Global warming and CO2 emissions

The fight against global warming and CO2 emissions from fossil fuels is a worldwide effort to reduce CO2 emissions. It is important to highlight that 64% of CO2 emissions come from fossil fuels. Examples include; oil, gas and coal. Therefore, 36% of human CO2 emissions are from sources other than fossil fuels. Consequently, solving global warming is not as simple as just fossil fuels.

Below, are summaries of different human activities that produce CO2 that are not fossil fuels. Moreover, these CO2 emissions contribute to global warming in the same exact way as fossil fuels do. The source of the CO2 makes no difference.

What constitutes the 21.1 GtCO2 of Human CO2 emissions that are not fossil fuels?

Methane Gases contribute 9.8 GtCO2, or 16.6% of all CO2 emissions. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “emission sources include landfills, oil and natural gas systems, agricultural activities, coal mining, stationary and mobile combustion, wastewater treatment, and certain industrial processes.”(1) US sources of methane (for illustrative purposes, differs from world sources) are;

28% – Natural Gas and Petroleum Systems
28% – Enteric Fermentation or digestive systems of animals (Cattle raised for food)
17% – Landfills
10% – Manure Management
8% Coal mining
9% Other

Land Use Changes (LUC CO2) contribute 6.8 GtCO2, or 11.5% of CO2 emissions. Land use changes are literally the change in the use of land by humans from one purpose to another. The UN emissions Gap report states that there is not a lot of data on emissions. Furthermore, there are not consistent definitions. Regardless, this is a significant amount of CO2. Per the UN emissions Gap report “The largest emitters from land conversions (for example, forests converted to cropland or pastures) are Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”(2)

Nitrous Oxide contributes 2.8 GtCO2 or 4.7% of CO2 emissions. Again, according to the EPA in the US, 78% comes “from various agricultural soil management activities, such as application of synthetic and organic fertilizers and other cropping practices, the management of manure, or burning of agricultural residues.” (3)

Fluorinated Gases represent 1.7 GtCO2, or 2.9% of CO2 emissions. The fluorinated gases, per the EPA “are used as refrigerants, aerosol propellants, foam blowing agents, solvents, and fire retardants, The major emissions source of these compounds is their use as refrigerants—for example, in air conditioning systems in both vehicles and buildings. The fluorinated gases were a replacement for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) that depleted the stratospheric ozone layer.” (4)

Global warming and fossil fuels

In summary, the above sources of CO2 are significant contributors to global warming. Furthermore, within each area there are significant issues with many nuances. Global warming remains a complicated issue. As society looks for solutions, fossil fuels have a lot of company in the battle against global warming.

Global Methane Initiative.” United States Environmental Protection Agency, 22 October 2020, https://www.epa.gov/gmi/importance-methane#:~:text=Methane%20is%20emitted%20from%20a,treatment%2C%20and%20certain%20industrial%20processes.
“UN Environment Programme.” Emissions Gap Report, 9 December 2020, https://www.unep.org/emissions-gap-report-2020
“Overview of Greenhouse Gases.” United States Environmental Protection Agency, 8 September 2020, https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases#nitrous-oxide
“Overview of Greenhouse Gases.” United States Environmental Protection Agency, 8 September 2020, https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases#nitrous-oxide

Also, see our story Our only hope to save the world from complete destruction.

Moreover, read our global war ming page for more interesting stories on global warming.

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