The world’s carbon emissions are a key part of its environmental footprint. Understanding and mitigating them is a critical component of sustainable operations for business leaders and facility managers alike. This article dives deep into carbon emissions, defining them, exploring their importance, and offering mitigation strategies.
The most common source of CO2 emissions in the United States is from burning fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when burned. More than half of the country’s emissions come from transportation: cars, trucks of all sizes, buses, and other ICE vehicles, as well as trains, airplanes, ships, and pipelines used to transport oil and gas. The electricity sector is also a major source of emissions, contributing 24% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2022.
Atmospheric CO2 levels have been rising steadily since the Industrial Revolution, when human activities accelerated and amplified natural warming driven by solar radiation. The upward trend in the CO2 data from Mauna Loa has a notable wiggle caused by annual cycles in plant growth. In the spring and summer, plants absorb CO2 from the air during photosynthesis, which lowers the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. But when plants die and decompose in the fall and winter, they release CO2 back into the atmosphere. This boom-and-bust cycle explains why the overall trend line has a sawtooth pattern from year to year.
The map shows large inequalities in emissions among countries, with the largest per capita emitters being oil producing nations like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Some of the largest emitters are also among the most populated countries, including the United States and China.