EMISSION OF GREENHOUSE GASES

Greenhouse gases make up only a tiny fraction of the atmosphere, but they can have a big impact, and their proportion is rising rapidly as economic development speeds up around the world. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in middle of the 18th century, levels of carbon dioxide have jumped 30 percent, nitrous oxide 15 percent, and methane 100 percent. At present develop countries emissions account for approximately 60 percent of global total. But, developing countries emissions are growing rapidly, and by 2020, will account for more than half of the world’s emissions. China, which is already the world’s second-largest emitter, will surpass the United States within 15 years. The following subsections describe some the emission sources and the amount of emissions of the greenhouse gases (Rauber 36).