GREENHOUSE GASES

"In the end, we conserve only what we love. 

We will love only what we understand.

We will understand only what we are taught."
~ Baba Dioum, Senegalese poet

MAIN GREENHOUSE GASES

The tables below present characteristics of major greenhouse gases. The Global Warming Potential (GWP) indicates the warming effect of a greenhouse gas, while the atmospheric lifetime expresses the total effect of a specific greenhouse gas after taking into account global sink availability. The lifetime indicates how long the gas remains in the atmosphere and increased radiative forcing quantifies the contribution to additional heating over an area. The vast majority of emissions  are carbon dioxide followed by methane and nitrous oxide. Lesser amounts of CFC-12, HCFC-22, Perflouroethane and Sulfur Hexaflouride are also emitted and their contribution to global warming is magnified by their high GWP, although there total contribution is still small compared to the other gasses.

Greenhouse Gas	Chemical Formula	Anthropogenic Sources	Atmospheric Lifetime1(years)	GWP2 (100 Year Time Horizon)
Carbon Dioxide	CO2	Fossil-fuel combustion, Land-use conversion, Cement Production	~1001	1
Methane	CH4	Fossil fuels, Rice paddies, Waste dumps	121	25
Nitrous Oxide	N2O	Fertilizer, Industrial processes, Combustion	1141	298
Tropospheric Ozone	O3	Fossil fuel combustion, Industrial emissions, Chemical solvents	hours-days	N.A.
CFC-12	CCL2F2	Liquid coolants, Foams	100	10,900
HCFC-22	CCl2F2	Refrigerants	12	1,810
Sulfur Hexaflouride	SF6	Dielectric fluid	3,200	22,800

	Pre-1750 Tropospheric Concentration3 (parts per billion)	Current Tropospheric Concentration4 (parts per billion)
Carbon Dioxide	280,0005	388,5006
Methane	7007	1,870 / 1,7488
Nitrous Oxide	2709	323 / 3228
Tropospheric Ozone	25	34
CFC-12	0	.534 / .5328
HCFC-22	0	.218 / .19410
Sulfur Hexaflouride	0	.00712 /.006738, 10

INCRIMINATING FACTS

• The garbage in a landfill stays for a for about 30 years. 
• In 1995 over 200 of the world landfills were full.
• Each person throws away approximately four pounds of garbage every day.
• One bus carries as many people as 40 cars!
• More than 1/3 of all energy is used by people at home
• Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year
• We each use about 12,000 gallons of water every year
• 1/3 of all water is used to flush the toilet.
• The 500 million automobiles on earth burn an average of 2 gallons of fuel a day.
• Each gallon of fuel releases 20 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air.
• Approximately 5 million tons of oil produced in the world each ear ends up in the ocean.
• The energy we save when we recycle one glass bottle is enough to light a traditional light bulb for four hours
• For every 2000 pounds of paper (1 ton) recycled, we save 7,000 gallons of water free from chemicals.
• Recycled paper requires 64% less energy than making paper from virgin wood pulp, and can save many trees
• Every ton of paper that is recycled saves 17 trees
• The amount of wood and paper we throw away is enough to heat 50 million homes for 20 years

The Earth Doesn't Belong To Us, We Belong To The Earth

Paper

• Paper makes up 40% of our daily trash.
• Each person in America uses about 700 pounds of paper a year.
  (Abitibi-Bowater, 2008)
• In 2005, 51.5% of paper consumed in the U.S. (51.3 million tons) was recovered for recycling.
• Paper recovery now averages 346 pounds annually for each, man, woman and child in the United States.
  (American Forest and Paper Association, 2005)
• Only about 80% of all recovered paper can actually be recycled.
• Of recovered paper, 20% is trash including plastic, adhesives, paper clips and staples, ink, clay coatings and other non-paper items.
  (American Forest and Paper Association)
• Enough paper is collected for recycling each year to equal a boxcar train 7,600 miles long.
• Everyday, Americans buy 62 million newspapers and throw out 44 million.
  (MORA, 2008)
• One ton of recycled paper uses 64% less energy, 50% less water, produces 74% less air pollution and creates 5 times more jobs than one ton of paper products from virgin wood pulp.
• De-inked paper fiber is the most efficient source of fiber for the manufacturing of new paper products. Each ton (2000 pounds) of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, 4,100 kilowatts of energy, and 7,000 gallons of water.
• When you recycle one ton of paper, air pollution is decreased by 60 pounds compared to traditional virgin fiber processes!

Electronics

• Electronic equipment that is thrown away (known as e-scrap or e-waste) is the fastest growing type of waste in the U.S.
• In 2006, over 100 million cell phones were thrown away and 163,420 TVs and computers became obsolete every day.
• Even though old electronics only account for a small amount (1 to 2 %) of the municipal waste stream, that percentage is expected to grow dramatically in the next few years.

Steel

• Steel is America’s most recycled material.
  (Steel Recycling Institute)
• Steel’s magnetic qualities make it easy to pull from the waste stream, saving energy.
• Steel cans account for about 1.5 % of municipal solid waste (MSW) by weight and a slightly higher proportion (about 1.8 %) by volume.
  (MORA, 2008)
• Individual consumers are the source of most steel cans found in MSW.
• Less than 15% of commercial and industrial wastes are comprised of steel cans.
• Nationwide, 54.4% of all steel cans are recycled.
• Steelmakers recycle more than 68% of the steel they produce because they rely on scrap steel to produce a high-quality end product.
• The amount of steel, (by weight) recycled annually in the U.S. equals about 1/3 the amount of MSW landfilled each year.
  (MORA, 2008)
• Americans use about 100 million steel cans every day.
• The U.S. food industry uses about 28 billion steel cans each year to package more than 1,500 food products.
  94% of steel cans are used to package a variety of food products, including fruits, vegetables, soups, meats, juice, pet food, coffee, and cookies.
  (MORA, 2008)
• American-made steel cans contain about 25% recycled steel.
• Recycling one ton of steel saves mining 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,000 pounds of coal and 40 pounds of limestone.
  (MORA, 2008)
• The energy conserved by recycling one pound of steel cans is enough to light a 60 watt light bulb for more than one day.
• Aluminum cans are recycled today at an impressive 62.5 % rate. This is four times the rate it was 25 years ago.
• Over 80 billion aluminum soda cans are used every year, half of which are currently recycled.
• In America, 1,500 cans are recycled each second!
• Remanufacturing cans from recycled aluminum cuts related air pollution by 95% compared to making them from raw materials.
  

Plastics

• The system of coding plastics with the ‘chasing arrows’ was developed in 1988 and is voluntary for plastic manufacturers.
• PET or #1 plastics is the most recycled plastic worldwide.
• PET bottles are recycled into polyester carpeting, textiles, car parts, new PET plastic bottles, pallet strapping and thermoformed sheet products.
• 1.272 billion pounds of PET was recycled in the United States in 2006.
• One domestic automotive manufacturer uses the equivalent of 50 million PET bottles annually to make components of new cars and trucks.
  (MORA, 2008, Central Paper Stock)
• New vehicle parts made from recycled PET include grills, bumpers, trunk liners, fan shrouds, wheel liners and seats.
• Recycled PET is also used in making new bottles for some types of consumer products, as well as in products ranging from basketball backboards to overhead transparencies.
• It takes 36 2-liter PET bottles to make one square yard of polyester carpet.
  (MORA, 2008)
• 28% of HDPE (or #2) bottles are recycled back into new bottles with recycled content. 17% are recycled into film products and15% into drainage pipe. Other uses include plastic pallets, plastic lumber and outdoor products.
• A developing industry for HDPE is the manufacture of plastic lumber. While more expensive than wood, it is much more durable and has a longer product life. It also is not subject to rotting, insect damage, and splintering.
• Milk, water and juice jugs comprise about 44% of HDPE containers, with about 37% used for cleaners, shampoos, and detergents. Injection molded tubs used for ice cream, margarine, and yogurt make up about 12% of HDPE container plastic use.
• Despite being the same plastic, injection-molded containers are typically not compatible with recycling of blow-molded bottles and jugs.
  

Glass

• Glass containers go from the recycling bin to product on a store shelf in as little as 30 days!
• Glass can be recycled again and again with no loss in quality or purity because it is 100% recyclable.
• Glass does nt deteriorate or corrode.
• The materials that make up glass- sand, soda ash and limestone (known as cullet) are heated to a temperature of 2600 to 28oo degrees F and then molded into a shape.
  (Strategic Materials, 2008)
• Approximately 80% of glass containers recovered from recycling programs are made into new glass bottles.
• Recycling glass can be used to manufacture fiberglass, insulation, reflective beads for highway safety products, tiles and flooring, abrasive materials and decorative applications.
  (Strategic Materials, 2008)
• Recycled glass is substituted for up to 70% of raw materials.
• Glass container companies employ about 18,000 workers and represent a $5.5 billion industry with 49 glass manufacturing plants in 23 states.
• Energy usage drops about 2-3% for every 10% of cullet used in the manufacturing process.
• For every ton of glass recycled, over a ton of raw materials are saved, including 1,300 pounds of sand, 410 pounds of soda ash, 380 pounds of limestone and 160 pounds of feldspar.
  

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO LEAVE FOR OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS?

As a  boy of 11 years old  I had to walk for about 3 miles  to attend to my school. Walking with bare feet is a norm even today.Hence there was no question of shoes for me. I have seen normally our teachers  wearing foot wear (chappals)  and none of my friends had that to decorate their feet. As the walk would be tiresome me and my friends would enter any house on the way and request for  'drinking water'. Invariably they would guide us to a pot arranged outside or give us a  potful water from inside their homes ( they were of valuable as they were made of copper/brass).At times they would allow us to draw water from the wells. When the crops were raised we need not ask any one as we could drink water from the running streams. Today no child or adult can move outside without a water container. In every meeting around the globe the plastic water bottle is the first guest to enter the board room.  You want proof.....

This water
Last week I had an opportunity to  see the River Cauvery   in Trichy. I found the substance as liquid. but I can't say it comes under the category water as the river was carrying a greenish, dull , black liquid. The river on its course has to collect many dyeing units discharge and hence the river is dying. The picture below speaks of the ways we maintain our water bodies.

A RIVER VIEW SCENE NUNGAMBAKKAM, CHENNAI, INDIA

IT'S NOT ABOUT U.S. ALONE IT'S ABOUT US TOO...

• If just 25% of U.S. families used 10 fewer plastic bags a month, we would save over 2.5 BILLION bags a year.

• On the average, the 140 million cars in America are estimated to travel almost 4 billion miles in a day, and according to the Department of Transportation, they use over 200 million gallons of gasoline doing it.

• Every year we throw away 24 million tons of leaves and grass. Leaves alone account for 75% of our solid waste in the fall.

• Over 100 pesticide ingredients are suspected to cause birth defects, cancer, and gene mutations.

• Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil.

• About 1% of U.S. landfill space is full of disposable diapers, which take 500 years to decompose.

• Energy saved from one recycled aluminum can will operate a TV set for 3 hours, and is the equivalent to half a can of gasoline.

• Glass produced from recycled glass instead of raw materials reduces related air pollution by 20%, and water pollution by 50%.

• Americans use 50 million tons of paper annually -- consuming more than 850 million trees.

• Homeowners use up to 10 times more toxic chemicals per acre than farmers.

• By turning down your central heating thermostat one degree, fuel consumption is cut by as much as 10%.

• Insulating your attic reduces the amount of energy loss in most houses by up to 20%.

• Enough glass was thrown away in 1990 to fill the Twin Towers (1,350 feet high) of New York's World Trade Center every two weeks.

• One ton of carbon dioxide that is released in the air can be prevented by replacing every 75 watt light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs.

• Many banks lent large sums of money to developing nations. In order to pay those debts plus interest many nations have turned to the mining of their natural resources as a source of financial aid.

• Every day 40,000 children die from preventable diseases.

• The public transportation that we have is a wreck. The U.S. continues to promote and invest in private car travel rather than public transportation.

• The human population of the world is expected to be nearly tripled by the year 2100.

• A three percent annual growth rate will result in the doubling of consumption and production of food and other products in 25 short years.  The amount of motor vehicles that are expected to be operated will increase 15 million a year until at least 2010.

• The world's per capita grain production has been on the downfall since 1985 despite the use of fertilizers and pesticides.

• Already a train system has been developed (back in 1987) which is based on magnetic levitation and causes minimal pollution. These versions of a train are already in use in several countries.

• Fibre optics, made of glass, are being used to replace copper cables throughout the world.

• The uncontrolled fishing that is allowed has reduced the amount of commercial species. Some species, up to one-tenth of their original population.

• Every day 50 to 100 species of plants and animals become extinct as their habitat and human influences destroy them.

FACTS THAT MAY HURT

• 5% Of The World's People Consume 1/3 Of Its Resources And Make Nearly 1/2 The Waste. That 5% Is The USA
• There are 70 pesticides that are listed as known or probable carcinogens, based on animal testing. Of those 70, 44 are in use today, and 23 are used on our food."

  — Gina Solomon, specialist in internal medicine [2001]

"Over 42 billion pounds of agricultural petrochemicals are applied each year on US food crops - and often less than 1% of those pesticides reach the target pest. The rest goes into the ecosystem, making agriculture the largest water polluter in the US. Buy organic." Earth Day Network

 "If only one percent of car owners in this country left their vehicles home just one day a week, it would save an estimated 42 million gallons of gas a year. It would also keep 840 million pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere."  Earth Day Network

Did you know that America’s total yearly waste could fill a convoy of garbage trucks long enough to wrap around the Earth six times and reach halfway to the moon (120,000 more miles)?! 

• The U.S. is the #1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year. This means that 5% of the world's people generate 40% of the world's waste!  Boooo!

• To produce each week's Sunday newspapers, 500,000 trees must be cut down.
• Recycling a single run of the Sunday New York Times would save 75,000 trees.
• If all our newspaper was recycled, we could save about 250,000,000 trees each year!

• One tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year.

• We fill 63,000 garbage trucks every day in this country-lined up they would stretch 400 miles. (Nat’l Audubon Society, 1994)

• If every household in the U.S. reused a paper grocery bag for one shopping trip, about 60,000 trees would be saved. (S.C. Office of Solid Waste Reduction, 1996)

• Everyday Americans buy 62 million newspapers and throw out 44 million. That’s the equivalent of dumping 500,000 trees into a landfill every week.

• It takes 75,000 trees to print a Sunday Edition of the New York Times.

• If we recycled all of the newspapers for one Sunday, we would save 550,000 trees or about 26 millions trees per year. (CA Dept of Conservation, 1995)

• Each of us generates on average 4.4 pounds of waste per day per person.

• The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle will operate a 100-watt light bulb for four hours.

• Every year each American household receives an average of 1.5 tree's growth of bulk mail advertising commonly known as "junk mail."

• One ton of recycled paper uses: 64% less energy, 50% less water, 74% less air pollution, saves 17 trees and creates 5 times more jobs than one ton of paper products from virgin wood pulp.

• Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 trees (35’ tall), 2 barrels of oil (enough fuel to run the average car for 1260 miles or from Dallas to Los Angeles), 4100 kilowatts of energy (enough power for the average home for 6 months), 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space (one family size pick-up truck) and 60 pounds of air pollution. (Trash to Cash, 1996)

• Recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy used to make the material from scratch. That means you can make 20 cans out of recycled material with the same amount of energy it takes to make one can out of new material. Energy savings in 1993 alone were enough to light a city the size of Pittsburgh for six years.

• The U.S. is the #1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year. This means that 5% of the world's people generate 40% of the world's waste.
   
• More than 20,000,000 Hershey's Kisses are wrapped each day, using 133 square miles of tinfoil. All that foil is recyclable, but not many people realize it.

• One recycled aluminum can saves enough electricity to operate a TV for three hours.
• Every eight months, 10.9 gallons of oil run into the oceans form our streets and driveways – that’s equal to one Exxon Valdez spill!
• In one week, a 3,000-passenger cruise ship generates 210,000 gallons of sewage, 1 million gallons of gray water (shower, sink, dishwashing water), 37,000 gallons of oily bilge water, eight tons of solid waste and millions of gallons of ballast water containing invasive plant and animal species.  This waste is dumped anywhere beyond three miles from shore!
• Non-biodegradable cigarette butts are the number 1 debris item found during beach clean-ups.  Cigarette butts are deadly to wildlife that eat the filters, mistaking them for food.
• 100,000 marine mammals and 2 million sea birds die every year after ingesting or being caught in plastic debris.
• The most pesticide-laden crops are #1=coffee #2=cotton #3=tobacco.  If you use these, buy them organic.

• A shower can use 25 to 50 gallons of water.
• To grow an acre of cotton takes 800,000 gallons of water.
• Leaving the water running while brushing your teeth can waste up to 5 gallons
• It takes 35 gallons of water to grow, irrigate, process, and cook 1 serving of rice.
• A faucet that drips 60 times in one minute would waste over 6 gallons of water a day; that's 2,400 gallons a year.
• Automatic dishwashers use about 15 gallons a load.
• The average full-tub bath takes 36 gallons.
• It takes 65 gallons of water to process 1 glass of milk.
• 39,000 gallons of water are used to manufacture a new car.
• One flush of a toilet uses as much water as the average person in the developing world uses in one day.

Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect naturally keeps the earth warm enough to be habitable; without it, the earth’s surface would be about 60 degrees Fahrenheit colder on average. 

Scientists refer to what has been happening in the earth’s atmosphere over the past century as the “enhanced greenhouse effect.” By pumping man-made greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, humans are altering and enhancing the process by which the atmosphere traps the sun’s heat before it can be released back into space.