If people are to drive less it only means fewer carbon dioxide emissions because
people will save on gasoline. Besides if we drive less and bike or walk it means that they
take up more exercise. Furthermore, when driving one has to make sure that their car is
running efficiently.

An example is keeping the tires of a vehicle properly inflated so that it reduces gas
mileage for over 3%. A person has to keep their car in good condition if they are to
reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. A person saves on costs for every gallon of gas
that they save on. Similarly, it helps keep around 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of this
atmosphere thus reducing the amount of greenhouse gases.Clearly, car related emissions
are the major cause of global warming. Manufacturing these cars, production of fuel
together with making the roads is a major source of the gases which are harmful to the
environment.

6. Plant a tree. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and in turn give off
oxygen. One tree absorbs around one ton of carbon dioxide in the whole of its lifetime.
Hence, if someone has the means to plant trees now is the time. One can also create a
garden and plant trees in that garden as this also serves the same purpose.

7. Use less hot water. One can wash their clothes in cold or warm water so as to reduce
their use of hot water together with the energy required to produce it. This change is able
to save at the minimum, 500 pounds of carbon dioxide each year in many of the
households.

There is also need to save on energy as it results in production of carbon dioxide. By

setting the water heater at 120 degrees Celsius, it can save energy. Low-Flow
showerheads can also be purchased to save on water and probably 350 pounds of carbon
dioxide each year.

8. Avoid those products with excessive packaging. Excessive packaging means that
one is going to throw away excess waste to the environment especially in the compost
sites and landfills where they pollute the environment. Less packaging is therefore better
as it reduces wastage and high greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere during
product production.
9. Buy green electricity. There is need to adopt the renewable sources of energy such as
wind, solar, hot rocks and wave power. There is a possibility that coal, natural gas and oil
will be depleted from the earth’s surface and as such, adopting safe and renewable
sources of energy is imperative. If one is to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases then
they have to replace their entire energy systems by opting for electricity from green
energy sources.

10. Teleconference and telecommunicate more. Most business professionals take

flights, private cars and public transport to their places of work or for their meetings.
These objects emit so much carbon dioxide gases to the environment which results in
global warming. Through using these technologies to communicate, one does not record
high carbon footprint as compared to using other means of transport.

11. One can replace the light bulbs. Compact Fluorescent light bulbs can be used
instead of regular light bulbs. If a CFL is used instead of 60 watt incandescent one saves
$30 over the life of this bulb. In addition, CFL bulbs last much longer, 10 times, more
than incandescent bulbs. They also use two-thirds less energy while giving off 70% less
heat.

If a CFL is used instead of a regular bulb then it would help eliminate around 90 billion
pounds of greenhouse gases which is the same as taking 7.5 million cars off our roads.
One can use natural light during the day instead of keeping them on. In this case they
open up their blinds and allow the sunshine into their rooms.

12. Dry the clothes by hanging them on the line. To dry clothes one does not require
the use of natural gas or electricity. Using ironing boxes means that much heat is
generated and emitted into the atmosphere which results into increased greenhouse gases.
13. People can use non-toxic household products. Most of the household cleaning
products are considered toxic besides being petroleum based. These products are
considered as the main causes of high levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
These toxic chemicals can be eliminated through making the right choices in the
supermarkets of purchasing products which are less hazardous to the lives of people or
the environment.

14. Often use the off switch. By switching off the electricity, one reduces the amount of
global warming while they only use the amount of energy that they need. In addition,
when you are not using your computer, television, music system, then there is need to
turn them off. Unplug any appliances that is not used especially our mobile charging
systems because even though they are switched off they sap energy. Water should be
used sparingly, for example when brushing your teeth you should turn off the water.
Also, when shampooing the dog or washing your car, you have to stop the water flow
until you are done.

15. People should learn to conserve. To increase people’s awareness about the effects
of greenhouses programs and policies have to be set to help with information and
knowledge sharing. People must share information and knowledge recycling and energy
conservation with everyone in the workplace, surrounding. The public officials also have
to be informed of the benefits of such policies and programs so that they support such
courses and take action to address such problems.