Agriculture: Another 7 percent of man-made emissions come from agricultural sources — methane emissions from livestock, say, or changes in the amount of carbon stored in soil.
There are many more charts — breaking things down by per capita emissions and historical responsibility — here. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today to help us keep our work free for all. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.
By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. This may seem daunting, but the first step to solving a complex problem is to break it down into smaller, manageable parts. Burning of coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
Switching to natural gas is an improvement over coal, but a transition to zero-emission sources of energy and heat solar, wind, geothermal or nuclear is needed to fully clean up our energy system. This also includes fuel used for agriculture, forestry and fishing, direct soil emissions and forest fires. Would going vegetarian make a difference? Metal production, chemical manufacturing and use, cement production and numerous other products from paper to semiconductors are significant contributors.
Transportation: Traffic jams. Smoggy cities. Perhaps the most visible source of emissions comes from transportation.
Reducing the weight of materials used to build vehicles. Reducing the aerodynamic resistance of vehicles through better shape design. Adopting practices that minimize fuel use. Improving driving practices and vehicle maintenance. Reducing the average taxi time for aircraft. Driving sensibly avoiding rapid acceleration and braking, observing the speed limit. Reducing engine-idling. Improved voyage planning for ships, such as through improved weather routing, to increase fuel efficiency.
Employing urban planning to reduce the number of miles that people drive each day. Reducing the need for driving through travel efficiency measures such as commuter, biking, and pedestrian programs.
Building public transportation, sidewalks, and bike paths to increase lower-emission transportation choices. Zoning for mixed use areas, so that residences, schools, stores, and businesses are close together, reducing the need for driving.
Upgrading to more efficient industrial technology. Identifying the ways that manufacturers can use less energy to light and heat factories or to run equipment. Switching to fuels that result in less CO 2 emissions but the same amount of energy, when combusted. Producing industrial products from materials that are recycled or renewable, rather than producing new products from raw materials.
Making companies and workers aware of the steps to reduce or prevent emissions leaks from equipment.
EPA has a variety of voluntary programs that provide resources for training and other steps for reducing emissions. EPA supports programs for the aluminum , semiconductor , and magnesium industries. Instituting handling policies and procedures for perfluorocarbons PFCs , hydrofluorocarbons HFCs , and sulfur hexafluoride SF 6 that reduce occurrences of accidental releases and leaks from containers and equipment.
Homes and commercial buildings use large amounts of energy for heating, cooling, lighting, and other functions. Techniques to improve building energy efficiency include better insulation; more energy-efficient heating, cooling, ventilation, and refrigeration systems; efficient fluorescent lighting; passive heating and lighting to take advantage of sunlight; and the purchase of energy-efficient appliances and electronics. Drinking water and wastewater systems account for approximately 2 percent of energy use in the United States.
By incorporating energy efficiency practices into their water and wastewater plant, municipalities and utilities can save 15 to 30 percent in energy use. Reducing solid waste sent to landfills. Capturing and using methane produced in current landfills. Landfill gas is the natural byproduct of the decomposition of solid waste in landfills.
It primarily consists of CO 2 and CH 4. Well established, low-cost methods to reduce greenhouse gases from consumer waste exist, including recycling programs, waste reduction programs, and landfill methane capture programs.
Reducing leakage from air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. Using refrigerants with lower global warming potentials. Commonly used refrigerants in homes and businesses include ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbon HCFC refrigerants, often HCFC, and blends consisting entirely or primarily of hydrofluorocarbons HFCs , both of which are potent greenhouse gases.
In recent years there have been several advancements in air conditioning and refrigeration technology that can help food retailers reduce both refrigerant charges and refrigerant emissions. Fertilizing crops with the appropriate amount of nitrogen required for optimal crop production, since over-application of nitrogen can lead to higher nitrous oxide emissions without enhancing crop production.
Draining water from wetland rice soils during the growing season to reduce methane emissions. Adjusting feeding practices and other management methods to reduce the amount of methane resulting from enteric fermentation.
Improving pasture quality to increase animal productivity, which can reduce the amount of methane emitted per unit of animal product.
Also, increased productivity in livestock can be introduced through improved breeding practices. Controlling the way in which manure decomposes to reduce nitrous oxide and methane emissions. Greenhouse gas intensity is a measure of the amount of emissions relative to GDP. It is highest in Russia and China with the United States below the world average.
Energy production of all types accounts for 72 percent of all emissions. CO2 accounts for about 76 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. Methane, primarily from agriculture, contributes 16 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and nitrous oxide, mostly from industry and agriculture, contributes 6 percent to global emissions. All figures here are expressed in CO2-equivalents. Inventory of U. Our World in Data
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