The constituents of global greenhouse gas emissions (those gasses which contribute to global warming) can be seen below:
Figure 1.4: Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Gas
| Source | 2010 Data |
|---|---|
| Carbon Dioxide (fossil fuels and industrial processes) | 65% |
| Carbon Dioxide (forestry and other land use) | 11% |
| Methane | 16% |
| Nitrous Oxide | 6% |
| Flourinated Gasses | 2% |
To see just how much the energy sector contributes to these emissions, please see below.
Note: The pie chart below is interactive. You can click on sectors of the chart to see the proportions within a sector or category.
Figure 1.5: Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Sector (%)
| Sector | Category | Industry Sub-sector | Emissions % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy (73.2%) | Used in Industry (24.2%) | Other | 10.6 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Used in Industry (24.2%) | Iron and Steel | 7.2 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Used in Industry (24.2%) | Chemical and Petrochemical | 3.6 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Used in Industry (24.2%) | Food and Tobacco | 1.0 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Used in Industry (24.2%) | Non Ferrous | 0.7 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Used in Industry (24.2%) | Paper Pulp | 0.6 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Used in Industry (24.2%) | Machinery | 0.5 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Used in Buildings (17.5%) | Residential | 10.9 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Used in Buildings (17.5%) | Commercial | 6.6 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Transportation (16.2%) | Road | 11.9 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Transportation (16.2%) | Aviation | 1.9 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Transportation (16.2%) | Shipping | 1.7 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Transportation (16.2%) | Rail | 0.4 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Transportation (16.2%) | Pipeline | 0.3 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Unallocated Fuel Combustion | -- | 7.8 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Fugitive Emissions | -- | 5.8 |
| Energy (73.2%) | Agriculture & Fishing | -- | 1.7 |
| Agriculture (18.4%) | Livestock and Manure | -- | 5.8 |
| Agriculture (18.4%) | Agricultural Soils | -- | 4.1 |
| Agriculture (18.4%) | Crop Burning | -- | 3.5 |
| Agriculture (18.4%) | Deforestation | -- | 2.2 |
| Agriculture (18.4%) | Cropland | -- | 1.4 |
| Agriculture (18.4%) | Rice Cultivation | -- | 1.3 |
| Agriculture (18.4%) | Grassland | -- | 0.1 |
| Industry (5.2%) | Cement | -- | 3.0 |
| Industry (5.2%) | Chemicals | -- | 2.2 |
| Waste (3.2%) | Landfills | -- | 1.9 |
| Waste (3.2%) | Wastewater | -- | 1.3 |
Hopefully, it becomes apparent that to address the threat of global warming, addressing the greenhouse gas intensity of the energy sector is paramount. In order to address this intensity, we must understand how the markets for energy work. This understanding helps us to make better decisions as we are confronted with choices to make in our professions.