Reny Juniar

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Greenhouse Gas
Greenhouse Gas, any gas that has the property of absorbing infrared radiation (net heat
energy) emitted from Earth’s surface and reradiating it back to Earth’s surface, thus
contributing to the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapour are the
most important greenhouse gases. Human activities since the beginning of the Industrial
Revolution (around 1750) have produced a 45% increase in the atmospheric concentration of
carbon dioxide (CO2). Should greenhouse gas emissions continue at their rate in 2017, Earth's
surface temperature could exceed historical values as early as 2047, with potentially harmful
effects on ecosystems, biodiversity and human livelihoods.
Some gases have indirect radiative effects (whether or not they are greenhouse gases
themselves). This happens in two main ways. One way is that when they break down in the
atmosphere they produce another greenhouse gas. A second type of indirect effect happens
when chemical reactions in the atmosphere involving these gases change the concentrations of
greenhouse gases.
The contribution of each gas to the greenhouse effect is determined by the
characteristics of that gas, its abundance, and any indirect effects it may cause. Since the
beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the concentrations of most of the greenhouse gases
have increased. Today, the stock of carbon in the atmosphere increases by more than 3 million
tonnes per annum (0.04%) compared with the existing stock. This increase is the result of
human activities by burning fossil fuels, deforestation and forest degradation in tropical and
boreal regions. It is likely that anthropogenic warming, such as that due to elevated
greenhouse gas levels, has had a discernible influence on many physical and biological
systems.
The main sources of greenhouse gases due to human activity are: burning of fossil
fuels and deforestation leading to higher carbon dioxide concentrations in the air. Land use
change (mainly deforestation in the tropics) account for up to one third of total anthropogenic
CO2 emissions. Between the period 1970 to 2004, greenhouse gas emissions (measured in
CO2-equivalent) increased at an average rate of 1.6% per year, with CO2 emissions from the
use of fossil fuels growing at a rate of 1.9% per year.
Greenhouse gas intensity is a ratio between greenhouse gas emissions and another
metric, e.g., gross domestic product (GDP) or energy use. The country that contributes the
most emissions are : America , China , and Europe. Annual per capita emissions in the
industrialized countries are typically as much as ten times the average in developing
countries.[90]:144 Due to China's fast economic development, its annual per capita emissions
are quickly approaching the levels of those in the Annex I group of the Kyoto Protocol (i.e.,
the developed countries excluding the US).
Governments have taken action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (climate change
mitigation). Countries and regions listed in Annex I of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (i.e., the OECD and former planned economies of
the Soviet Union) are required to submit periodic assessments to the UNFCCC of actions they
are taking to address climate change. Analysis by the UNFCCC (2011) proposed emission
savings of 1.5 thousand Tg CO2-eq in the year 2010, with the most savings made in the
energy sector.
Greenhouse gases can be removed from the atmosphere by various processes, as a
consequence of: a physical change, a chemical reaction within the atmosphere,a physical
exchange between the atmosphere and the other compartments of the planet,a chemical
change at the interface between the atmosphere and the other compartments of the planet,a
photochemical change.