BENGALURU, India (AP) — Greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases, are all heating up the planet. So what are the main human activities that cause them?
The biggest share of these planet-warming gasses is spewed for energy, as coal, oil and gas still provide a lot of the world’s needs. Energy for industries like steel and iron, electricity to turn the lights on in homes and buildings, and gas to fuel up cars, ships and planes, all pump carbon dioxide into the air if they’re not coming from renewable sources.
Agricultural practices, like deforestation and livestock, make up almost a fifth of the world’s emissions. Waste such as landfill, leaks from oil and gas extraction and processes like cement-making which makes carbon dioxide as a byproduct also emit greenhouse gasses.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of an ongoing series answering some of the most fundamental questions around climate change, the science behind it, the effects of a warming planet and how the world is addressing it.