PrintThe Environment
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
Click for a text description of Figure 1.4
Credit: 2010 EPA Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data(link is external). Based on IPCC (2014)(link is external). Details about the sources included in these estimates can be found in the Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(link is external).
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 (%)
Click for a text description of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Sector
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.