![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() One part per million is equivalent to one drop of water diluted into about 13 gallons of liquid (roughly the fuel tank of a compact car). Greenhouse gas concentrations are measured in parts per million, parts per billion, and even parts per trillion. Larger emissions of greenhouse gases lead to higher concentrations in the atmosphere. How abundant are greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?Ĭoncentration, or abundance, is the amount of a particular gas in the air. With global warming potentials (GWPs) that typically range from thousands to tens of thousands, they are sometimes referred to as high-GWP gases because, for a given amount of mass, they trap substantially more heat than CO 2.Įach gas's effect on climate change depends on three main factors: Fluorinated gases are typically emitted in smaller quantities than other greenhouse gases, but they are potent greenhouse gases. Fluorinated gases (especially hydrofluorocarbons) are sometimes used as substitutes for stratospheric ozone-depleting substances (e.g., chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and halons). Fluorinated gases: Hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen trifluoride are synthetic, powerful greenhouse gases that are emitted from a variety of household, commercial, and industrial applications and processes.Nitrous oxide (N 2O): Nitrous oxide is emitted during agricultural, land use, and industrial activities combustion of fossil fuels and solid waste as well as during treatment of wastewater.Methane emissions also result from livestock and other agricultural practices, land use, and by the decay of organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills. Methane (CH 4): Methane is emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil.Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere (or "sequestered") when it is absorbed by plants as part of the biological carbon cycle. Carbon dioxide (CO 2): Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil), solid waste, trees and other biological materials, and also as a result of certain chemical reactions (e.g., cement production).For more information on the other climate forcers, such as black carbon, please visit the Climate Change Indicators: Climate Forcing page. This section provides information on emissions and removals of the main greenhouse gases to and from the atmosphere. Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are called greenhouse gases. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990–2021. This net sink is not shown in the above diagram. All emission estimates from the Inventory of U.S. Percentages may not add up to 100% due to independent rounding. Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry in the United States is a net sink and offsets 12% of these greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions in 2021 = 6,340 Million Metric Tons of CO₂ equivalent (excludes land sector). Historically, that region has been the largest contributor to the nation’s wealth, so it became common practice to use the name as a synonym for the entire country.Total U.S. The Netherlands’ largest city- Amsterdam-is located in Noord Holland. So how did the entire country get nicknamed after two regions?īlame bad branding. Of the 12 provinces that make up the Netherlands, Noord (North) Holland and Zuid (South) Holland are just two of them. According to the CIA World Factbook, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815 (and Belgium seceded from it in 1830-another fun fact I didn’t know). The difference between Holland and Netherlands is the former is a province, while the later is the name of the entire country. Turns out that after decades of being considered interchangeable terms, Holland and the Netherlands are two very different things. So when the Dutch government recently axed “Holland” from its tourism campaigns and all official government communications, you may have been sent, as I was, into a geographic tailspin. If you’re like me, you probably grew up thinking Holland and the Netherlands were both names for the European country famous for Gouda cheese, tulips, and wooden clogs. Next up: What’s the difference between Holland and the Netherlands? Welcome to AFAR Answers: a deep dive into all your unanswered travel questions. ![]()
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