As we are all aware by now, the temperature of our planet is rising due to climate change. The main contributor to these exponential changes is the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Effect. Now, the GHG Effect is a natural phenomenon; carbon dioxide (CO2) is vital in stabilizing Earth’s atmosphere. However, we are emitting too much CO2 at too high of a rate. This is a global issue; as a species, we are using our resources faster than they can be replenished, making the change towards sustainable jobs and living necessary for the future health of not only our planet but us as well. In order to do that, we need to understand where all of these emissions are coming from.
The statistics referenced in this article are crossed referenced from Our World in Data (Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) (Chiara Delmastro).
On the global scale, CO2 accounts for 74% of all GHG emissions, with the United States being the second largest contributor, China being first, and the European Union third. With being one of the main contributors of CO2, we need to make major shifts in our way of life first as a nation. When broken down into sectors, the three leaders in global CO2 emissions are the built environment 40%, transportation 22% and agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) 21%. Each of these sectors affect each of us in our mundane lives to a certain extent. It is going to take changes on both an individual and national scale to decrease, or even eliminate, the amount of CO2 emissions.
Built Environment
The built environment is the leading sector in CO2 emissions. With 33% of emissions being during the manufacturing and construction phases, it is the operations that contributes 67% of CO2 emissions due to the built environment.
Since this sector contributes the most CO2 pollution globally, it is most important that manufacturing and operations become more sustainable as soon as possible. Rethinking not only how we design and build structures, but also how we live in and use them.
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Transportation
Transportation is another sector that has come up in conversation when it comes to CO2 emissions and climate change. Air and water transportation combined makes up 22% of emissions due to transportation, freight/shipping vehicles are responsible for 30%, but it is passenger vehicles (cars, trucks, busses and motorcycles) that is the biggest CO2 emitters when it comes to transportation, responsible for 45%.
This means that road vehicles alone are responsible for 75% of all CO2 emissions due to transportation. Because of this, we need to start rethinking about how we get around day to day, such as walking, biking or taking the bus whenever possible and only using our personal vehicles when necessary.
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Agriculture, Forestry, & Other Land Use (AFOLU)
Lastly, when examining the AFOLU sector, the CO2 emissions are more evenly spread out. Livestock and manure contributes 28%, crop burning and deforestation 27% and agricultural soils 20%. The remaining 25% is due to multiple other smaller operations in the AFOLU sector. With food being vital to living, we cannot eliminate this sector, but instead we must reimagine how we grow and source our food and crops. Shifting to use biodiversity in agriculture aligns more with the natural order of the seasons, working with nature rather than controlling it.
Additionally, 38% of arable land is being used for agriculture. In the United States alone, we currently use 10% of our land for crops. By scaling down operations, having more, smaller, regenerative farming and permaculture land use, we can not only improve the health of the planet but the health of the local community as well.
