Greenhouse Gases Deadly Dance: CO2, N2O and CH4 Emissions' Alarming Card

Carbon dioxide emissions show no sign of having reached a peak, as total emissions are set to hit forty-one billion, six hundred million tons this year, up from forty billion, six hundred million tons last year, with fossil fuel and land-use change carbon dioxide emissions showing increases.

Global methane emissions also show no sign of having reached a peak, as the global average atmospheric methane abundance reached 1932.24 parts per billion (ppb) in November, a significant increase from 17.56 ppb in January 1990, with researchers blaming  the usage and production of fossil fuel for close to 120 million tons of emissions in 2023, while a further 10 million tons came from bioenergy.

Nitrous oxide emissions also show no sign of having reached their peak, with a monthly mean concentration of 337.69 parts per million (ppm) in April 2024, a seven percent increase from the figure at April 1990, at a period on track to be the hottest year on record.

The present situation with carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide indicates that greenhouse gas emissions continue to show no sign of reaching a peak, a condition illustrated by global greenhouse gas emissions having risen by 1.2 percent to a record high of 57.4 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2022, with last year marking the 12th consecutive year of an increase greater than two parts per million (ppm). 

This year, fossil carbon dioxide emissions could reach 37.4 billion  tons, a rise of 0.8 percent from last year, while emissions from land-use changes such as deforestation could reach 4.2 billion tons, both sources of emissions showing increases, a situation different from the last ten years, when land-use change carbon dioxide emissions declined on the average, leaving overall emissions level over the period.

This year, methane emissions could show a rise, especially as satellites have been seeing numerous large emission events,  rising by more than 50 percent  in 2023 compared to the previous year, with more than five million tons of methane from major fossil fuel leaks around the world, including a major blowout in Kazakhstan, an occurrence that took place for more than 200 days.

This year, nitrous oxide could show an  increase in the atmosphere, with nitrogen fertilizer, manure, and other agricultural sources driving almost three-quarters of human-caused emissions in recent years, a phenomenon that grew by 40 percent between 1980 to 2020, driven by the growing demand for meat and dairy.

The present situation with carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide indicates that greenhouse gas emissions continue to show no sign of reaching a peak, due to rising land-use carbon dioxide emissions, increasing number of blowouts and fossil fuel leaks, as well as increased cases of human-caused methane emissions.

Carbon dioxide emissions take the blame for 78 percent of the increases in the atmosphere's heat-trapping capacity in the past decade, and with emissions expected to reach 75 billion tons a year or more by the end of the century, more turbulent effects of climate change could occur.

Methane takes the blame for around 30 percent in the rise of global temperatures since the industrial revolution, and with the increases expected this year and the coming ones, plus the fact that one ton of methane can be considered to be equivalent to 28 to 36 tons of carbon dioxide, climate change effects could be expected to rise.

Nitrous oxide also takes the blame for about 10 percent of global warming since the industrial revolution, and since it is 270 times more potent than carbon dioxide at warming the planet, effects of climate change could become certain with increases in nitrous oxide emissions.

The present situation with carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide show that greenhouse gas emissions  may continue to show increases, worsening climate change effects, meaning ways must be found to remedy the situation.

Through a reduction in the usage and production of fossil fuels, a transformation in agricultural practices, and cut back in land-use change  carbon dioxide emissions, signs of greenhouse gas emissions having reached their peak will be achieved, to the benefit of a future generation.

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Vegan food from Paraguay: Credit, Alamy.com