Human activity does not tickle the planet, precisely. Do not pamper it, it doesn’t even respect it. We know how to spend that primate called a human being, the result of an evolutionary process that lasted millions of years, started with the first primates. Of that 65 million years ago, specifically, and since then, the human being, of the sub -order of the haporrinos and the hominidae family, has not stopped damaging other species and contaminating the planet. Your last feat? Cause the sixth mass extinction, consequence of factors propitiated by humans, such as overpopulation, exploitation of resources and pollution.
With regard to pollution, Carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) They cause an excess of greenhouse gases such that only if we stop it in time we can stop their dire consequences. But, although it is true that man is greatly contributing to increasing the CO2 that exists in the atmosphere, there are Natural sources of CO2 emission. Even so, climate change is due to human activity.
Fossil and biomass fuel combustion
Unless miracles occur in the next climatic summits (COP21 and following), the CO2 production will not stop increasing in the coming years. It occurs from the industrial revolution, especially when the combustion of oil derived products began to be abused, in the nineteenth century, and cause environmental disasters through a massive deforestation, carbon sinks that reduce their ability to absorb carbon.
Since then, the CO2 concentration level of the atmosphere has shot. Natural causes are added to those caused by the human being. Let’s not forget that more than 75 percent of CO2 emissions caused by the human being come from fossil fuelsin which we include coal, natural gas and oil.
When combustion occurs, coal contained in them is almost completely returned to the atmosphere, causing an important carbon cycle imbalance. To get an idea of the situation, there are some data: while the concentration of the atmospheric CO2 was 280 ppm in the 1000-1750 period, in 200 it went to 368 ppm. In percentages, it would be equivalent to an increase of 31 percent, an unprecedented increase. Currently, concentration is the largest in the last 420,000 years, and perhaps it is also the maximum of the last 20 million years.
To this situation that we have a whopping 150 years without controlling some human activities. Those that involve burning fossil fuels and biomass (firewood, pellets, gas, oil and fuels) allow us to produce energy, with which we obtain electricity, or use to produce materials or, for example, for transport.
Today, one of the deepest carbon footprints comes from Transport of goods and people. The car, the plane, the transport by road, rail and sea, among other types of transport, are large emitters of CO2, although some are more than others, especially in air or road transport.
As much as progress has been made in sustainable transport, its use is still anecdotal within the general context, in the same way that increases the use of renewable energy, further increases the use of fossil fuels. Currently, 99 percent of the energy used for transport comes from fossil fuels, and the trend does not look like changing. Likewise, electricity consumption is generated mainly from the combustion of fossil fuels. Except countries like France or Canada, the rest needs them to generate between 60 and 80 percent of their electricity.
Main sources of greenhouse gase emission: energy supply
However, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the bulk of the CO2 issued was due to the Chapter Supply of Electric Power, which includes gas, steam, air conditioning and water for industrial and domestic use, representing More than a quarter of world broadcasts of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (man caused by man) in the 2004 report.
Industrial production
Industrial processes (including in addition to manufacturing industries, construction, mining and agriculture) are also another Important source of carbon dioxide emissions. Either through the use of fossil fuel to obtain the heat and steam necessary for the different stages of its production as well as being large electricity consumers. In addition, we must add the emissions caused by the transport of their raw materials and products.
The manufacturing industry-especially bins, mineral base products, food, oil, metal, chemical refineries, are the ones that contribute the most to the emissions produced from CO2 by the industry, as well as the production of cement, iron and steel, among other industrial processes, as treatments of carbonatic rocks (limestone, crete, etc.) very polluting.
Natural sources of CO2 emission
But not only the human being is a source of CO2 emissions. For millions of years, the atmosphere has been receiving it from very different sources, such as the same process of breathing of endless living beings, which extract oxygen from the air that breathe and emit CO2, although plants compensate for this emission by being also co2 sinks when they perform photosynthesis.
The forest fires They are another source of atspospheric CO2 to take into account. Many occur naturally, but even today may be due indirectly to the action of man, since climate change leads them through the so -called extreme events.
The characteristics of the fires are different, now they are more numerous and virulent, since there are more periods of drought, heat waves, and these in turn are more severe. Likewise, when living beings die are unfoned in organic processes that suppose CO2 emissions. Finally, in addition to magma, volcanic eruptions They produce gas emissions, including carbon dioxide.
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