What are
Greenhouse Gases
Greenhouse gases absorb heat from the sun in the atmosphere, raising the atmosphere’s temperature. The main gases that do this, also known as the Kyoto basket, are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and fluorinated or F-gases, which include hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃).
How are these gases released in the atmosphere? Let’s take a closer look at each:
According to this graph seen in Our World in Data’s article, CO₂ and Greenhouse Gas emissions, these greenhouse gases have been more present in the environment, causing the Earth’s average temperature to significantly rise over time:
Source: Met Office Hadley Centre, 2023
It’s no wonder that we’ve seen an increase in extreme weather in the form of floods, hurricanes, wildfires and much more around the world. These events have been catastrophic to certain regions. They have affected businesses, people, as well as the economy. For this reason, it’s every organization’s duty to do all they can to help decrease the amount of GHG emissions worldwide.
We know this is a challenge and can even be overwhelming, but all you need is a step-by-step approach. What’s the first step? Measure your annual emissions through GHG reporting.