Klimarapport til paperturn UK - Flipbook - Side 6
GREENHOUSE GASES
Greenhouse gases (GHG) trap heat in the atmosphere, as they can absorb and emit radiant energy in the thermal infrared range, causing what is known as the greenhouse effect.
Since 1750, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was increased from 280 ppm to
419 ppm (2021). At the current rate, temperatures could increase by 2°C, which the United Nations’ IPCC describes as the maximum limit to avoid “dangerous” levels by 2050.
Most of the man-made GHG emissions come from the combustion of fossil fuels like oil, coal,
and natural gas, while significant contributions are added from fertilizer production, cement manufacturing, deforestation, as well as land use for the agri-food sector.
FOR EXAMPLE
Carbon dioxide (CO2): It is emitted through the burning of fossil fuels, trees, and solid waste, and
it is also the result of chemical reactions that occur during processes like cement manufacturing. Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere when plants absorb it during the biological
carbon cycle.
6 | STEFFCA.DK
1 ton of CH4 contributes
as much as 28 tons of CO2
in a 100-year horizon.
N2O is much more polluting
and 1 ton of N2O contributes
as much as 265 tons of CO2.