Think about the last meal you ate, or the last item of clothing you bought. Was the food grown locally? Were the clothes manufactured in your area?
Each item of food or clothing had to travel from the location where it was grown or manufactured. This journey took place on a transportation system that relies on the consumption of fossil fuels. Air conditioning, heating and electricity production also rely on fossil fuel combustion. What are three activities in your daily life that make use of fossil fuels?
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, introducing approximately 8.5 Gt carbon/year into the atmosphere. Deliberate deforestation and forest fires also add approximately 1.5 Gt carbon/year to the atmosphere. The process of cement production releases additional carbon dioxide. Scientists estimate that anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions will continue to increase by approximately 3% per year.
Question: Which of the following do you think contributes the most to anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions on an annual basis?
Correct!
People use electricity on a daily basis. Most power is generated at industrial facilities that burn fossil fuels, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The amount of CO2 released by power generating stations exceeds the amount of CO2 released by transportation fuels, heating, air conditioning and even industrial air pollution!
Think again.
Although this is one source of CO2, even more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere by something else that you use every day.
Think again.
Although this is one source of CO2, even more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere by something else that you use every day.
Think again.
Although this is one source of CO2, even more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere by something else that you use every day.