Introduction
These days, after the rise of industrial revolution, almost every economy is dependent on industrial activities which businesses pursue to not only make profits but create value for the society at large. While pursuing such an activity, the manufacturing concerns are also required to take care of the environment as well. This is because the production activities not only involve the release of dangerous wastes but also involve the emission of carbon dioxide gas which is harmful for society, environment and marine life as a whole resulting in a rise of global warming.
Carbon dioxide (having a chemical formula of CO2) is a naturally occurring chemical compound which is composed of two atoms of oxygen with each atom covalently double bonded to only a single atom of carbon. It is actually a gas at standard pressure and temperature and is found in Earth's atmosphere in such a state as a trace gas with a 400 ppm (parts per million) (0.04 per cent) concentration by volume by the beginning of 2014.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primarily a greenhouse gas which is emitted or released through man-made or human activities. In the year 2012, CO2 accounted for about eighty two percent of all the U.S. greenhouse gas discharge from man-made activities. Naturally, carbon dioxide is found in the atmosphere as a part of the Earth's carbon cycle (which is the normal circulation of carbon among the oceans, atmosphere, plants, soil and animals).
Human activities, these days, are changing the carbon cycle both by adding more CO2 gas to the atmosphere and by manipulating the ability of natural sinks (such as forests) in order to eradicate CO2 from the atmosphere. We must be very concerned about this release because while CO2 is released from variety of natural sources, it is observed that human-related emissions are accountable for the actual increase in the atmosphere since the dawn of industrial revolution.
The mainly responsible human activity which releases CO2 in large quantitative is the fossil fuel combustion (e.g. natural gas, oil and coal) for transportation and energy although some of the land-use changes and certain industrial processes also release CO2 gas. Carbon dioxide gas (CO2) emission is the most common type of gas released from burning fossil fuels. Generally, more CO2 is produced either by more inefficient burning process or through higher carbon content in the fossil fuel.
Therefore, this paper is written to mention the common causes and effect of the carbon dioxide gas emissions in the atmosphere where it is analyzed that who is mostly affected by this release in bulk quantities. Numerous solutions to this problem are also presented in this research paper which helps to minimize the release of carbon dioxide and largely, the global warming.
Description
Under this section, it will be discussed that which economic agents and other living things are affected by the consistent emission of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere in large quantities. Every time fossil fuel (like coal, gas or oil) is burned, carbon dioxide is emitted in the atmosphere. In a naturally occurring carbon cycle, CO2 is re-absorbed by trees and plants. However, the current state is that fuels are being burned where the carbon dioxide gas is trapped under surface of the earth since millions of years. This activity goes on so quickly that trees of today and plants alive now have no chance to soak it up. This problem magnifies while wood-work companies are cutting down the rainforests as well.
Such an extra carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere is affecting the environment in a manner that the overall temperature of the planet has been continuously increasing leading to a rise of global warming. Though the average temperature of the planet is increasing on a daily basis, the climatic change is occurring in an unpredictable manner from hurricanes and floods to droughts and heat waves. To reduce the risk of extreme weather conditions, it is important to reduce how the burning of fossil fuel in bulk quantities which is not an easy in a real sense.
Normally, it is the wild life or animals that are severely affected by the long-term fluctuations in local and global temperatures which tend to kill not only them with no time but this gas is harmful to plants as well as for trees. Temperature of the planet, atmospheric pressure and CO2 levels are much higher these days than many times in the past .
Through research in the related field, one of the Stanford scientists has, for the first time, confirmed the direct relationship between increased emissions of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and the resulting rise in human mortality incorporating the scores of chemical and physical environmental processes . This study has detailed how every 1 degree Celsius increase in release of carbon dioxide affects the air pollution annually leading to thousand additional deaths and more cases reported in case of respiratory illness.
Ocean life covers around three quarters of the Earth’s surface. It is observed that about one quarter to third of carbon dioxide release from our factories and cars is absorbed by oceans. Much of such absorption becomes fixed and is stored in ocean plants (such as sea-grass). Ocean plants tend to absorb carbon gases just as field grasses and forests do. But, if any of the CO2 portions that are not fixed, they become dissolved into the seawater which alters the chemistry of ocean waters resulting in ocean acidification . Similarly, it is predicted that the dissolving of coral reefs due to altering the ocean water chemistry may result in their destruction in fifty years. Coral reefs are home for many ocean water creatures the destruction of which would affect the whole marine food web.
Potential Causes of Carbon Dioxide Emissions
There are both human and natural potential sources of carbon dioxide gas releases. Natural sources involve the decomposition, ocean respiration and release. Sources that relate to human activities include deforestation, cement production as well as the fossil fuel burning (such as coal, natural gas and oil). Due to these human-made activities, concentration of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere has been increasing to dangerous levels extensively since the rise of Industrial Revolution.
Human-made activities like burning of oil, gas and coal as well as deforestation are considered to be one of the primary causes of the rising carbon dioxide gas concentration in the Earth’s surface. Around eighty seven percent of all carbon dioxide gas emissions produced by human activities originate from the fossil fuel burning. The remainder releases comes from the deforestation and other land use changes which constitute about nine percent of the other gas emission portion and include industrial processes (like cement manufacturing etc) which produce around four percent of the total carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere.
Fossil Fuel Combustion
The largest source of carbon dioxide release, as stated earlier, is from the fossil fuel combustion which produces eighty percent of the total carbon dioxide emission. When these fuels are burned, an enormous amount of energy is released which is turned into electricity, power or heat for transportation purposes. This energy is commonly utilized to run power plants, industrial facilities planes, and cars. In the year 2011, it is estimated that fossil fuel utilization created approximately thirty three billion tonnes of carbon dioxide gases worldwide.
There are actually three types of fossil fuels used most of the time for energy and include coal, oil and natural gas. Coal, alone, is responsible for forty three percent of carbon dioxide release from fuel combustion, thirty six percent is produced by oil and the remaining twenty percent is generated from natural gas. Coal is considered to be the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel. For each tonne of this fossil fuel burned, around 2.5 tonnes of CO2 are emitted. Of all different categories of fossil fuels, it is coal that releases the most carbon dioxide. Due to this release and continued use at large scale, coal has become the largest source of carbon dioxide secretions. Though coal represents 1/3 of fossil fuels’ share in the global energy supply but is accountable for forty one percent of carbon dioxide emissions from the use of fossil fuel which is presented in the following pie graph:
Source: CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion (2012), International Energy Agency
Anything which involves the use of fossil fuel generally has a CO2 emission ticket attached to it. So, burning these fossil fuels emits energy but carbon dioxide is also released as a by-product because all of the carbon stored in fossil fuel is transformed to CO2 during this process. Important to note is that the three major sectors of every economy using fossil fuels extensively are: heat or electricity, industry and transportation. The first and the last sectors, heat or electricity and transportation released around two-thirds of the total global carbon dioxide emissions by the end of 2010.
Heat or Electricity Sector
Heat and electricity generation is the main sector in an economy producing the largest amount of human-made carbon dioxide releases. This sector produced approximately forty one percent of the total fossil fuel related CO2 emissions by the end of 2010 as shown by the previous graphical representation. All over the globe, heat or electricity sector depends heavily on coal consumption which is the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel known today. Almost every industrialized economy produces the major portion (around sixty to ninety percent) of their electricity from the fossil fuel combustion. A chart depicting the total percentage of electricity or heat energy produced by combustion of fossil fuel for major industrialized economies is mentioned below which shows how much energy every G8 nation produces from combustion:
Source: International Energy Statistics Database (2011), Energy Information Administration
The industrial, commercial and residential sectors are the major users of heat and electricity covering ninety twp percent of the total usage where industry is the largest consumer of the three. The commercial and residential sectors are also heavily dependent on electricity to meet their energy needs of heating, lighting, running of appliances and air conditioning. It should be accepted that mankind activities are causing the increase in global warming with the release of greenhouse gases. The dramatic rise in the carbon dioxide emission within the last thirty years caused by fossil fuel burning is identified to be the major cause for the alteration of the atmospheric temperature.
Currently, more than eighty percent of the global energy demand is supplied by the fossil fuels like coal, gas or oil. It seems nearly impossible to find alternative sources to replace fossil fuel combustion in the short-to-medium term because the energy need is simply too high. Another concern is that the non-renewable attribute of fossil fuels: It took the nature around millions of years to generate those fuel resources which will be completely exhausted within the next few decades. The shrinking fossil fuel supply will make it impossible to continue human activities as usual for a longer period of time.
Causes Related to Theoretical Application
Depending upon the discussion made on potential causes of rise in CO2 pollution, it is important to relate them to theoretical frameworks. One of the most important concepts that define the major cause of rise in carbon dioxide emission is the Treadmill of Production theory. This theory stipulates that because every economy is heavily dependent on industrialization to create employment and high-quality products to serve the society, it is necessary that some of the economic agents competing with one another (like businessman) should undertake the manufacturing activities .
Most important in this regard is the continuous operation of power plants to generate enough electricity to run the economy at large. Because of such human activities and involvement of Treadmill of Production theory, it has become almost impossible to avoid the rise of CO2 emissions from industries (particularly the electricity producing plants) which use fossil fuels in bulk for combustion. Because of continuous pressure to maximize the production to increase profit generation and creating value for all stakeholders and citizens, the Treadmill of Production theory is in complete disharmony or disagreement with the Ecological Modernization theory .
Probable Solutions to Reduce CO2 Emissions
There are primarily three techniques which could help the humanity to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere. These methods often include use of energy efficient and conservation practices; utilization of reduced-carbon or carbon-free energy resources and capturing as well as storing carbon from fossil fuel or the atmosphere.
Reduced-Carbon or Carbon-Free Energy Sources
Another efficient way to reduce CO2 emissions in the atmosphere is to use carbon-free/reduced sources of energy. Carbon-free energy sources have their own associated effects where these sources generate energy without production and emission of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon-free sources of energy include geothermal energy, wind power, solar power, hydrokinetics (like tidal and wave power) as well as nuclear power.
Alternatively, shifting to reduced carbon intensive fuels (like natural gas) from high carbon intensive fuels (such as coal and oil) will also lead to a drastic reduction in carbon dioxide releases. The degree to which biomass energy is considered to be reduced-carbon or a carbon-free fuel relies heavily on the type utilized and the process by which biomass is converted to energy.
Carbon Capture and Sequestration
Another viable option to reduce carbon dioxide emission is carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration, a process, involves capturing and storing CO2 that is present in the atmosphere while contributing to the greenhouse effect. This way, carbon dioxide could be removed from atmosphere and stored within soil and plants supporting the forestry. As an alternative, CO2 could be captured before or after the fossil fuel is burned for combustion and can then be retained or sequestered within the earth’s atmosphere .
Other General Alternatives
Apart from the above mentioned solutions, there are opportunities to reduce carbon dioxide releases while using existing infrastructure. This activity involves taking of various steps such as extensive use of natural gas, installation of more combined heat and power (CHP) at facilities such as hospitals, coal plants and universities. In every state of each economy, the concerned authorities should have clean energy policies. Each state should confirm the compliance with flexible carbon pollution standards. As the supply and demand efficiency saves considerable amount of energy, these measures mentioned in this section are not only cost-effective but could also lower electricity bills where the use of renewable energy sources make citizens save a lot of money.
My Own Solutions
Apart from the solutions presented above, under this section, the personal view point and solutions will be mentioned after a comprehensive analysis of the global situation. These solutions are elaborated below which I think are feasible to reduce CO2 emissions in the atmosphere:
Purchase and Extensively Use the Green Electricity
The future of clean energy clearly lies in renewable sources like wave, solar and wind power. Even without any climatic alteration, there are certain limits to the availability of oil, coal and natural gas. “Green power” is said to be a form of electricity coming from technologies related to renewable sources of energy and is delivered in the same way as dirty power which require fossil fuel combustion from burning. One can buy enough green electricity to replace the entire energy usage or some fraction of it.
Personally, I suggest the 100% use of green and clean energy because the underlying cost is few more cents for every kilowatt hour of required electricity. Most of the energy vendors offer green electricity services and as more people purchase this scheme, in future, there will be greater investment in these renewable energy source technologies and the cost of delivery will decline with the passage of time.
Make Home and Household Energy Efficient
After a practical self-analysis, I have observed that, unthinkingly, we leave lights switched-on when we are absent in our living room or do not switch off the Television by the socket in the wall. In addition to these careless activities, we fire-up the heater when, in winter season, we could put on extra layers of warm clothing or turn-on the air conditioner, in summer season, when one could open the window and switch the fan on.
These activities have become a part of our life and we have become so habitual to such careless attitude which should be broken in this need of hour. Behavioral and habitual change is needed which rely heavily on individual actions to reduce individual carbon footprint. By behaving sensible enough about the use of household energy and making sure that the house that we are living in is well insulated, one can make a huge contribution to reduce CO2 emissions because much of the carbon dioxide release originate from electricity producing plants which burn loads of fossil fuel to produce energy. By adopting the measures mentioned in this research paper, can considerably reduce the global carbon dioxide emission at a larger scale which helps prevent increase in global warming. Such an individual effort will also help save plenty of money that could no longer be spent on purchase of wasted energy every year.
Purchase Energy Efficient Appliances
Apart from altering the individual behavior, one can invest in more sensible and renewable energy sources or technologies that serve our daily lives. When buying new electronic appliances, one must confirm their energy and water consumption. The more energy efficient an appliance is, the more it will bring financial savings in the long-run and the lower will be their CO2 emission. In most instances, the payback period (the financial difference between the initial cost paid for a low versus highly efficient appliances and the long-term savings in lower water and electricity bill payments is only a matter of few months or few years.
Conclusion
It is being concluded in this research paper that human activities keep adding large amounts of greenhouse gas to the earth’s atmosphere. Among them, the carbon dioxide gas stands to be the most important and critical man-made greenhouse gas. Activities like fossil fuel combustion for burning purposes have raised the atmospheric pressure of CO2 concentration by approximately more than forty percent over its preindustrial level of 280 parts per million (ppm). In May 2013, the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere surpassed the record level of 400 ppm for the very first time in history. It reached a level considered by many scientists to be dangerous in terms of negative influence over the Earth's climate .
Furthermore, after a thorough review and careful examination of the globally prevailing social situation, one may arrive at a conclusion that fighting or preventing a carbon dioxide emission is not impossible, though difficult. To prevent the harmful effects of global warming from spreading further, it is necessary that every individual should play his role to limit the use of dirty electricity and adopt more clean as well green electric form of energy. This will help limit or reduce the use of fossil fuel combustion processes to produce electricity in the power plants of every economy.
References
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