What are greenhouse gases, and how can we reduce them? - 2022
In April (2022) I wanted to explore a topic that is very close to my heart: greenhouse gases, particularly the relationship between these gases and climate change.
I chose this topic mainly because in the last few months, we have been hearing more and more about the concept of carbon neutrality linked to compensation practices. Unfortunately, the way this practice is used is leading to greenwashing linked to the simplification of the problem of carbon neutrality through offsetting.
I am convinced that offsetting can be one of the correct practices, but it cannot be the main or the only one.
I have mentioned the topic of greenhouse gases, talking about heating and cooling in the article Green Solutions: The Current Situation and Global and Italian Objectives, but in this article, I deal more precisely with gases, their use, and the consequences to be faced in daily life and activities.
Topics covered in this article
- What are greenhouse gases? What do they produce, and why do they worsen climate change?
- What can be done to reduce greenhouse gases in daily life?
- What to do to reduce greenhouse gases in an activity?
Several greenhouse gases have very different characteristics, but they all share a particular chemical and physical structure that allows their molecules to retain heat.
The most common in the atmosphere is
- water vapour (H2O)
- carbon dioxide (CO2),
- methane (CH4),
- nitrous oxide (N2O),
- the chlorofluorocarbon group (CFC).
What are the anthropogenic activities that produce greenhouse gases?
The anthropogenic activities that produce greenhouse gases globally are:
- energy production (about 73%)
- agriculture (about 18%)
- waste management (about 5%)
- cement production (about 3%)
- chemical industry (about 2%)
Sources
https://ourworldindata.org/ghg-emissions-by-sector
https://www.myclimate.org/it/informarsi/dettaglio-faq/cosa-sono-i-gas-serra/
https://www.enelgreenpower.com/it/learning-hub/transizione-energetica/cambiamento-climatico-cause-conseguenze
What greenhouse gases does electricity produce?
We have mentioned that electricity production powers everything from heating and cooling systems to lights, computers, refrigerators and mobile phones in our homes, factories and industries.
Let’s now examine greenhouse gases and, in particular, which ones we can improve.
The Kyoto agreements require signatory nations to reduce emissions of six gases considered responsible for the greenhouse effect and the progressive increase in the planet’s temperature (carbon dioxide CO2, nitrous oxide N2O, methane CH4, hydrofluorocarbons HFC, perfluorocarbons PFC, sulphur hexafluoride SF6).
Of the six greenhouse gases, CO2 (carbon dioxide) is emitted in the largest quantities by energy processes, followed by CH4 (methane) and N2O (nitrous oxide). HFCs, PFCs, and SF6, although included in the Kyoto agreements, are emitted by non-energy processes (ENEA, 2005a).
Electricity production is one of the activities that leads to the largest amount of greenhouse gas emissions, along with the transport sector. However, unlike transport, emissions in the electricity production sector occur at point sources. This requirement allows the adoption of effective policy measures to reduce emissions (expansion of combined cycles, use of renewables, etc.) and the application of new technologies for GHG abatements, such as CO2 capture and sequestration.
The Ispra report explains that the decarbonisation of the economy can be pursued by addressing both the sources of energy used to produce goods and services and the efficiency of energy use; acting on both fronts is obviously the most virtuous path.
In terms of the energy sources used, helpful strategies include moving towards a mix of fuels with lower carbon content, mainly natural gas, or increasing the share of energy from renewable sources, which do not have climate-changing emissions but are nevertheless characterised by other problems, such as the combustion of biomass and the emission of substances harmful to air quality, or the land consumption of wind and photovoltaic sources.
The aim of energy efficiency is obviously optimisation, i.e. achieving more with less. In other words, reducing losses and inefficiencies in the production processes of goods and services as much as possible, whether it be heating a building, covering a distance with a vehicle, or producing steel, cement, paper, textiles, and more.
SOURCES
Report Ispra APAT Electricity production and greenhouse gas emissions (Emission mitigation strategies)
What can you do in your daily life to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
Since 73% of the human activities responsible for greenhouse gases are in the energy sector, reducing our energy use is the first action we can take directly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The second action we can take is to choose the best way of producing energy for our needs: cleaner energy (from renewable sources).
This action is crucial because most electricity is used in our homes, offices and factories to power everything from heating and cooling systems to lights, computers, refrigerators and mobile phones.
Renewable energy harnesses the power of wind, sun, water, tides and other planetary resources (such as geothermal heat, which comes from the Earth’s core) to produce electricity.
In addition, we can choose whether to produce our own energy or to buy it from a producer who only sells energy from renewable sources.
The third action concerns energy efficiency. Choosing more efficient products and systems helps to avoid wasting energy and producing more of it.
SOURCES
Center for climate and energy solution
CENTRE FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION
What can a company do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
Of course, companies must also think along similar lines, avoiding upstream waste, excess production, packaging, and the use of raw materials and also considering the product’s end-of-life.
The energy sources chosen to heat and run the business are fundamental to setting up a strategy to save resources and invest in the best available technology, especially because these investments should be made to last at least ten years.
The least polluting and most efficient solution should be chosen.
The suppliers of bed and bath linen should be evaluated. Their performance should be considered not only in terms of the quality of the product supplied but also in the way they wash, the choice of chemical and non-chemical products, and the ironing of the garments.
Evaluating and choosing business partners is not always feasible, but when it is, consistency with my business’s choices is very important.
Furthermore, according to the European Union study Best Environmental Management Practice in THE TOURISM SECTOR, a small hotel that recycles around 84% of its waste can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions:
1,700 kg CO2 each year if the sorted waste is paper
712.5 kg CO2 each year for glass
70.8kg CO2 each year for plastic
58.9kg CO2 each year for metals
If our strategy includes reducing waste, we should be cautious with disposable items or small single-serving packages.
These items are among the biggest wastes and lead to a facility producing massive waste that could be avoided.
Eliminating disposable and single-serving products and replacing them with refillable dispensers is an economic and ecological choice that also allows us to reduce annoying plastic.
The starting point for all activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (reduced waste, better choice of raw materials, improved efficiency) is an analysis of the level of CO2 (carbon dioxide), CH4 (methane) and N2O (nitrous oxide) emissions caused by a company, product or service. This analysis allows you to understand exactly where to take action to improve your business.
Calculate Carbon Footprint - 2021
A few days ago, I received an email from Hien from 8billiontrees.com with news regarding their carbon footprint calculator launch.
At the moment, we are promoting a special awareness campaign. For every person that uses the calculator, we will plant 1 fresh seedling from our Amazon nursery in their name. Why? Because we believe only together can we make the powerful change that our planet and animals so desperately need!
This is a fantastic idea! I cannot resist it, and I had to share it with you!
Who is behind 8billiontrees.com ?
The co founders are Michael Powell and Jon Chambers. They were inspired by activism groups but saw the opportunity to do something even bigger: plant and save 8 billion trees. Taking their passion and channelling it into a cause for the greater good, 8 Billion Trees was born on November 10th, 2018.
The whole team is based in Las Vegas and in other locations where the trees are planted. Meet them, click here!
Please check also how 8 Billion Trees works, click here!
I find it great when I discovered that 8 Billion Trees is a company defined as a social enterprise and not a charity.
What does this mean? Simply put, 100% of profits are re-invested and used to further the company’s mission of planting 8 billion trees around the globe. Here the fully article explaining the choice, and I have to admit I agree with them. We did the same choice for Slow Lake Como.
I hope you enjoyed this article! Are you interested in this topic?
Please share your opinion, email me or write to me on social media. I always enjoy reading your comments!
Sara – tourism sector consultant
Carbon Negative Travel - a focus on the carbone negative science - 2017
In the last 2 years you might have noticed a New topic in Sustainable Tourism Word website: carbon negative travel. I have been introduced to the topic by David Haaren isitigator of Sail Freight Project in Vermount and with his help I am happy to share a focus on the carbone negative science.
What is so bad about more CO2 molecules in the air? Why do we have to leave fossil fuels in the ground? What do these scientists really know about it? How dare they ruin the fun?
Consider molecules, H2O and the CO2 (and other lesser GHGs as well), as characters in a drama that is unfolding. These GHGs have been building up in the air for many decades. Now we are all concerned about them. Why?
We know that heat or energy travels by conduction, convection, or radiation. All of the energy from the sun travels to us through space as radiation or photons. The earth emits energy or heat to space as radiation or photons of a lower frequency. There is a wide range of frequencies for electromagnetic radiation. Visible light is just a small part of the spectrum.
We know that air is made up of mostly N2 and O2 molecules which do not react to the photons because they are not polarized, which is to say that the uniform negative charge of the electrons that surround the two nuclei bound together gives the passing photon nothing to grab onto, no variation in electric charge, no polarity. These N2 and O2 molecules are very boring characters when it comes to radiant energy which moves about as photons. The structure of the H2O and CO2 molecules is what makes them polarized so that some regions (near the H or the C) are less electro-negative (or more positive) than the other regions (near the Os). When polarity is present a molecule in the air behaves like an antenna and that makes it a GHG.
Polarized molecules like CO2 and H2O behave like tiny antenna in the atmosphere. They are engineered to receive energy at specific frequencies, and the problem is that one of CO2’s major frequencies of absorption coincides with the frequencies of emission for the average temperatures of the surface of the earth.
Unlike H2O, which actually does most of the global warming, the CO2 does not condense out as rain. It just hangs up there, slowly being removed as dissolved CO2 in the rain, but this takes centuries. Ubiquitous natural molecules like H2O and CO2 are now key players in the “pollution” of the earth’s atmosphere. The major constituents of air, N2 and O2, are non-polarized, they hardly behave like an antenna at all, because the two atoms are tightly bound together, presenting a negative electron cloud with no appreciable positivity appearing through that cloud.
Photons (electromagnetic radiation) are tiny energy carriers that basically have one property, their energy level, which also defines their frequency and wavelength. The range of energy levels/freq/wavelength we experience daily varies from about one to a trillion, while for more extreme possibilities the lowest energy photon (from a cold object emitting energy to the vacuum of space) might have one trillionth of a trillionth of the energy of a high energy photon (radiation from the hottest of all stars). Photons in the form of sunlight power the whole show, and we can talk about this wirelessly thanks to the tiny antenna embedded in our devices. But we also need to remember that whenever we burn fossil fuels we are releasing tiny antenna into the air that (unfortunately) function quite well as energy receivers.
So we need to find a way to clean the air, or even better not produce waste and pollution. There are lots of researchers currently studying this problem, for example
Professor Stuart Licht at George Washington University has developed a way to extract CO2 from the air to make carbon nano-fibers which can make super-strong and super-light vehicles of all sorts for efficient Carbone Negative travel. Carbon fiber usually is very energy intensive to manufacture and therefore expensive. This is a real breakthrough, the professor Licht’s process uses little energy compared to other experiments, it is from solar power (a clean energy source), and simply pulls CO2 directly from the air as the feedstock;
Read more about the professor Licht’s process http://earthtechling.com/2015/
Carbone negative travel: Around the World in a sustainable way with Solar Impulse 2
2016
It seemed to be possible only in science fiction stories, instead, to travel on a sustainable aircraft powered by alone solar energy it’s feasible today. I am talking about the Solar Impulse 2 model, an aircraft perfected after many years of engineering studies. Fascinated by the hard work to realize it and by its environmental effects maybe one day we will wish to travel on it!
A revolution in the field of engineering and in the industry of renewable resources. Today it’s possible to travel by solar energy support! The HB-SIB, that’s Solar Impulse 2, prove it. Took off at the sunrise on 21 April 2016 from Kalaeola airport, Hawaii, it crossed through Pacific Ocean for 62 hours and then landed in San Francisco, California. In the driver’s seat the Swiss psychologist and explorer Bertrand Piccard and the aereonautical engeneering André Borschberg, both enthusiasts for their sustainable mission that lasted two half past days as planned. The technology is reliable as much as sustainable. Planned in 2011 by Losanna Polytechnic Federal Institute, the Solar Impulse 2 is a carbon fiber plane of 2.300 kg with 72 metres wingspan. Its 17.000 silicon photovoltaic cells load more than 630 kg of lithium batteries, powering four electric motors. An ultralight aircraft, whose weight is the same to the one of a SUV… a feather weight in comparison with the 180 tons of a Jumbo Jet! Nevertheless, Solar Impulse 2 is the first airplane able to circumnavigate the globe in 20-25 days, flying both day and night through solar energy stored during daylight hours. Don’t you believe it, right?
Its history started in the 2003 with HB-SIA, the first prototype presented in 2009 and tested with a flight of 24 hours one year later. From that moment other tests were performed until to realize the HB-SIB project. A very important mission for Solar Impulse 2, that has taken off for the first time from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in the March of 2015, where it would have been returned at the end of summer. But a series of complications slowed the journey: for rough weather in Cina, it changed in direction towards Japan where it was damaged by a storm. From that moment it stopped. Then, 20 million dollars allowed to invest in new batteries and cooling system. The Solar Impulse 2 flew over the Pacific Ocean, so overcoming the most important test. Now it’s ready to cross also the Atlantic Ocean to reach Europe or North Africa at the end of this summer and to land there where it started.
The tenacity of Losanna Polytechnic team realized an impossible project, “achieving unimaginable results” said Piccard. This raises hopes for a sustainable future in which it will possible to fly without polluting. Next Solar Impact 2 aim is to fly without fuel for consecutive 5 days and 5 nights with only one pilot in an not pressurized cockpit. If we think about how many airs take off and land every day on one side and the other of the World and about the effects of CO2 emissions on the environment, Solar Impulse 2 is already a revolution in the history of aviation. Imagine to travel on a safely and comfortable air without pollution. A few steps towards engineering progress and Piccard and Borschberg will revolutionize the aviation policy. Finally we could talk about sustainable travel. This goal seems to be not so far away.
#tourism territory development
#webmarketing of local processes
References:
How sustainable tourism can be related to carbone negative? 2016
In David’s opinion sustainable tourism can help cultures to adjust to “carbon restraint” or the science of Green House Gases (GHGs). At first glance, tourism appears to be doomed because of the ridiculously large emissions from jet travel. The price of jet travel has gone down a lot in the last 25 years. Yet our climate seems to require that we all fly (and hence tour) less.
What to do? Can we utilize ships that rely on sails? Why not? How else? See the Sail transport network for inspiration!
Sara STW
Are you interested to know more?
#AskSTW by Sara Vitali about:
Decarbonizing tourism: would you pay US$ 11 for a carbon-free holiday? 2015
According to a new study published in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism the damaging effects of CO2 emissions from tourism could eventually be eliminated if travelers paid just US$11 per trip.
Professor Scott, found that the most cost effective strategy for the tourism industry to meet the United Nations’ recommended targets of reducing carbon emissions, includes a combination of strategic energy saving and renewable energy initiatives within the industry and buying carbon offsets from other parts of the global economy where emission reductions can be done at less cost.
“The tourism sector has pledged to reduce its CO2 emissions 50 per cent by 2035. Our study demonstrates this is achievable, but will require determined action and significant investment – starting at just under US$1 billion annually 2020s,” said Professor Scott. “Divided equally among all domestic and international trips that’s about a US$11 cost per trip – basically the same price as many modest travel fees and taxes.”
Read the full article on The University of Waterloo News
Infografic from professor Scott & The University of Waterloo
Bhutan is a carbon negative 🙂