Greenhouse gases are gases released by the atmosphere that affect the balance of the earth’s energy. The most popular examples are carbon (IV) oxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. These gases can be found naturally in the air in low quantities. You will learn more about greenhouse gas emissions and how the regulations put in place will combat climate change in this article.
Understanding Some Greenhouse Gases
In this section of the article, you will find some popular greenhouse gases and their sources.
Carbon Dioxide
This is the most common greenhouse gas. It constitutes the majority of the gases emitted into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide emissions can come from burning wood, coal, and solid waste.
Nitrous Oxide
About 6% of gas emissions into the atmosphere are nitrous oxide. One of the major sources of this gas is agriculture. The development of manure and setting farm residue on fire emits nitrous oxide.
Industrial Gases
This includes hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and chlorofluorocarbons. These gases are far more effective at trapping heat than carbon IV oxyde.
How Greenhouse Gas Emission Affects Climate Change
Climate change is the shift in temperatures and weather from their natural levels. The chemical nature and concentration of a gas determine how much impact it has on the earth’s climate. Some absorb radiation in large quantities, while others absorb it in small quantities. This rise in temperature affects animals and their habitats. There is a constant migration of species to find a suitable home for them.
People who click to listen to this climate podcast learn that methane is a potent greenhouse gas that has a stronger effect on the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Further, the production of methane has been increasing due to factors such as intensive agriculture and industrial activities.
Humans are also victims of the damage caused by climate change. Carbon dioxide build-up in the environment can cause respiratory problems in humans and animals alike. Floods have led to major displacement in different parts of the world. These gases have also caused an increase in rain and snowfall across the globe at odd times.
How the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Helps Climate Change
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol established ground rules to curb the effects of climate change. One way to enable this is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Global efforts to combat climate change began in the 1990s when the GHG protocol was established.
The GHG protocol’s primary goal was to stop entities’ large-scale gas emissions. This protocol also had provisions for educating entities on environmentally friendly measures to lessen their impact on the climate.
Why the Greenhouse Gas Protocol is Important
Based on their emission rates, the GHG protocol develops different standards for businesses and companies, which are constantly updated.Each standard addresses a different situation. For example, cities are cited as one major source of carbon dioxide emissions. Because of this, the GHG protocol set up the community-scale greenhouse gas emission inventory. This standard is used to measure all gas emissions in government-run regions.
Conclusion
As a business owner who wants to be regulatory compliant, you need to do what you can to quantify and manage your carbon footprint. Measurement is the first step to taking control of the situation. A company like Greenly can help you determine your company’s carbon footprint and adopt environmentally friendly practices.
