Pie Chart Of Carbon Emissions

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Global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, at a time when they need to exist speedily falling.

To effectively reduce emissions we need to know where they are coming from – which sectors contribute the nearly? How can we use this understanding to develop constructive solutions and mitigation strategies?

Below we look at the breakdown of emissions – total greenhouse gases, plus carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide individually – by sector.

Sector by sector: where do global greenhouse gas emissions come up from?

Energy (electricity, heat and ship): 73.ii%
Directly Industrial Processes: five.2%
Waste product: three.2%
Agriculture, Forestry and State Apply: 18.4%

To prevent severe climatic change we need to rapidly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. The earth emits around 50 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases each twelvemonth [measured in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO_iieq)].¹

To figure out how we tin most effectively reduce emissions and what emissions tin can and can't exist eliminated with current technologies, we need to first sympathise where our emissions come from.

In this post I nowadays only ane chart, but it is an important ane – information technology shows the breakdown of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2016.² This is the latest breakdown of global emissions past sector, published by Climate Watch and the World Resource Establish.³ ^, ^four

The overall picture y'all see from this diagram is that almost three-quarters of emissions come from energy use; almost one-fifth from agriculture and state utilise [this increases to one-quarter when we consider the food organisation as a whole – including processing, packaging, transport and retail]; and the remaining 8% from manufacture and waste.

To know what's included in each sector category, I provide a short description of each. These descriptions are based on explanations provided in the IPCC'south Fifth Cess Study AR5) and a methodology newspaper published by the World Resource Institute.⁵ ^, ⁶

Emissions come up from many sectors: nosotros demand many solutions to decarbonize the economy

It is articulate from this breakdown that a range of sectors and processes contribute to global emissions. This ways there is no unmarried or unproblematic solution to tackle climate change. Focusing on electricity, or transport, or food, or deforestation alone is bereft.

Fifty-fifty inside the free energy sector – which accounts for almost three-quarters of emissions – there is no unproblematic fix. Fifty-fifty if we could fully decarbonize our electricity supply, we would also need to electrify all of our heating and road transport. And nosotros'd withal have emissions from shipping and aviation – which nosotros practice not yet have low-carbon technologies for – to bargain with.

To reach net-zero emissions we need innovations across many sectors. Single solutions volition not go us at that place.

Permit's walk through each of the sectors and sub-sectors in the pie chart, one-by-one.

Energy (electricity, heat and transport): 73.2%

Energy use in manufacture: 24.2%

Iron and Steel (7.2%): energy-related emissions from the manufacturing of iron and steel.

Chemical & petrochemical (three.6%): free energy-related emissions from the manufacturing of fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, refrigerants, oil and gas extraction, etc.

Food and tobacco (one%): energy-related emissions from the manufacturing of tobacco products and nutrient processing (the conversion of raw agricultural products into their final products, such every bit the conversion of wheat into bread).

Non-ferrous metals: 0.vii%: Non-ferrous metals are metals which contain very little iron: this includes aluminium, copper, lead, nickel, tin, titanium and zinc, and alloys such as brass. The manufacturing of these metals requires energy which results in emissions.

Paper & pulp (0.half-dozen%): energy-related emissions from the conversion of wood into paper and pulp.

Machinery (0.5%): free energy-related emissions from the production of mechanism.

Other industry (10.half-dozen%): energy-related emissions from manufacturing in other industries including mining and quarrying, construction, textiles, woods products, and send equipment (such as auto manufacturing).

Transport: 16.2%

This includes a small amount of electricity (indirect emissions) as well as all directly emissions from burning fossil fuels to power ship activities. These figures do not include emissions from the manufacturing of motor vehicles or other transport equipment – this is included in the previous point 'Energy employ in Industry'.

Road send (11.9%): emissions from the called-for of petrol and diesel from all forms of road transport which includes cars, trucks, lorries, motorcycles and buses. 60 percentage of road send emissions come from passenger travel (cars, motorcycles and buses); and the remaining xl percentage from route freight (lorries and trucks). This ways that, if we could electrify the whole road transport sector, and transition to a fully decarbonized electricity mix, nosotros could feasibly reduce global emissions by 11.9%.

Aviation (1.ix%): emissions from rider travel and freight, and domestic and international aviation. 81% of aviation emissions come from passenger travel; and 19% from freight.⁷ From passenger aviation, 60% of emissions come up from international travel, and forty% from domestic.

Shipping (ane.7%): emissions from the burning of petrol or diesel fuel on boats. This includes both rider and freight maritime trips.

Track (0.four%): emissions from passenger and freight rail travel.

Pipeline (0.3%): fuels and commodities (eastward.g. oil, gas, h2o or steam) ofttimes need to exist transported (either within or between countries) via pipelines. This requires energy inputs, which results in emissions. Poorly constructed pipelines can likewise leak, leading to direct emissions of methane to the temper – however, this attribute is captured in the category 'Fugitive emissions from energy product'.

Energy use in buildings: 17.v%

Residential buildings (10.9%): energy-related emissions from the generation of electricity for lighting, appliances, cooking etc. and heating at home.

Commercial buildings (vi.6%): energy-related emissions from the generation of electricity for lighting, appliances, etc. and heating in commercial buildings such equally offices, restaurants, and shops.

Unallocated fuel combustion (vii.8%)

Energy-related emissions from the production of free energy from other fuels including electricity and heat from biomass; on-site heat sources; combined heat and power (CHP); nuclear manufacture; and pumped hydroelectric storage.

Fugitive emissions from energy production: 5.8%

Fugitive emissions from oil and gas (3.9%): avoiding emissions are the often-adventitious leakage of methane to the atmosphere during oil and gas extraction and transportation, from damaged or poorly maintained pipes. This besides includes flaring – the intentional called-for of gas at oil facilities. Oil wells tin can release gases, including methane, during extraction – producers frequently don't take an existing network of pipelines to ship it, or it wouldn't make economic sense to provide the infrastructure needed to effectively capture and transport it. But under ecology regulations they demand to bargain with it somehow: intentionally burning it is often a inexpensive style to practice so.

Fugitive emissions from coal (1.9%): fugitive emissions are the accidental leakage of marsh gas during coal mining.

Energy utilise in agriculture and line-fishing (ane.7%)

Energy-related emissions from the use of machinery in agronomics and line-fishing, such equally fuel for farm machinery and fishing vessels.

Direct Industrial Processes: five.2%

Cement (3%): carbon dioxide is produced as a byproduct of a chemic conversion procedure used in the product of clinker, a component of cement. In this reaction, limestone (CaCO₃) is converted to lime (CaO), and produces CO_ii every bit a byproduct. Cement product as well produces emissions from energy inputs – these related emissions are included in 'Energy utilisation in Industry'.

Chemicals & petrochemicals (two.2%): greenhouse gases can exist produced equally a byproduct from chemical processes – for instance, CO₂tin can exist emitted during the production of ammonia, which is used for purifying water supplies, cleaning products, and as a refrigerant, and used in the product of many materials, including plastic, fertilizers, pesticides, and textiles. Chemical and petrochemical manufacturing too produces emissions from energy inputs – these related emissions are included in 'Energy Use in Industry'.

Waste: 3.2%

Wastewater (ane.3%): organic matter and residues from animals, plants, humans and their waste products can collect in wastewater systems. When this organic matter decomposes information technology produces methyl hydride and nitrous oxide.

Landfills (1.ix%): landfills are oftentimes low-oxygen environments. In these environments, organic matter is converted to methane when information technology decomposes.

Agronomics, Forestry and Land Use: 18.4%

Agriculture, Forestry and State Employ directly accounts for eighteen.4% of greenhouse gas emissions. The nutrient arrangement as a whole – including refrigeration, nutrient processing, packaging, and send – accounts for around 1-quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. We look at this in particular here.

Grassland (0.i%): when grassland becomes degraded, these soils can lose carbon, converting to carbon dioxide in the process. Conversely, when grassland is restored (for example, from cropland), carbon can be sequestered. Emissions here therefore refer to the net balance of these carbon losses and gains from grassland biomass and soils.

Cropland (1.4%): depending on the management practices used on croplands, carbon can be lost or sequestered into soils and biomass. This affects the balance of carbon dioxide emissions: CO₂ can be emitted when croplands are degraded; or sequestered when they are restored. The internet modify in carbon stocks is captured in emissions of carbon dioxide. This does non include grazing lands for livestock.

Deforestation (two.two%): net emissions of carbon dioxide from changes in forestry cover. This means reforestation is counted as 'negative emissions' and deforestation as 'positive emissions'. Net forestry change is therefore the difference betwixt forestry loss and gain. Emissions are based on lost carbon stores from forests and changes in carbon stores in wood soils.

Crop called-for (three.5%): the burning of agricultural residues – leftover vegetation from crops such as rice, wheat, sugar cane, and other crops – releases carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. Farmers ofttimes burn ingather residues later on harvest to prepare state for the resowing of crops.

Rice cultivation (1.3%): flooded paddy fields produce methyl hydride through a process called 'anaerobic digestion'. Organic affair in the soil is converted to methane due to the low-oxygen environment of water-logged rice fields. 1.three% seems substantial, but it's important to put this into context: rice accounts for around one-fifth of the globe's supply of calories, and is a staple crop for billions of people globally.^eight

Agricultural soils (4.ane%): Nitrous oxide – a strong greenhouse gas – is produced when synthetic nitrogen fertilizers are applied to soils. This includes emissions from agricultural soils for all agricultural products – including food for direct homo consumption, animal feed, biofuels and other non-nutrient crops (such as tobacco and cotton wool).

Livestock & manure (5.8%): animals (mainly ruminants, such as cattle and sheep) produce greenhouse gases through a procedure chosen 'enteric fermentation' – when microbes in their digestive systems intermission down food, they produce methane as a by-product. This means beef and lamb tend to have a high carbon footprint, and eating less is an effective way to reduce the emissions of your nutrition.

Nitrous oxide and methane can be produced from the decomposition of animal manures under low oxygen conditions. This oftentimes occurs when big numbers of animals are managed in a bars area (such as dairy farms, beef feedlots, and swine and poultry farms), where manure is typically stored in large piles or disposed of in lagoons and other types of manure direction systems 'Livestock' emissions hither include straight emissions from livestock only – they do not consider impacts of land employ change for pasture or animal feed.

Almanac greenhouse gas emissions by sector

Where exercise our greenhouse gas emissions come from?

This nautical chart shows the breakdown of full greenhouse gases (the sum of all greenhouse gases, measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents) past sector.

Here we run across that electricity and estrus production are the largest correspondent to global emissions. This is followed by transport, manufacturing and construction (largely cement and similar materials), and agriculture.

But this is not the same everywhere. If nosotros look at the Usa, for case, send is a much larger contributor than the global average. In Brazil, the majority of emissions come from agriculture and land use change.

How you can interact with this chart

On these charts you encounter the push button Change Country in the lesser left corner – with this option yous tin switch the nautical chart to whatsoever other country in the world.

Per capita greenhouse gas emissions: where practice our emissions come from?

Looking at the breakup of greenhouse gases by sector on aggregate is essential for countries to understand where emissions reductions could accept the largest impact. Merely it can often be unintuitive for individuals to see where there emissions are coming from.

In this chart we evidence how the average person's emissions would be distributed across the different sectors – in effect, this shows the average 'footprint', measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents per year.

How you tin interact with this chart

On these charts you see the push Change Land in the bottom left corner – with this option you tin switch the nautical chart to any other land in the earth.
If you drag the blue fourth dimension-slider y'all will come across the bar chart transform into a line chart, and show the change over time.

Annual CO₂ emissions by sector

The in a higher place charts looked total greenhouse gas emissions – this included other gases such as methane, nitrous oxide, and smaller trace gases.

How does this breakup expect if we focus only on carbon dioxide (CO_ii) emissions? Where does our CO_two come up from?

This chart shows the distribution of CO_two emissions across sectors.

The global breakdown for CO₂ is similar to that of total greenhouse gases – electricity and heat production dominates, followed by transport, and manufacturing and construction. One key difference is that direct agricultural emissions (if nosotros exclude land utilize change and forestry) are not shown; most direct emissions from agronomics result from methyl hydride (production from livestock) and nitrous oxide (released from the awarding of fertilizers).

Like total greenhouse gas emissions, this breakup varies betwixt countries.

Per capita CO₂: where do our emissions come up from?

In this nautical chart nosotros show the per capita breakdown of CO_ii emissions past sector. This is measured in tonnes per person per year.

This allows u.s.a. to ameliorate understand our domestic carbon footprint. Still, it does not correct for the goods and services we purchase from other countries.

Annual CH_iv emissions past sector

The breakdown of CO₂ emissions mirrors total greenhouse gas emissions closely.

The distribution of marsh gas emissions beyond sectors is notably different. This nautical chart shows methane emissions by sector, measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents.

We see that, globally, agriculture is the largest correspondent to methyl hydride emissions. Most of this methane comes from livestock (they produce methane through their digestive processes, in a process known as 'enteric fermentation'). Rice production is also a big correspondent to methane emissions.

Aside from agriculture, fugitive emissions produce a significant amount of methane. 'Fugitive emissions' correspond the unintentional leaks of gas from processes such as fracking, and more than traditional oil and gas extraction and transportation. This can happen when gas is transported through poorly maintained pipes, for case.

Waste is 3rd largest correspondent. Methane is produced in landfills when organic materials decompose.

Per capita CH_iv: where do our emissions come from?

In this chart we show the per capita breakup of marsh gas (CH_iv) emissions past sector. This is measured in tonnes per person per year.

How y'all can interact with this nautical chart

On these charts you meet the button Change Country in the bottom left corner – with this option you tin switch the nautical chart to any other country in the world.
If you drag the blue time-slider you will come across the bar chart transform into a line chart, and show the change over fourth dimension.

Annual N₂ O emissions past sector

Nearly all of our nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions come from agriculture, as this nautical chart shows.

Nitrous oxide is produced by microbes in nearly all soils. But the application of nitrogen fertilizers makes much more nitrogen readily available for microbes to convert to N₂O – this is because not all of the applied nutrients are taken upwardly by crops.

Every bit the application of nitrogen fertilizers has quickly increased over the past 50 years in item, Northward₂O emissions have also increased. Merely nitrous oxide is not only produced when constructed nitrogen fertilizer is applied; the same processes occur when we use organic fertilizers such as animal manure.

Per capita Northward₂ O: where do our emissions come from?

In this chart we show the per capita breakdown of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions by sector. This is measured in tonnes per person per yr.

As expected, nearly all of our nitrous oxide emissions come from agriculture.

Food production is responsible for one-quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions

When information technology comes to tackling climate change, the focus tends to be on 'clean energy' solutions – the deployment of renewable or nuclear energy; improvements in energy efficiency; or transition to low-carbon transport. Indeed, energy, whether in the form of electricity, heat, ship or industrial processes, account for the bulk – 76% – of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.^ix

Only the global nutrient arrangement, which encompasses production, and post-farm process such as processing, and distribution is also a key contributor to emissions. And it's a problem for which we don't still accept feasible technological solutions.

The visualization shown here – based on data from the meta-analysis by Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek (2018), published in Science – summarizes food's share of total emissions and breaks it down by source.^x

Nutrient is responsible for approximately 26% of global GHG emissions.

At that place are 4 fundamental elements to consider when trying to quantify food GHG emissions. These are shown past category in the visualization:

Livestock & fisheries business relationship for 31% of food emissions.
Livestock – animals raised for meat, dairy, eggs and seafood product – contribute to emissions in several ways. Ruminant livestock – mainly cattle – for case, produce methane through their digestive processes (in a process known as 'enteric fermentation'). Manure direction, pasture management, and fuel consumption from fishing vessels also fall into this category. This 31% of emissions relates to on-farm 'production' emissions simply: it does not include land use change or supply chain emissions from the production of crops for brute feed: these figures are included separately in the other categories.

Crop production accounts for 27% of food emissions.
21% of nutrient's emissions comes from crop production for direct homo consumption, and 6% comes from the production of animal feed. They are the direct emissions which outcome from agronomical production – this includes elements such as the release of nitrous oxide from the awarding of fertilizers and manure; methane emissions from rice production; and carbon dioxide from agricultural mechanism.

Land use accounts for 24% of food emissions.
Twice as many emissions upshot from land use for livestock (16%) as for crops for human being consumption (eight%).¹¹Agricultural expansion results in the conversion of forests, grasslands and other carbon 'sinks' into cropland or pasture resulting in carbon dioxide emissions. 'Land use' here is the sum of country use change, savannah burning and organic soil cultivation (plowing and overturning of soils).

Supply chains business relationship for xviii% of nutrient emissions.
Food processing (converting produce from the farm into concluding products), ship, packaging and retail all require free energy and resource inputs. Many assume that eating local is key to a depression-carbon diet, still, transport emissions are often a very small percent of food's total emissions – only 6% globally. Whilst supply chain emissions may seem high, at 18%, it's essential for reducing emissions past preventing food waste matter. Nutrient waste emissions are big: 1-quarter of emissions (3.3 billion tonnes of CO₂eq) from food production ends up equally wastage either from supply concatenation losses or consumers. Durable packaging, refrigeration and food processing can all help to prevent food waste. For example, wastage of processed fruit and vegetables is ~14% lower than fresh, and 8% lower for seafood.¹²

Reducing emissions from nutrient product will be 1 of our greatest challenges in the coming decades. Different many aspects of energy production where viable opportunities for upscaling low-carbon free energy – renewable or nuclear energy – are available, the ways in which we can decarbonize agriculture are less articulate. Nosotros demand inputs such equally fertilizers to come across growing food demands, and we tin't cease cattle from producing methane. We will need a menu of solutions: changes to diets; food waste reduction; improvements in agronomical efficiency; and technologies that make low-carbon food alternatives scalable and affordable.

Nutrient waste is responsible for 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions

Food production accounts for effectually i-quarter – 26% – of global greenhouse gas emissions.^xiii This is a lot, merely it's slightly easier to assimilate when nosotros remind ourselves that food is a basic man need.

What'south harder to make sense of is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions which are acquired in the production of food that is never eaten.

Around 1-quarter of the calories the world produces are thrown away; they're spoiled or spilled in supply chains; or are wasted past retailers, restaurants and consumers.¹⁴ To produce this food we demand land, water, free energy, and fertilizer inputs. It all comes at an ecology cost.

Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek (2018), in their large meta-analysis of global food systems, published in Scientific discipline, estimated how much of our greenhouse gas emissions come up from wasted food.¹⁵

In the visualization hither I bear witness the emissions from wasted food in the context of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The report by Poore and Nemecek (2018) constitute that almost one-quarter – 24% – of food'due south emissions come from nutrient that is lost in supply bondage or wasted past consumers. Almost two-thirds of this (15% of food emissions) comes from losses in the supply chain which result from poor storage and treatment techniques; lack of refrigeration; and spoilage in ship and processing. The other 9% comes from nutrient thrown away past retailers and consumers.

This means that nutrient wastage is responsible for around 6% of full global greenhouse gas emissions.^sixteen In fact, it'south probable to be slightly higher since the assay from Poore and Nemecek (2018) does not include food losses on the subcontract during production and harvesting.

To put this in context: it'south around iii times the global emissions from aviation.¹⁷ Or, if we were to put it in the context of national emissions, it would exist the globe'south 3rd largest emitter.^xviii Merely Communist china (21%) and the United states (13%) emitted more.¹⁹