Global carbon dioxide emissions reached record levels last year. As stated in the report of the International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2018 they amounted to 33 billion tons.
“As energy demand increased in 2018, global energy-related CO2 emissions rose 1.7% year-on-year to an all-time high of 33.1 GtCO2,” the study authors noted. “China, India and the US accounted for 85% of the increase in emissions, while they fell in Germany, Japan, Mexico, France and the UK.”
The significant increase in energy demand came as a “surprise to many” and made it even more difficult for countries to achieve global climate goals, IEA head Fatih Birol said.
“We are seeing extraordinary growth in global energy demand, growing at the fastest pace in this decade,” The Financial Times quoted Birol as saying. At the same time, in his opinion, one can hardly expect the same rate of growth in demand for energy resources in 2019.
However, CO2 emissions are only part of the problem. According to an earlier IEA report, oil and gas production, despite active measures taken by oil companies, produces a very significant portion of global methane emissions.
In particular, activities related to the production, transportation, processing and consumption of hydrocarbons account for 13% of methane emissions worldwide. Leaks occur at all stages of the production cycle, and the world's oil and gas companies are not yet able to accurately measure the volume of these leaks.
In general, human activity accounts for 60% of global methane emissions, the remaining 40% is natural seepage of gas from deep layers of soil, swamp emissions, animal waste products and rotting of dead vegetation.
It is curious, however, that the American aerospace agency NASA assesses the situation differently. Early last year, the agency released the results of a new study, according to which the serious increase in methane concentrations in the atmosphere in recent years cannot be attributed to cattle breeding and evaporation from growing “permafrost” swamps.
More than half of the emissions of this greenhouse gas are caused by the global fuel industry. The final report published in the journal Nature Communications notes that average annual methane emissions now range from 12 to 19 million tons per year.
Previously, such a spread was explained by fluctuations in the number of cattle, especially cows - one of the main emitters of methane, and also by the gradual thawing of permafrost, leading to the formation of large swamps saturated with this gas.
However, NASA satellite studies have shown that methane emissions from the production and use of hydrocarbons and coal are rising faster than previously thought. For example, emissions from the oil industry in Alberta, Canada turned out to be 25-50% higher than earlier estimates.
1 Man and climate.
2 Introduction.
Relationship between energy consumption, economic activity and income
in atmosphere.Energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
3 Carbon in nature.
Carbon isotopes.
4 Carbon in the atmosphere.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Carbon in the soil.
5 Forecasts of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere for the future. Main conclusions.
6 Bibliography.
Introduction.
Human activity has already reached a level of development at which its influence on nature is becoming global. Natural systems - the atmosphere, land, ocean - as well as life on the planet as a whole are subject to these influences. It is known that over the last century the content of certain gas components in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (
), nitrous oxide ( ), methane ( ), and tropospheric ozone ( ). Additionally, other gases that were not natural components of the global ecosystem also entered the atmosphere. The main ones are chlorofluorocarbons. These trace gases absorb and emit radiation and are therefore capable of influencing the Earth's climate. All these gases together can be called greenhouse gases.The idea that the climate could change as a result of the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere did not appear recently. Arrhenius pointed out that burning fossil fuels could lead to an increase in atmospheric concentrations.
and thereby change the Earth's radiation balance. We now know approximately how much was added to the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels and changes in land use (deforestation and agricultural expansion), and we can attribute the observed increase in atmospheric concentrations to human activity.Mechanism of action
on the climate is the so-called greenhouse effect. While it is transparent to short-wave solar radiation, this gas absorbs long-wave radiation leaving the earth's surface and radiates the absorbed energy in all directions. As a result of this effect, an increase in atmospheric concentration leads to heating of the Earth's surface and lower atmosphere. Continued increases in atmospheric concentrations could lead to changes in the global climate, so predicting future carbon dioxide concentrations is an important task.The release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
as a result of industrial
emissions.
Main anthropogenic source of emissions
is the combustion of all kinds of carbon-containing fuels. Nowadays, economic development is usually associated with increased industrialization. Historically, economic growth has depended on the availability of energy sources and the amount of fossil fuels burned. Data on economic and energy development for most countries for the period 1860-1973. They indicate not only economic growth, but also an increase in energy consumption. However, one does not result from the other. Since 1973, many countries have seen a decrease in specific energy costs while real energy prices have risen. A recent study of industrial energy use in the United States showed that since 1920, the ratio of primary energy input to the economic equivalent of goods produced has steadily decreased. More efficient use of energy is achieved through improvements in industrial technology, vehicles and building design. In addition, in a number of industrialized countries there have been shifts in the structure of the economy, expressed in the transition from the development of raw materials and processing industries to the expansion of industries producing final products.The minimum level of per capita energy consumption currently required to meet medical, educational and recreational needs varies significantly from region to region and from country to country. In many developing countries, significant increases in per capita consumption of high-quality fuels are essential to achieving higher living standards. It now seems likely that continued economic growth and the achievement of desired standards of living are not related to per capita energy consumption, but this process has not yet been sufficiently studied.
It can be assumed that before the middle of the next century, the economies of most countries will be able to adapt to increased energy prices by reducing the need for labor and other types of resources, as well as increasing the speed of information processing and transmission, or perhaps changing the structure of the economic balance between the production of goods and provision of services. Thus, the choice of energy development strategy with one or another share of the use of coal or nuclear fuel in the energy system will directly determine the rate of industrial emissions
.Energy consumption and emissions
carbon dioxide.
Energy is not produced for the sake of producing energy. In industrialized countries, the majority of energy generated comes from industry, transportation, and building heating and cooling. Many recent studies have shown that the current level of energy consumption in industrialized countries can be significantly reduced through the use of energy-saving technologies. It was calculated that if the United States switched, in the production of consumer goods and services, to the least energy-intensive technologies with the same volume of production, then the amount entering the atmosphere
would decrease by 25%. The resulting reduction in global emissions would be 7%. A similar effect would occur in other industrialized countries. Further reductions in the rate of release into the atmosphere can be achieved by changing the structure of the economy as a result of the introduction of more efficient methods of producing goods and improvements in the provision of services to the population.Carbon in nature.
Among the many chemical elements without which the existence of life on Earth is impossible, carbon is the main one. Chemical transformations of organic substances are associated with the ability of the carbon atom to form long covalent chains and rings. The biogeochemical carbon cycle is naturally very complex, as it involves not only the functioning of all life forms on Earth, but also the transfer of inorganic substances both between and within different carbon reservoirs. The main reservoirs of carbon are the atmosphere, continental biomass, including soils, the hydrosphere with marine biota and the lithosphere. Over the past two centuries, changes in carbon flows have occurred in the atmosphere-biosphere-hydrosphere system, the intensity of which is approximately an order of magnitude greater than the intensity of geological processes of transfer of this element. For this reason, one should limit oneself to the analysis of interactions within this system, including soils.
Basic chemical compounds and reactions.
More than a million carbon compounds are known, thousands of which are involved in biological processes. Carbon atoms can be in one of nine possible oxidation states: +IV to -IV. The most common phenomenon is complete oxidation, i.e. +IV, examples of such compounds include
And . More than 99% of the carbon in the atmosphere is contained in the form of carbon dioxide. About 97% of the carbon in the oceans exists in dissolved form ( . Elemental carbon is present in small quantities in the atmosphere in the form of graphite and diamond, and in the soil in the form of charcoal. Assimilation of carbon during photosynthesis leads to the formation of reduced carbon, which is present in biota , dead organic matter of the soil, in the upper layers of sedimentary rocks in the form of coal, oil and gas, buried at great depths, and in the lithosphere - in the form of dispersed under-oxidized carbon. Some gaseous compounds containing under-oxidized carbon, in particular methane, enter the atmosphere when. reduction of substances occurring in anaerobic processes. Although bacterial decomposition produces several different gaseous compounds, they are rapidly oxidized, and methane can be considered to enter the system, since it also contributes to the greenhouse effect. The oceans contain a significant amount of dissolved compounds. organic carbon, the oxidation processes of which are not yet well known.The year 2018 has ended and, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, at the beginning of 2019 the average level of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere is at 409 ppm.
The graph shows the average daily CO 2 concentration at the four Global Monitoring Division base observatories; Barrow, Alaska (in blue), Mauna Loa, Hawaii (in red), American Samoa (in green), and Antarctica's South Pole (in yellow). The thick black line represents the average of the smoothed, non-seasonal curves for each record. This trend line is a very good estimate of global average CO 2 levels. The trend of the graph is upward, which means that in 2019 we will see a new peak in carbon dioxide concentrations on the planet.
Carbon dioxide results 2018
The Global Carbon Budget website made an infographic of the turnover of CO 2 in the earth's atmosphere at the end of 2018.
According to the information provided, global CO 2 emissions in 2018 amounted to about 37.1 Gigatonnes of carbon dioxide. This is approximately 2.7% more than last year. There is a slight variability in values from 1.8% to 3.7%, which is associated with complex calculations of the global turnover of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere.
Which countries emit the most CO 2?
It is worth noting a significant upward trend in emissions since 1960. Were considered in more detail. We will look at the list of the main countries that supply this gas to the air of our planet.
In 1960, as one would expect, the leading positions were occupied by the United States, Russia and Germany. There is a small nuance here - only Russia is indicated without the countries that were part of the CIS, for example Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Next in 4th place was China, then countries of Europe, the East, etc. The amount of emissions in 1960 was about 9411 Megatons (9.4 Gt)
In 2017, the situation changed dramatically; China with its industry became the leader.
China is a cheap labor force. Many corporations have moved their production facilities to this country, further solving the problem of emissions taxes. And China itself has recently risen very strongly in terms of production and trade with other countries.
The 2nd and 3rd places are occupied by the USA and India, respectively. The latter country has almost caught up with China in terms of population, and cheap labor also attracts investors there with their production. Russia takes 4th place, followed by Japan, then Germany, etc. The amount of emissions increased to 36,153 Megatons (36.1 Gt).
Where does CO 2 go when it enters the atmosphere?
The answer itself is obvious to the reader of this site, it remains in the earth's atmosphere and accumulates in it,
Emissions from burning coal, gas and oil amount to approximately 34 Gt CO 2 per year. Add to this forest fires, deforestation and creation of pastures, we get another 5 Gt CO 2.
It is very strange to look now at volcanic emissions, which amount to only 500 Mt (0.5 Gt) of carbon dioxide; we do not take them into account in the calculations due to inconsistency. Over the annual period, plants on land absorb 12 Gt, while the ocean is slightly less - 9 Gt. Another 700 Megatons are spent on carbon cycles over water and land, resulting in an increase in carbon dioxide of +17.3 Gt per year. The trend is increasing; no one is going to sign agreements to limit gas emissions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I suggest you look at the video of how the value of carbon dioxide changed over 800,000 years, first the authors from NOAA made recordings from instruments. When rewinding the graph, data obtained from ice core samples taken in Antarctica were used to determine the carbon dioxide content in the air.
Global warming is caused by CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Replacing cars with electric vehicles is needed here and now. Industry in developed countries is to blame for climate change. Behind the thunder of the propaganda drums of politicians and activists of “green” movements, the calm voice of specialists is almost inaudible, many of whom believe that the problem is not only and not so much in exhaust gases. Perhaps everything is much simpler - and at the same time more complicated.
This space laboratory is equipped with high-resolution spectrometers that make it possible to estimate the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere. The laboratory studies the reflection of sunlight from the Earth's surface, including the so-called solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence in plants associated with the process of photosynthesis. This is the first laboratory that made it possible to determine the carbon dioxide content over a vast area in the “here and now” mode, as well as to evaluate the absorption activity of terrestrial vegetation.
Green Europe and decarbonized Indonesia and Africa
The laboratory was launched in the summer of 2014, and already in December NASA presented the first maps of carbon dioxide distribution on a global scale (from October 1 to November 17) and vegetation activity (from August to October). And if a decrease in plant activity in the Northern Hemisphere at this time and an increase in plant activity in the Southern Hemisphere were expected, then the distribution of places with the highest concentrations of CO2 was a surprise. It turned out that it is most abundant over Indonesia, southern Africa and Brazil - that is, over places that cannot in any way be called industrial centers. Among the industrial centers, the most prominent were the southeast of China and the east and west coasts of the United States (to a much lesser extent). Europe found itself in the "green zone".
Experts saw the reason for such large-scale emissions in the seasonal burning of vegetation by local residents and the accompanying fires. However, there could be other reasons, such as drought. During drought, plant growth stops, which means the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as a result of photosynthesis also stops. It has become clear that controlling carbon dioxide emissions in the developed countries of the Northern Hemisphere is necessary - but there are other forces on the planet that can undo all our efforts.
Who cares, who gets food
By the fall of 2015, it became clear that nature has its own views on the dynamics of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. If in the spring in the Northern Hemisphere almost everywhere the content of carbon dioxide in the air exceeded 400 ppm (that is, 400 parts per million), then by the summer, as plants on land and phytoplankton in the seas began to actively develop, its content began to drop noticeably.
This drop is especially noticeable over the areas of the southern part of Eastern Europe, Ukraine, the southern part of Russia, Siberia, Kazakhstan and the northern part of China. The vegetation of Italy and Greece that summer also tried to “eat plenty” of carbon dioxide, but the Spanish and French did not live up to expectations. However, the forests and grasses of the Baltic countries, like the Scandinavian ones, were also not entirely active.
However, research has shown that one cannot dismiss the arguments of those who talk about the importance of taking into account the absorption of carbon dioxide by plants and the natural processes of its release. Moreover, the planet’s vegetation can adapt to fluctuations in CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.
This difficult balance
The plant life, from microscopic phytoplankton to grand oaks, redwoods and baobabs, is as active as the animal world. Plants both eat and breathe. Like animals, they inhale air and exhale carbon dioxide. But to the delight of all animals and humans, they need the same carbon dioxide, water and sunlight to feed and build their bodies. But oxygen for them in this case is excess, a waste product.
Like all living things, plants die and decompose into simple molecules. This releases methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. If we burn grass or wood, we will again release another portion of carbon dioxide.
It has long been believed that as average temperatures rise, plants will experience stress during respiration. As a result, the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere will increase significantly. However, studies have shown that in reality, with an increase in average temperature by 6 degrees, plants will emit five times less carbon dioxide than previously calculated.
These are very significant numbers, since plants on our planet exhale six times more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than humanity emits when burning fossil fuels.
The Strength of Baby El Niño
However, at the dawn of the development of life, in the Paleozoic, the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was immeasurably higher - at least ten times. One of the reasons is the lack of vegetation on land. And, by the way, it was precisely in the Devonian and Carboniferous periods, when vegetation came onto land and began to multiply rapidly, that the CO2 content in the atmosphere began to rapidly fall. Coal today is carbon dioxide from the Carboniferous period, bound by plants more than 300 million years ago.
Judging by the available materials, the cyclical El Niño current, periodically strengthening and weakening in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America, has led to changes in weather conditions in the equatorial zone of the planet. In Indonesia there were droughts and severe fires, in Brazil - drought, cessation of photosynthesis, and fires, and in Africa - just rains and massive rotting of plants, which is also accompanied by emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
During the time of the Jurassic dinosaurs, carbon dioxide levels were between 1500-2000 ppm. And this was also a time of rich, prosperous life. So should we be afraid of an increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere if carbon dioxide is a necessary product for feeding everything growing on Earth?
Electric cars? Trees!
All this leads us to one conclusion: the interconnections of processes on the planet are much more complex than previously imagined. If we are concerned about the increase in CO2 in the atmosphere, then perhaps a mandated transition to electric vehicles (you give electric automation until 2030!) is not the most effective solution. Maybe we need to stop the rampant cutting of trees around the world. After all, trees are bound carbon dioxide. Most of the inhabitants of our planet live in poverty, and until now the consumption of kerosene as fuel for lamps is commensurate with the amount of jet fuel consumed by all US civil aviation. Maybe we need to teach people how to do without burning grass or cutting down forests? Provide them with lamps with solar batteries?
There are about a billion cars in the world, add to them the engines of ships, trains and airplanes. Is it realistic to convert all this to electric traction in the foreseeable future? Or should we focus on adapting to real climate change? Will wind turbines and solar panels save us from rising sea levels and harsh rains, or should we dig ditches and build dams? Or maybe it's time to think about moving higher? Today, these questions are already beyond the scope of scientific discussions and are acquiring quite practical meaning.
Carbon dioxide performs an important function in the Earth's atmosphere. It is involved in the processes of emergence and decomposition of all living organisms and the formation of organic compounds from inorganic ones.
In the biosphere, CO 2 supports the process of photosynthesis, which forms the flora of land and the surface of the ocean.
Together with molecules of water, methane and ozone, it forms “”.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that affects the earth's heat exchange in the air and is a key element in shaping the earth's climate.
Today, there is an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to the emergence of new artificial and natural sources. This means that the planet's climate will change.
Most of the planet's carbon dioxide is naturally occurring. But also sources of CO 2 are industrial enterprises and transport, which release carbon dioxide of artificial origin into the atmosphere.
Natural springs
When trees and grass rot, 220 billion tons of carbon dioxide are released every year. The oceans release 330 billion tons. Fires that were formed due to natural factors lead to CO 2 emissions equal in amount to anthropogenic emissions.
Natural sources of carbon dioxide are:
- Breathing of flora and fauna. Plants and animals absorb and produce CO 2, this is how their respiration works.
- Volcanic eruption. Volcanic gases contain carbon dioxide. In regions where there are active volcanoes, carbon dioxide is able to escape from cracks and fissures in the earth.
- Decomposition of organic elements. When organic elements burn and rot, CO 2 appears.
Carbon dioxide is stored in carbon combinations: coal, peat, oil, limestone. Oceans, which contain large reserves of carbon dioxide and permafrost, can be called reserve storage facilities. However, the permafrost is beginning to melt, which can be seen in the shrinking snow caps of the world's highest mountains. When organic matter decomposes, an increase in the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is observed. As a result, the store is converted into a source.
The northern regions of Alaska, Siberia and Canada are mostly permafrost. It contains a lot of organic matter. Due to the heating of the Arctic regions, permafrost is melting and its contents are rotting.
Anthropogenic sources
The main artificial sources of CO 2 are:
- Enterprise emissions that occur during the combustion process. The result is .
- Transport.
- Conversion of economic lands from forests to pastures and arable lands.
The number of environmentally friendly cars is growing in the world, but their percentage in relation to internal combustion machines is very small. The cost of electric cars is higher than conventional cars, so many do not have the financial opportunity to purchase this type of transport.
Intensive deforestation for industry and agriculture is not an anthropogenic source of CO 2 in the literal sense. Reforestation activities cause carbon dioxide to not participate in photosynthesis. Which leads to its accumulation in the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide absorbers
Absorbers are any artificial or natural systems that absorb carbon dioxide from the air. An absorber is a structure that absorbs more CO 2 from the air than it releases into it.
Natural absorbents
Forests can influence the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. They can be both sinks and sources of emissions in parallel (during logging). When trees grow larger and the forest grows, carbon dioxide is absorbed. This process is considered the basis for the development of biomass. It turns out that the progressing forest acts as a sink.
Northern hemisphere forest
When forests are burned and destroyed, the bulk of the accumulated carbon is again converted into carbon dioxide. As a result, the forest is again a source of CO 2.
Phytoplankton are also carbon dioxide sinks on earth. However, most of the absorbed carbon, transmitted through the food chain, remains in the ocean.
Artificial absorbers
The most famous CO 2 absorbers are: caustic potassium solution, soda lime and asbestos, caustic soda.
These compounds when converting it into other compounds. There are installations that capture carbon dioxide from power plant emissions and convert it into a liquid or solid state for subsequent use in industry. Tests are being carried out to inject carbon dioxide dissolved in water into basalt rocks underground. The reaction produces a solid mineral.
Carbon dioxide injection station underground
Interaction with the ocean
In the oceans, the presence of carbon dioxide exceeds the atmospheric content; if converted to carbon, it will be approximately 36 trillion tons. found in the form of hydrocarbonates and carbonates. These compounds are formed through chemical reactions between underwater rocks, water and carbon dioxide. These reactions are reversible, they cause the formation of limestone and other carbonate rocks with the release of half of the bicarbonates in the form of carbon dioxide.
Ocean carbon dioxide cycle
Taking place over hundreds of millions of years, this cycle of reactions led to the binding of most of the carbon dioxide from the Earth's atmosphere in carbonate rocks. As a result, most of the carbon dioxide produced as a result of intensive human emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere will be dissolved in the oceans. But the speed at which this process will proceed in the future remains unknown.
The presence of phytoplankton on the surface of the oceans helps absorb CO 2 from the air into the ocean. Phytoplankton absorbs some amount of carbon dioxide at , acquiring energy and a source for cell development. When it dies and sinks to the bottom, the carbon remains with it.
Interaction with the ground
Carbon dioxide in the air is genetically linked to the earth. Constantly occurring soil movements increase the reserves of CO 2 in the air, where it is used by plants to form organic elements. Carbon dioxide performs an important function in the formation and aeration of soil. It takes part in the destruction of basic minerals, increasing solubility, and moving carbonates and phosphates.
A significant proportion of carbon dioxide in ground air appears as a result of the activity of soil organisms during the decay and oxidation of an organic element. Up to 1/3 of CO 2 is produced by the roots of tall plants. There is also an influx of carbon dioxide with gases of juvenile and vadose origin from the deepest spheres of the earth. In soils formed on calcareous rocks, CO 2 can act as a product of the destruction of calcium carbonate by soil acids.
CO 2 from ground air has enormous biological significance. Its excess (more than 1%) inhibits seed germination and root system growth. If you remove carbon dioxide, its short-term excess will still lead to slow seed growth.
In soils with a high content of organic matter, the concentration of CO 2 in summer and spring increases to 3-9%. Chernozem soils produce from 2 to 6 kg of carbon dioxide over 24 hours. In the soil air at a depth of 75-150 cm, the CO 2 content is twice as high as in the upper layers. In warm times, the content of CO 2 in the soil air is twice as high as in winter. This can be explained by an increase in the activity of organisms in the soil.
It is necessary to understand that numerous farming methods lead to an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the soil. Among them are:
- organic fertilizers;
- grass sowing;
- compression by rollers.
Of course, it is not worth saying that the fertility and quality of the land depends solely on carbon dioxide; there are other factors that influence this.
To regulate the dynamics of CO2 in the soil and increase its content to the required amount to obtain a good harvest, it is necessary:
- activate life processes in the soil using aeration;
- carry out proper grass sowing in order to maintain and renew the reserve of organic matter;
- do green manure and apply organic fertilizers.
It is very strange to look now at volcanic emissions, which amount to only 500 Mt (0.5 Gt) of carbon dioxide; we do not take them into account in the calculations due to inconsistency. Over the annual period, plants on land absorb 12 Gt, while the ocean is slightly less - 9 Gt. Another 700 Megatons are spent on carbon cycles over water and land, resulting in an increase in carbon dioxide of +17.3 Gt per year. The trend is increasing; no one is going to sign agreements to limit gas emissions.
There is no doubt that without carbon dioxide, existence on our Earth would be radically different. It is involved in the most important biological, chemical, geological and climatic processes. It is important to know about them to explain many phenomena that occur around us.
