Carbon Dioxide is a natural gas that exists in our environment and is necessary for plants’ growth. On the other hand, CO2 absorbs and traps heat which causes global warming and air pollution. The level of Carbon Dioxide increased from 270 PPM in the 1700s to 355 PPM nowadays. If CO2 emissions are increasing like this, there will be more global warming and will impair the earth‘s climate. There will be more extreme weather conditions such as wildfires, storm, and heat waves, and finally leads to the disruption of the earth. It can also greatly damage human health. Breathing polluted air everyday damages to lungs and respiratory symptoms.
Main sources of CO2 emission
The majority of CO2 emissions come from man-made activities. Deforestation and burning coal, gasoline, and gas contribute to 87% of the CO2 gas released into the atmosphere. During the burning process, the carbon present in fossil fuel combines with oxygen in the air and produces water and carbon dioxide.
So, what are the main events of deforestation, burning coal, gasoline, and gas?
1. Energy Production
Energy production is the number one highest source of CO2 emission into the atmosphere. Burning fossil fuels to produce energy accounts for 75% of total human CO2 emissions. The main fuel types included in energy production are oil, coal, and natural gases which contribute 20%, 43%, and 36% of CO2 emissions via energy production.
However, we cannot stop producing energy since electricity and power need to use in our daily lives. But, we can try to use more green energy in the future.
2. Deforestation for agricultural purposes
Deforestation is the second main cause of CO2 emission and it exists since the beginning of the human agriculture era. Humans burn the forest and clear the land so that they can do agriculture. However, the final effect of deforestation is not very bad because people planted again after deforestation, and these new plants also absorb CO2. However, much less than the CO2 absorption rate of the original large tree. But, deforestation for industrial purposes is very bad.
3. Transportation
The third source of CO2 emission is transportation. Transportation of people and goods contributes 22% of carbon emissions by burning fuel. After the 1990s, the number of automobiles, planes, ships, and trains increased rapidly, 45% increase in CO2 emission in the last 2 decades. Among them, road transport contributes 72% of CO2 emissions, marine shipping contributes 17% and global flights produce 11%.
However, transportation is the topic where we can reduce CO2 emissions. Together with advanced electric-driven technology like Tesla, there will be more electric automobiles in the future and we can reduce CO2 emissions. Developed countries are encouraging their citizens to use more electric cars by removing taxes.
4. Industrial Sector
Industries account for 20% of CO2 emissions by burning fossil fuels. These processes include construction, mining, agriculture, lithium production, manufacturing, etc.
Conclusion
You can see that excessive CO2 emission is caused by humans for the requirement of our daily lives and modern lifestyles. If we ignore the high CO2 emission rate, it will ruin the earth and the next generations will suffer. Therefore, we should do all the possible methods to reduce CO2 emissions such as:
- Save energy, do not waste energy such as electric energy
- Reduce the frequency of automobile usage. For example, using a train or a bus can significantly reduce the CO2 emission than using a single private car
- Plant trees
- More depend on green energy/ renewable energy such as sunlight, wind, and moving water.
