Alihuson
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If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me on my talk page. Ian (Wiki Ed) (talk) 20:28, 9 January 2017 (UTC)
| | Hey Ali, my name is Ryan. Hope your Holiday's were relaxing. ( Ryanlav8 (talk) 01:14, 16 January 2017 (UTC) )
Carbon Monitoring
editCarbon dioxide monitoring is defined as measurements or estimates of carbon emissions that are released from environmentally harmful activities including, deforestation, the burning of fossil fuels, industrial processes and agricultural production (1). These measurements determine the amount of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere, causing harm to the environment. Carbon is released by activities in our everyday lives like driving a car, but the increasing levels of carbon emissions is one of the leading drivers of climate change. Even though carbon naturally occurs in the atmosphere, human activity has been heavily increasing levels over the years through mechanization and industrialization (1). Two of the main ways that carbon levels are measured in the atmosphere are remote sensing, which is collecting information about an environment through energy reflected off of the earth, and forest inventory, which helps determine levels of deforestation (2). The burning of fossil fuels including coal, natural gas and oil, is the top contributor to carbon emissions in the atmosphere (3). Industries that rely on fossil fuels include electricity, gasoline and the production of cement, which are the main source of energy and transportation for the majority of the developed world (3). Our heavy reliance on fossil fuels contributes to increased carbon emissions, which deteriorates the environment. Deforestation also releases carbon emissions through the removal of trees, which results in decreased photosynthesis (4). Deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels are both results of industrialization in developing and developed countries. These high levels of emissions create incentive for governments and businesses to innovate new technologies that are eco-friendly. Carbon monitoring creates a system for measuring the levels of carbon dioxide coming from specific activities, which creates a platform for decision-making and management (1). Having the knowledge of where these emissions are coming from allows for policies to be implemented that provide sustainable living conditions for citizens and the environment. Knowing why there are so many carbon emissions and where they are coming from is the only way to reduce levels in the future to slow down climate change. Through carbon monitoring is how it is understood that carbon emissions come from mainly fossil fuels and deforestation, this has made households and the government implement strategies, including recycling, electric cars and the REDD+ program for example, as active ways to help reduce emissions.
Contents
1. The burning of fossil fuels 2. Deforestation, industrialization and agriculture 3. Methods of measuring emissions 4. Carbon footprint 4.1 Large-scale and small-scale ways to reduce emissions 5. Policies implemented to reduce emissions 6. Conclusion 7. References
The Burning of Fossil Fuels
The burning of fossil fuels includes coal, natural gas and oil, and contributes 87% of human produced carbon emissions into the atmosphere (5). The large amounts of fossil fuels being burned leads to many problems for our environment including climate change, acid rain, an increased amount of pollutants in the air, etc (6). It also leads to the release of carbon emissions into earth’s atmosphere, which deteriorates the environment by increasing the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect happens when excess carbon gets trapped in the atmosphere resulting in higher temperatures on earth (3). Along with carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and many others are also released into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels (5). This process is the top contributor of carbon emissions in the world so it is important that it is closely monitored. The negative effects that fossil fuels have on the environment poses a big problem for many industries including, electricity companies, the gasoline industry and the production of cement because all three of these sectors rely heavily on the burning of fossil fuels for their businesses (3). The majority of the developed world also relies on these industries for basic electrical and transportation needs. Through carbon monitoring it is clear that other methods of producing energy need to be implemented in order to preserve the already harmed environment.
Deforestation, Industrialization and Agriculture
Deforestation is defined as the removal of a forest or large area of trees for a non-forest use (7). Industrialization is defined as the development of industries in an area or country and is often thought of as a transition from a traditional to a modern society (8). Deforestation is usually a result of industrialization because more space is needed to grow industries. Both of these factors contribute to increased carbon emissions and they are harmful to the environment. They are harmful because deforestation removes trees, which as a result decreases photosynthesis, and industrialization increases the burning of fossil fuels. Deforestation is the second largest contributor of carbon emissions and increases them in two ways, the actual process of cutting down trees, which is referred to as the “slash and burn” effect, as well as the loss of trees which decreases the amount of photosynthesis happening in the atmosphere (9). The slash and burn effect is when the actual process of cutting down trees releases carbon emissions because all of the energy and machinery used while they are being cut down. Once the trees are gone, carbon emissions increase due to a decrease in photosynthesis. This means that not as much carbon dioxide is being removed from the atmosphere (9). Reasons for deforestation primarily come from industrialization and the development of a country’s economy. As the world develops, more land is needed to build cities and factories, which is why forests are cut down. Even in developing countries there is very little incentive being taken to preserve nature, stemming from globalization and the need to grow economies. The agricultural industry produces one third of all greenhouse gas emissions, making it a large contributor to elevated levels of carbon emissions (10). The agricultural industry has many processes involved that release emissions including, the manufacturing of fertilizer, food production and packaging, as well as transportation and storage of the food (10). Each process involved in the global food system contributes to carbon emissions making it a problem that not only affects climate change, but also food security. Estimates show that the agricultural industry releases up to 16,900 mega-tonnes of carbon emissions per year, including added indirect emissions from deforestation and land-use involved in agriculture (10). Where these emissions come from within the industry vary from country to country, for example the United Kingdom’s highest emissions come from transportation, whereas in China they come from fertilizer manufacturing (10). Although the agricultural sector is vital to us, the methods used to produce our food are not environmentally efficient and contribute to increased carbon emissions.
Methods of Measuring Emissions
Carbon monitoring is what allows us to know where the highest sources of emissions are coming from. We know that the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, industrialization and agriculture are responsible for most of the world’s carbon emissions through the process of carbon monitoring. Carbon monitoring allows us to measure where emissions are coming from and to also monitor decreases once environmental policies have been implemented. The ways emissions are measured is specific to the process being measured. There are multiple ways that they can be measured, for example when new cars are made they are tested in a lab and they measure how many grams of carbon per kilometre are released (11). On a larger scale, two other methods of measuring carbon emissions include remote sensing and forest inventory. Remote sensing is the process of collecting information about an environment through the energy reflected off of the earth using aircrafts and satellites and forest inventory monitors the changes in forests caused by deforestation (2). Remote sensing is used to monitor land use and track wildlife, which are both indicators of the effects urban growth is having on the environment (12). These are both ways that the government can monitor and regulate deforestation in countries. Measuring processes like the burning of fossil fuels is more complicated and specific. Some companies have devices attached to their smoke stacks that measure the amount of carbon released, while in some cases they must manually measure how much fuel is burned. Carbon Footprint
When people measure their carbon footprint, it is an example of individuals monitoring their own contributions to carbon emissions. A carbon footprint is defined as the total amount of greenhouse gases produced and released into the atmosphere by an individual, household, event or product (13). There are three possible types of classifications based on how much control an individual has over the carbon released (13). The first one is emissions that are produced that are under control of the individual or organisation, for example driving a car or manufacturing a product. The second classification is emissions that come from a necessity, like electricity, which the individual is not necessarily in control of but is still indirectly responsible for the emissions released (13). The last classification is the individual or organisation is not in control of, for example the emissions that are released while the food that they consume is being produced (13). There are many calculation websites online that allow individuals to calculate their carbon footprints through carbon accounting, but it is difficult to know exact measures because carbon can be emitted by many un-measurable activities. Knowing the size of your carbon footprint allows people to try to reduce it through different strategies, including technological changes, carbon offsetting strategies and changing their consumption habits.
Large-scale and Small-scale Ways to Reduce Emissions
Once people are aware of their carbon footprint and are able to monitor it themselves, the next step is to try and reduce it. In households, transportation is the number one source of carbon emissions, so by knowing this through carbon monitoring people can actively try to reduce the amount that they drive. There are many ways that an individual can reduce their footprint, some including making small changes in their everyday lives, while some involve big changes and sacrifices. Some small ways that a carbon footprint can be reduced include, making an effort to recycle, biking or walking instead of driving a car, use solar energy, eat locally produced and organic food, use reusable products, etc (14). For example, a simple way to reduce an individual’s carbon emissions in their everyday life is paying attention to what kind of material their water bottle is made out of. If it is glass instead of plastic it is re-usable and will result in a smaller carbon footprint. Reducing ones meat and dairy consumption can also go a long way, it is estimated that people who eat diets high in meat produce 7.19 kilograms of carbon emissions per day, whereas vegans only produced 2.89 kilograms (17). There are also many carbon- offsetting programs available to consumers to participate in. For example Air Canada provides costumers with the option to pay more for their plane ticket to offset the emissions released during their flight.
Some of the more large-scale ways in which carbon footprints can be reduced include things like using solar and wind energy instead of conventional electricity. Solar energy is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional forms of electricity and has already reduced carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons, which is equivalent to 956 million trees being planted (15). Many people convert to solar energy to save money on rising utility cost and this results in decreasing levels of carbon emissions. Wind energy is another form of environmentally friendly energy that some people turn to. Research shows that wind energy reduces greenhouse gas emissions on a 1:1 ratio basis by displacing fossil fuels and nuclear energy used in conventional electricity production (16). Windmills are effective at producing effective energy with little amounts of carbon emissions because they have low full lifecycle carbon emissions, the land where they are built is already there and no deforestation takes place, and they do not make significant changes to the environment (16). Solar and wind energy are both good ways to reduce carbon footprints, but they can be expensive in the beginning and require long-term changes in people’s lives.
Policies Implemented to Reduce Emissions
Many governmental policies have been put in place with the hope to reduce overall carbon emissions being released into the atmosphere. Many of these policies involve carbon offsetting, or rules regarding limitations on deforestation and fossil fuels. One example is the Kyoto Protocol, which is an international treaty put in place by the United Nations in attempt to reduce climate change (18). The purpose of this treaty is to provide countries with reduction targets that they must meet (18). It was first adopted in Japan in 1997, and puts the responsibility on developed nation to correct their elevated levels of carbon emissions over the past 150 years (18). Another policy is the REDD+, which focuses on reducing carbon emissions specifically from deforestation in developing countries and promoting sustainability (19). A strategy of REDD+ is afforestation and reforestation in attempt to reduce emissions and it was first introduced by the UN in 2005 as a solution to reduce carbon emissions and slow down climate change (19). Another policy implemented by the government is carbon taxing, which involves charging more money for carbon-based fuels, which creates an incentive for households to use less of them (20). Governments use this policy because human produced carbon is one of the top contributors to global warming so taxing the usage of carbon will cause a reduction in the usage of it (20).
Conclusion
Carbon monitoring is vital to the effort to reduce climate change because it determines which activities produce the most emissions, which will create an incentive to adjust these activities to better suit the environment. Industries are aware that their carbon emissions come primarily from the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation so they are responsible for offsetting those effects, whereas households know that their carbon emissions are produced from transportation and household electricity, so they offset them in different ways. The health of the planet relies on the reduction of carbon emissions, which is why the government is making it a priority by implementing strategies and policies. All the knowledge needed to reduce carbon emissions comes from the knowledge of understanding where they come from in the first place, which is measured through carbon monitoring.
References
1.(2017). Retrieved 8 March 2017, from https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20140010290.pdf 2.Remote sensing in forestry. (2016, August 18). Retrieved March 08, 2017, from http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/measuring-reporting/remote-sensing/13429 3.Overview of Greenhouse Gases. (2017, January 20). Retrieved February 13, 2017, from https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases#carbon-dioxide 4.Ali Penman | Web Smart Media. (n.d.). CLIMATE & WEATHER. Retrieved February 13, 2017, from http://www.climateandweather.net/global-warming/deforestation.html 5.Main sources of carbon dioxide emissions. (2016, June 01). Retrieved March 28, 2017, from http://whatsyourimpact.org/greenhouse-gases/carbon-dioxide-emissions 6.Government of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada. (2013, May 08). Environment and Climate Change Canada - Air - 7.2.2 Fuels. Retrieved March 28, 2017, from https://ec.gc.ca/energie-energy/default.asp?lang=En&n=1F4E5D8A-1 7.Deforestation. (2017, March 21). Retrieved March 28, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation 8.Staff, I. (2015, February 06). Industrialization. Retrieved March 28, 2017, from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/industrialization.asp 9.Reducing Emissions from Deforestation | The Nature Conservancy. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2017, from https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/urgentissues/global-warming-climate-change/how-we-work/reducing-emissions-from-deforestation.xml 10.One-third of our greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2017, from http://www.nature.com/news/one-third-of-our-greenhouse-gas-emissions-come-from-agriculture-1.11708 11.Sibbald, L. (2008, March 14). How are CO2 emissions measured? Retrieved March 29, 2017, from https://www.contracthireandleasing.com/car-leasing-news/how-are-co2-emissions-measured/ 12.US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2009, August 10). What is remote sensing? Retrieved March 29, 2017, from http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/remotesensing.html 13.What is a carbon footprint? (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2017, from https://web.archive.org/web/20090511102744/http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/solutions/CarbonFootprinting/what_is_a_carbon_footprint.htm 14.COTAP.org – Carbon Offsets To Alleviate Poverty. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2017, from http://cotap.org/reduce-carbon-footprint/ 15.Why Go Solar? (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2017, from https://www.directenergysolar.com/how-solar-works/why-go-solar/ 16. Wind Power Cuts CO2 Emissions On Close To 1:1 Basis. (2014, October 31). Retrieved March 29, 2017, from https://cleantechnica.com/2014/05/07/wind-power/ 17.Scarborough, P., Appleby, P. N., Mizdrak, A., Briggs, A. D., Travis, R. C., Bradbury, K. E., & Key, T. J. (2014, June 11). Dietary greenhouse gas emissions of meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans in the UK. Retrieved March 29, 2017, from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10584-014-1169-1 18.United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2013, May 30). Kyoto Protocol. Retrieved March 30, 2017, from http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php 19.What is REDD ? (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2017, from https://www.forestcarbonpartnership.org/what-redd 20.Carbon tax or cap-and-trade? (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2017, from http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/climate-change/science/climate-solutions/carbon-tax-or-cap-and-trade/