Transcript Energy Balance - Istituto Sant'Anna

GLOBAL
WARMING
Energy Balance
• Energy from the Sun = energy returned to
space by Earth’s radiative emission
• The absorption of solar radiation takes place
mostly at the surface of the Earth.
• The emission of solar radiation to space takes
place mostly in the atmosphere.
• Because its atmosphere efficiently absorbs
and emits IR radiation, the surface of the
Earth is much warmer than it would be in the
absence of the atmosphere (greenhouse effect)
• The global energy balance is the balance
between incoming energy from the Sun and
outgoing heat from the Earth. The global
energy balance regulates the state of the
Earth's climate and modifications to it as a
result of natural and man-made climate
forcing cause the global climate to change.
• Energy released from the Sun has a
temperature of approximately 6000°C.
When it reaches the Earth's surface, some
is reflected back to space by clouds, some is
absorbed by the atmosphere, and some is
absorbed at the Earth's surface.
• The energy received by the Earth from the
Sun balances the energy lost by the Earth
back into space.
In this way, the Earth maintains a stable
average temperature and therefore a
stable climate (although of course
differences in climate exist at different
locations around the world).
Electromagnetic Spectrum
• The Earth atmosphere contains a number
of greenhouse gases, which affect the SunEarth energy balance. The average global
temperature is in fact 33°C higher than it
should be.
• The atmosphere is mostly transparent in the
visible light (which is why we can see the
Sun), but significant blocking (through
absorption) of ultraviolet radiation by the
ozone layer and infrared radiation by
greenhouse gases occurs.
• The absorption of infrared radiation trying to
escape from the Earth back to space is
particularly important for the global energy
balance. Such energy absorption by
the greenhouse gases heats the atmosphere,
and so the Earth stores more energy near its
surface than it would if there was no
atmosphere. The average surface temperature
of the moon, about the same distance as the
Earth from the Sun, is -18°C. The moon, of
course, has no atmosphere. By contrast, the
average surface temperature of the Earth is
15°C. This heating effect is called the
natural greenhouse effect
Greenhouse Effect
• The Sun, which is the Earth's only external
form of heat, emits solar radiation mainly
in the form of shortwave visible and
ultraviolet (UV) energy. As this radiation
travels toward the Earth, 25% of it is
absorbed by the atmosphere and 25% is
reflected by the clouds back into space.
The remaining radiation travels unimpeded
to the Earth and heats its surface. The
Earth releases a lot of energy it has
received from the Sun back to space.
Greenhouse Effect
• Greenhouse gases like water vapour, carbon dioxide,
methane and nitrous oxide trap the infrared
radiation released by the Earth's surface. The
atmosphere acts like the glass in a greenhouse,
allowing much of the shortwave solar radiation to
travel through unimpeded, but trapping a lot of the
longwave heat energy trying to escape back to
space. This process makes the temperature rise in
the atmosphere just as it does in the greenhouse.
This is the Earth's natural greenhouse effect and
keeps the Earth 33°C warmer than it would be
without an atmosphere, at an average 15°C . In
contrast, the moon, which has no atmosphere, has
an average surface temperature of -18°C.
Te = 255 K = -18 C
Observed: 288 K = +15 C !
The greenhouse effect also limits
the amplitude of the diurnal
variation in surface T over land
greenhouse effect is
very important
Consequences
• Hole in the ozone layer
• Ice melting and glacier
retreat
• Sea-level rise
• Floods
• Drought
• Hurricanes, Typhoons,
Tornadoes
• Earthquakes?
Ozone Hole
For nearly a billion years, ozone molecules in the
atmosphere have protected life on Earth from the effects
of ultraviolet rays
Ozone Hole
The ozone layer resides in the stratosphere and
surrounds the entire Earth. UV-B radiation (280- to
315- nanometer (nm) wavelength) from the Sun is
partially absorbed in this layer. As a result, the
amount of UV-B reaching Earth’s surface is greatly
reduced. UV-A (315- to 400-nm wavelength) and
other solar radiation are not strongly absorbed by
the ozone layer. Human exposure to UV-B increases
the risk of skin cancer, cataracts, and a suppressed
immune system. UV-B exposure can also damage
terrestrial plant life, single cell organisms, and
aquatic ecosystems.
Ozone Hole
Ozone Hole
In the past 60 years or so human activity has
contributed to the deterioration of the ozone layer.
Ozone Hole
• Each spring in the stratosphere over Antarctica
(Spring in the southern hemisphere is from September
through November.), atmospheric ozone is rapidly
destroyed by chemical processes.
• As winter arrives, a vortex of winds develops around
the pole and isolates the polar stratosphere. When
temperatures drop below -78°C (-109°F), thin clouds
form of ice, nitric acid, and sulphuric acid mixtures.
Chemical reactions on the surfaces of ice crystals in
the clouds release active forms of CFCs. Ozone
depletion begins, and the ozone “hole” appears.
• The ozone "hole" is really a reduction in concentrations
of ozone high above the earth in the stratosphere
Ozone Hole
• Man-made chlorines, primarily
chloroflourobcarbons (CFCs), contribute to
the thinning of the ozone layer and allow
larger quantities of harmful ultraviolet rays
to reach the earth.
• The Montreal Protocol (16 Sept. 1987)
stipulated that the production and
consumption of compounds that deplete
ozone in the stratosphere-chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, carbon
tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform--were
to be phased out by 2000 (2005 for methyl
chloroform). Scientific theory and evidence
suggest that, once emitted to the
atmosphere, these compounds could
significantly deplete the stratospheric ozone
layer that shields the planet from damaging
UV-B radiation.
Ice Melting & Glacier Retreat
• The retreat of glaciers since 1850, worldwide and
rapid, affects the availability of fresh water for
irrigation and domestic use, mountain recreation,
animals and plants that depend on glacier-melting,
and in the longer term, the level of the oceans.
Studied by glaciologists, the temporal coincidence
of glacier retreat with the measured increase of
atmospheric greenhouse gases is often cited as an
evidentiary underpinning of anthropogenic (humancaused) global warming. Mid-latitude mountain
ranges such as the Himalayas, Alps, Rock
Mountains, Cascade Range, and the
southern Andes, as well as isolated tropical
summits such as Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, are
showing some of the largest proportionate glacial
loss
Ice Melting & Glacier Retreat
• Until about 1940, glaciers around the world retreated as the
climate warmed. Glacial retreat slowed and even reversed, in
many cases, between 1950 and 1980 as a slight global
cooling occurred. However, since 1980 a significant global
warming has led to glacier retreat becoming increasingly rapid, so
much so that some glaciers have disappeared altogether, and the
existence of a great number of the remaining glaciers of the
world is threatened. (eg. In locations such as the Andes of South
America and Himalayas in Asia, the demise of glaciers in these
regions will have potential impact on water supplies. The retreat
of mountain glaciers, notably in western North America, Asia,
the Alps, Indonesia and Africa, and tropical and subtropical
regions of South America, has been used to provide qualitative
evidence for the rise in global temperatures since the late 19th
century.) The recent substantial retreat and an acceleration of
the rate of retreat since 1995 of a number of key outlet
glaciers of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, may
foreshadow a rise in sea level, having a potentially dramatic
effect on coastal regions worldwide.
•
Ice Melting & Glacier Retreat
The World Glacier Monitoring Service reports on changes in the
terminus, or lower-elevation end, of glaciers from around the
world every five years. In their 1995–2000 edition, they noted
the terminal point variations of glaciers across the Alps. Over
the five-year period from 1995 to 2000, 103 of 110 glaciers
examined in Switzerland, 95 of 99 glaciers in Austria, all 69
glaciers in Italy, and all 6 glaciers in France were in retreat.
French glaciers experienced a sharp retreat in the years 1942–
53 followed by advances up to 1980, and then further retreat
beginning in 1982. As an example, since 1870 the Argentière
Glacier and Mont Blanc Glacier have receded by
1,150 (3,800 ft) and 1,400 m (4,600 ft), respectively. The
largest glacier in France, the Mer de Glace, which is 11 km
(7 miles) long and 400 m (1,300 ft) thick, has lost 8.3% of its
length, or 1 km (0.6 miles), in 130 years, and thinned by 27%,
or 150 m (500 ft), in the midsection of the glacier since 1907.
The Bossons Glacier in Chamonix, France, has retreated
1,200 m (3,900 ft) from extents observed in the early 20th
century. In 2005, of 91 Swiss glaciers studied, 84 retreated
from where their terminal points had been in 2004 and the
remaining 7 showed no change
Ice Melting & Glacier Retreat
• Crucial to the survival of a glacier is its mass balance, the
difference between accumulation and ablation (melting and
sublimation). Climate change may cause variations in both
temperature and snowfall, causing changes in mass balance. A
glacier with a sustained negative balance is out of equilibrium and
will retreat. A glacier with sustained positive balance is also out of
equilibrium, and will advance to reestablish equilibrium. Currently,
there are a few advancing glaciers.
• Glacier retreat results in the loss of the low-elevation region of
the glacier. Since higher elevations are cooler, the disappearance
of the lowest portion of the glacier reduces overall ablation,
thereby increasing mass balance and potentially reestablishing
equilibrium. However, if the mass balance of a significant portion
of the accumulation zone of the glacier is negative, it is in
disequilibrium with the climate and will melt away without a colder
climate and or an increase in frozen precipitation.
• The key symptom of a glacier in disequilibrium is thinning along the
entire length of the glacier.
Sea-level rise
Sea-level rise
• Most scientists agree that global warming presents the
greatest threat to the environment.
• There is little doubt that the Earth is heating up. In the
last century the average temperature has climbed about 0.6
degrees Celsius (about 1 degree Fahrenheit) around the
world.
• From the melting of the ice cap on Mount Kilimanjaro,
Africa's tallest peak, to the loss of coral reefs as oceans
become warmer, the effects of global warming are often
clear.
• However, the biggest danger, many experts warn, is that
global warming will cause sea levels to rise dramatically.
Thermal expansion has already raised the oceans 4 to 8
inches (10 to 20 centimeters). But that's nothing compared
to what would happen if, for example, Greenland's massive
ice sheet were to melt.
Sea-level rise
• The sea level has been rising at a rate of around 1.8 mm
per year for the past century, mainly as a result of
human-induced global warming. This rate is increasing;
measurements from the period 1993–2003 indicated a
mean rate of 3.1 mm/year. Global warming will continue
to increase sea level over at least the coming century.
The contribution from thermal expansion is well
understood; substantial changes to the rate and magnitude
of increase are largely dependent on how rapidly ice caps
disintegrate with increasing temperatures—which is very
difficult to model. The thermal expansion of sea water is
currently the dominant contributor to sea level rise, and
to the predicted rise over the next century, which is 90
to 880 mm (with a central value of 480 mm). Only if
glacial melt substantially increases will it become the
larger term. Ice can have a huge effect; the melting of
the ice caps during the end of the last ice age resulted in
a 120 meters rise in sea level.
Sea-level rise
 If small glaciers and polar ice caps on the margins
of Greenland and the Antarctic Peninsula melt, the
projected rise in sea level will be around 0.5 m.
 Melting of the Greenland ice sheet would produce
7.2 m of sea-level rise, and melting of the
Antarctic ice sheet would produce 61.1 m of sea
level rise.
Floods
• A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that
submerges land, a deluge. In the sense of "flowing
water", the word may also be applied to the inflow
of the tide.
• Flooding may result from the volume of water
within a body of water, such as a river or lake,
which overflows, with the result that some of the
water escapes its normal boundaries. While the
size of a lake or other body of water will vary
with seasonal changes in precipitation and snow
melt, it is not a significant flood unless such
escapes of water endangers land areas used by
man like a village, city or other inhabited area.
Floods: typical effects
Primary effects
• Physical damage - Can range anywhere from bridges, cars, buildings,
sewer systems, roadways, canals and any other type of structure.
• Casualties - People and livestock die due to drowning. It can also
lead to epidemics and diseases.
Secondary effects
• Water supplies - Contamination of water. Clean drinking water
becomes scarce.
• Diseases - Unhygienic conditions. Spread of water-borne diseases
• Crops and food supplies - Shortage of food crops can be caused due
to loss of entire harvest. However, lowlands near rivers depend upon
river silt deposited by floods in order to add nutrients to the local
soil.
• Trees - Non-tolerant species can die from suffocation.
Tertiary/long-term effects
• Economic - Economic hardship, due to: temporary decline in tourism,
rebuilding costs, food shortage leading to price increase etc
Drought
• A drought is an extended period of months or years
when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply.
Generally, this occurs when a region receives
consistently below average precipitation. It can have a
substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of
the affected region. Although droughts can persist for
several years, even a short, intense drought can cause
significant damage and harm the local economy. This
global phenomenon has a widespread impact on
agriculture. The United Nations estimates that an area
of fertile soil the size of Ukraine is lost every year
because of drought, deforestation, and climate
instability. Lengthy periods of drought have triggered
mass migration in Africa in this last decade and in
various other parts of the world for thousands of
years.
Hurricanes, Typhoons
• A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low
pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong
winds and flooding rain. Tropical cyclones feed on heat released
when moist air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor
contained in the moist air.
• The term "tropical" refers to both the geographic origin of these
systems, which form almost exclusively in tropical regions of the
globe, and their formation in Maritime Tropical air masses. The
term "cyclone" refers to such storms' cyclonic nature, with
counterclockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere and
clockwise rotation in the Southern Hemisphere. Depending on its
location and strength, a tropical cyclone is referred to by many
other names, such as hurricane, typhoon, tropical storm, cyclonic
storm, tropical depression, and simply cyclone.
Landspouts
They are small tornadoes that develop on land.
Though usually weaker than classic tornadoes,
they still produce strong winds and may cause
serious damage.
Waterspouts
They are simply defined
as small tornadoes over
water, less intense and
severe but far more
common. They have
relatively weak winds
and they typically travel
very slowly.
Earthquakes
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An earthquake (also known as a tremor or temblor) is the result of a
sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic
waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a
seismograph. The moment magnitude of an earthquake is conventionally
reported, or the related and mostly obsolete Richter magnitude, with
magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes being mostly imperceptible and
magnitude 7 causing serious damage over large areas. Intensity of
shaking is measured on the modified Mercalli scale.
At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and
sometimes displacing the ground. When a large earthquake epicenter is
located offshore, the seabed sometimes suffers sufficient displacement
to cause a tsunami. The shaking in earthquakes can also trigger
landslides and occasionally volcanic activity.
In its most generic sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any
seismic event—whether a natural phenomenon or an event caused by
humans—that generates seismic waves. Earthquakes are caused mostly by
rupture of geological faults, but also by volcanic activity, landslides,
mine blasts, and nuclear experiments. An earthquake's point of initial
rupture is called its focus or hypocenter. The term epicenter refers to
the point at ground level directly above this.
Climate change
Climate change
• Climate change is any long-term significant
change in the “average weather” of a region
or the earth as a whole. Average weather
may include average temperature,
precipitation and wind patterns. It involves
changes in the variability or average state
of the atmosphere over durations ranging
from decades to millions of years. These
changes can be caused by
- dynamic processes on Earth,
- external forces (variations in sunlight intensity),
- and more recently by human activities.
Climate change factors
• Climate changes reflect variations within the Earth's
atmosphere, processes in other parts of the Earth such as
oceans and ice caps, and the effects of human activity. The
external factors that can shape climate are often called ”climate
forcings” and include such processes as variations in solar
radiation, the Earth's orbit, and greenhouse gas concentrations.
• Weather is the day-to-day state of the atmosphere, and it is
a chaotic non-linear dynamical system. On the other
hand, Climate — the average state of weather — is fairly stable
and predictable. Climate includes the average temperature,
amount of precipitation, days of sunlight, and other variables
that might be measured at any given site. However, there are
also changes within the Earth's environment that can affect the
climate.
Glaciation
Glaciers are recognized as
being among the most sensitive
indicators of climate change,
advancing substantially during
climate cooling (e.g., the Little
Ice Age) and retreating during
climate warming on moderate
time scales. Glaciers grow and
collapse, both contributing to
natural variability and greatly
amplifying externally forced
changes. For the last century,
however, glaciers have been
unable to regenerate
enough ice during the winters
to make up for the ice lost
during the summer months.
Ocean variability
On the scale of decades,
climate changes can also result
from interaction of the
atmosphere and oceans. Many
climate fluctuations — including
not only the El Niño Southern
oscillation (the best known) but
also the Pacific decadal
oscillation, the North Atlantic
oscillation, and the Arctic
oscillation — owe their existence
at least in part to different
ways that heat can be stored in
the oceans and move between
different reservoirs.
On longer time scales ocean
processes of circulation play a
key role in redistributing heat,
and can dramatically affect
climate.
Non-climate factors driving
climate change
Current studies indicate
that radiative
forcing by greenhouse gases is the
primary cause of global warming.
Greenhouse gases are also
important in understanding Earth's
climate history. According to these
studies, the greenhouse effect,
which is the warming produced as
greenhouse gases trap heat, plays a
key role in regulating Earth's
temperature.
During the modern era, the
naturally rising carbon
dioxide levels are implicated as
the primary cause of global
warming since 1950
Human influences on climate change
Anthropogenic factors are human activities that change
the environment and influence climate.
• In some cases the chain of causality is direct and unambiguous
(e.g., by the effects of irrigation on temperature and humidity),
while in others it is less clear. Various hypotheses for humaninduced climate change have been debated for many years,
though it is important to note that the scientific debate has
moved on from scepticism, as there is scientific consensus on
climate change that human activity is beyond reasonable doubt as
the main explanation for the current rapid changes in the world's
climate. Consequently in politics, the debate has largely shifted
onto ways to reduce human impact and adapt to change that is
already in the system.
• The biggest factor of present concern is the increase in
CO2 levels due to emissions from fossil fuel combustion, followed
by aerosols (particulate matter in the atmosphere), which exert a
cooling effect, and cement manufacture. Other factors, including
land use, ozone depletion, animal agriculture and deforestation,
also affect climate.
Human influences on climate change
Evidence for climatic change
Evidence for climatic change is taken from a
variety of sources that can be used to reconstruct
past climates.
Most of the evidence is indirect—climatic
changes are inferred from changes in
indicators that reflect climate, such
as vegetation, ice cores, sea level change,
and glacial retreat.
The climate in the last hundred years
The 1980s and the 1990s have been the warmest since accurate
and widespread instrumental records began, over a hundred
years ago.
The year 1998 is very likely to have been the warmest year
during this period.
Each of the first 8 months of 1998 was very likely the warmest
of those months in the record.
The climate in the last hundred years
The T record shows a considerable variability, not just
from year to year, but from decade to decade. Although
there is a distinct trend in it, the increase is not a
uniform one.
The warming during the XXth century has not been
uniform over the globe. For instance, the recent
warming has been greatest over NH continents at mid
to high latitudes. There have also been areas of
cooling, for example over some parts of the North
Atlantic ocean.
During the last few decades, in the daily cycle
of T, minimum Ts over land have increased about
twice as much as maximum T (possibly due not
only to the effect of enhanced greenhouse gases
but also to an increase in cloud cover).
The climate in the last hundred years
T reconstruction over the last 1000 y from ‘’proxy’’ data
(tree rings, corals, ice cores and historical records)
calibrated against instrumental data
The climate in the last hundred years
The increase in T has lead on average to increases in
precipitation, although very variable in space and time
Significant cooling of the lower stratosphere has been
observed over the last two decades.
This is to be expected both because of the decrease in
concentration of ozone, which absorbs SW radiation,
and because of the increased CO2 concentration, which
leads to increased cooling at these levels.
We must in fact remember that the warming
greenhouse effect can only operate in an atmosphere
layer in which T decreases with height.
In the stratosphere, the thermal structure is
characterized by T increasing with height and
therefore more CO2 means cooling there.
The climate in the last hundred years
Over the last hundred years, sea level has risen
by 10-20 cm.
The best known contributions to this rise are from
the thermal expansion of ocean water (estimated
as up to 7 cm) and from glaciers which have
generally been retreating over the last century
(estimated as up to ~4 cm). The net contribution
from the Greenland and Anctartica ice caps is
more uncertain but is believed to be small.
Climate extremes (floods, droughts, tropical
cyclones, windstorms etc…) have occurred
frequently and with high severity during the last
decades.
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC),
an international environmental treaty produced at the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED),
informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, from 3–14 June 1992.
The treaty is intended to achieve "stabilization of greenhouse
gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would
prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate
system."
The Kyoto Protocol establishes legally binding commitments for
the reduction of four greenhouse gases (carbon
dioxide, methane,nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride), and two
groups of gases (hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons)
produced by industrialized nations, as well as general
commitments for all member countries. As of 2008, 183
parties have ratified the protocol, which was initially adopted
for use on 11 December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan and which
entered into force on 16 February 2005.
Kyoto Protocol: Objectives
The objective is to achieve
"stabilization of greenhouse
gas concentrations in the
atmosphere at a level that
would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic interference
with the climate system."
The treaty was negotiated
in Kyoto, Japan in December
1997, opened for signature on
16 March 1998, and closed on
15 March 1999. The
agreement came into force on
16 February 2005 following
ratification by Russia on 18
November 2004. As of May
2008, a total of 181
countries and 1 regional
economic integration
organization (the EEC) have
ratified the agreement.
Kyoto Protocol: Objectives
The five principal concepts of the Kyoto Protocol are:
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•
•
•
Commitments. The heart of the Protocol lies in establishing
commitments for the reduction of greenhouse gases that are
legally binding for Annex I countries, as well as general
commitments for all member countries
Implementation. In order to meet the objectives of the
Protocol, Annex I countries are required to prepare policies and
measures for the reduction of greenhouse gases in their
respective countries. In addition, they are required to increase
the absorption of these gases and utilize all mechanisms
available, such as joint implementation, the clean development
mechanism and emissions trading, in order to be rewarded with
credits that would allow more greenhouse gas emissions at home.
Minimizing Impacts on Developing Countries by establishing
an adaptation fund for climate change.
Accounting, Reporting and Review in order to ensure the
integrity of the Protocol.
Compliance. Establishing a Compliance Committee to enforce
compliance with the commitments under the Protocol.
Common but differentiated responsibility
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed
to a set of a "common but differentiated responsibilities." The
parties agreed that:
The largest share of historical and current global emissions of
greenhouse gases has originated in developed countries;
Per capita emissions in developing countries are still relatively low,
and the share of global emissions originating in developing countries
will grow to meet their social and development needs.
In other words, China, India, and other developing countries were
not included in any numerical limitation of the Kyoto Protocol
because they were not the main contributors to the greenhouse gas
emissions during the pre-treaty industrialization period. However,
even without the commitment to reduce according to the Kyoto
target, developing countries do share the common responsibility
that all countries have in reducing emissions.
There will be a mechanism of "compliance", which means a
"monitoring compliance with the commitments and penalties for non
compliance."
Current positions of governments
Opposition
1) Some public policy experts who are sceptical of humancaused global warming see Kyoto as a scheme to either slow the
growth of the world's industrial democracies or to transfer wealth
to the third world in what these experts claim is a
global socialism initiative.
2) Others argue the protocol does not go far enough to curb
greenhouse emissions.
3) Some environmental economists have been critical of the Kyoto
Protocol. Many see the costs of the Kyoto Protocol as outweighing
the benefits, some believing the standards which Kyoto sets to be
too optimistic, others seeing a highly inequitable and inefficient
agreement which would do little to curb greenhouse gas
emissions. Finally, some economists think that an entirely different
approach needs to be followed than the approach suggested by the
Kyoto-protocol.
4) Further, there is controversy surrounding the use of 1990 as a
base year, as well as not using per capita emissions as a basis.
Countries had different achievements in energy efficiency in 1990
Increase in greenhouse gas
emission since 1990
Below is a list of the change in greenhouse gas emissions from
1990 to 2004 for some countries that are part of the Climate
Change Convention as reported by the United Nations.
Change in greenhouse gas
Emissions (1990-2004)
EU Assigned Objective
for 2012
Treaty Obligation 2008-2012
Germany
-17%
-21%
-8%
Canada
+27%
n/a
-6%
Australia
+25%
n/a
+8%
Spain
+49%
+15%
-8%
Ireland
+23%
+13%
-8%
Japan
+6.5%
n/a
-6%
United Kingdom
-14%
-12.5%
-8%
Country
Increase in greenhouse gas
emission since 1990
Below is a table of the changes in CO2 emission of some countries.
Country
Change in greenhouse gas
Emissions (1992-2007)
India
+103%
China
+150%
United States
+20%
Russian Federation
-20%
Japan
+11%
Worldwide Total
+38%
Increase in greenhouse gas
emission since 1990
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Comparing total greenhouse gas emissions in 2004 to 1990 levels,
the U.S. emissions were up by 15.8%, with irregular fluctuations
from one year to another but a general trend to increase. At the
same time, the EU group of 23 (EU-23) Nations had reduced their
emissions by 5%. In addition, the EU-15 group of nations (a large
subset of EU-23) reduced their emissions by 0.8% between 1990
and 2004, while emission rose 2.5% from 1999 to 2004. Part of
the increases for some of the European Union countries are still in
line with the treaty, being part of the cluster of countries
implementation (see objectives in the list above).
As of year-end 2006, the United Kingdom and Sweden were the
only EU countries on pace to meet their Kyoto emissions
commitments by 2010. While UN statistics indicate that, as a
group, the 36 Kyoto signatory countries can meet the 5% reduction
target by 2012, most of the progress in greenhouse gas reduction
has come from the stark decline in Eastern European countries'
emissions after the fall of communism in the 1990s.
GLOBAL WARMING
=
GLOBAL WARNING?
What can we do?
What are the possible
solutions?
Are we really doomed to a catastrophic future?
How can we cut global warming
pollution?
What can I do to help fight global warming?