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The increased amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and They help to trap some of the solar radiation that
other greenhouse gases are the main causes of the would otherwise be irradiated back out to space.
human-induced component of warming. They are Without them our planet would be too cool for
released by the burning of fossil fuels (oil, coal and human life. We have an atmospheric composition
gas), land clearing and farming etc. and lead to an that has evolved over millions of years and even
increase in the greenhouse effect. slight changes in the atmosphere can have enormous
impacts in terms of which species can survive and
Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are necessary for our which cannot. Increases in GHGs upset that balance.
survival on earth (see fig 3). They trap more solar radiation and cause a gradual
rising of temperature that affects everyone on the
planet whether we live in rich or poor countries.
CO2
0.035%
Ne
0.001818%
H2 He
0.000524%
0.000055%
CH4
Kr 0.0001745%
0.000114%
Royal Mail Climate Change Challenge Pack: UNIT 1 STATION 1
• Six to 7 giga tonnes of carbon equivalent are The amount of carbon each country produces is
currently being emitted globally per year when dependent upon many factors, including population,
fossil fuels are burnt by power stations, industry, level of development and the type of fuels used to
various forms of transport and in our homes. produce electricity. Because of their varying chemical
constituents, different fossil fuels produce different
• We depend on oil for 90% of our transport,
amounts of carbon dioxide. Coal produces most, then
and for food, pharmaceuticals and chemicals.
oil, and then gas. Some countries use more nuclear
• This demand will increase as standards of living power stations which produce little CO2 but may raise
rise all over the world and population grows. other environmental concerns (see fig 5).
• The International Energy Agency says the world
will need almost 60% more energy in 2030
than in 2002, and fossil fuels will still meet
most of its needs.
Royal Mail Climate Change Challenge Pack: UNIT 1 STATION 1
Data Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) © Global Warming Art
FIG 6 Who adds most to the CO2 problem? (EU25 = the 25 countries that make up the EU)