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Why the Arctic is climate change's canary in the coal mine - William Chapman

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Melting Away documents the polar regions of our planet, their environments, life forms, history of human exploration, and the communities that work and live there. The images were made in both the Arctic regions of Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland, and Antarctica. Nick Cave once sang, "All things move toward their end." Icebergs give the impression of doing just that, in their individual way, much as humans do; they have been created of unique conditions and shaped by their environments to live a brief life in a manner solely their own. Some go the distance, traveling for many years, slowly being eroded by time and the elements; others get snagged on the rocks and are whittled away by persistent currents. Still, others dramatically collapse in fits of passion and fury. This essay chronicles just a handful of the many thousands of icebergs that are currently headed to their end.

I approach the images of icebergs as portraits of individuals, much like family photos of my ancestors. I seek a moment in their life in which they convey their unique personality, some connection to our own experience, and a glimpse of their soul which endures. As a Shinnecock Indian I was raised to know that all things are interconnected, that there is no such thing as separation or isolation. This way of seeing the world may seem foreign to you, for thousands of years we have listened to a story that gave man dominion over all the earth and its creatures. (How's that been working out for us or the other life forms we share with this planet?) It is time for an older story to be brought back into the light, the one that reminds us that every molecule in our body was once part of a star. That we share this planet, that it does not belong to us, that we belong to it. That we all live in service to each other and that every action has an effect.

As I write this I have in my mind the poetry, the voice, of John Trudell:

We Hear what you say
One Earth, one Mother
One does not sell the Earth
The people walk upon
We are the land
How do we sell our Mother ?
How do we sell the stars ?
How do we sell the air ?
- from his poem Crazy Horse

When I first began traveling to the Arctic and Antarctic over ten years ago, I went out of curiosity, a need to see with my own eyes the glory and magnificence of my planet, our planet, our home. I documented what I felt and saw with my camera, I bore witness and knew that with this privilege came the responsibility of sharing that work, sharing the story and the experience of being in that sacred place of our planet. Without the frozen poles we lose climate stability. Within a decade the images I made were no longer what we had but what we were losing at an alarming rate, but things are always changing-adapt or die. There is no real death or end for an iceberg, only eternal recycling. The ice becomes the water becomes the vapor in the cloud to fall again as rain or snow. This is the way of it. How sad that my images will be the record for what it once looked like in a time when humans had intellect, technology, and reason but no will to see beyond their own timeline and possessed no desire to be a good ancestor.

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Melting Away documents the polar regions of our planet, their environments, life forms, history of human exploration, and the communities that work and live there. The images were made in both the Arctic regions of Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland, and Antarctica. Nick Cave once sang, "All things move toward their end."

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Overview

Greenhouse gases trap heat and make the planet warmer. Human activities are responsible for almost all of the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the last 150 years. The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in the United States is from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation.

EPA tracks total U.S. emissions by publishing the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks. This annual report estimates the total national greenhouse gas emissions and removals associated with human activities across the United States.

The primary sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States are:

(nearly 28.5 percent of 2016 greenhouse gas emissions) - The transportation sector generates the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from transportation primarily come from burning fossil fuel for our cars, trucks, ships, trains, and planes. Over 90 percent of the fuel used for transportation is petroleum based, which includes gasoline and diesel.

(28.4 percent of 2016 greenhouse gas emissions) - Electricity production generates the second largest share of greenhouse gas emissions. Approximately 68 percent of our electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, mostly coal and natural gas.

(22 percent of 2016 greenhouse gas emissions) - Greenhouse gas emissions from industry primarily come from burning fossil fuels for energy, as well as greenhouse gas emissions from certain chemical reactions necessary to produce goods from raw materials.

(11 percent of 2016 greenhouse gas emissions) - Greenhouse gas emissions from businesses and homes arise primarily from fossil fuels burned for heat, the use of certain products that contain greenhouse gases, and the handling of waste.

(9 percent of 2016 greenhouse gas emissions) - Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture come from livestock such as cows, agricultural soils, and rice production.

(offset of 11 percent of 2016 greenhouse gas emissions) - Land areas can act as a sink (absorbing CO₂ from the atmosphere) or a source of greenhouse gas emissions. In the United States, since 1990, managed forests and other lands have absorbed more CO₂ from the atmosphere than they emit.

Emissions and Trends

Since 1990, gross U.S. greenhouse gas emissions have increased by about 2 percent. From year to year, emissions can rise and fall due to changes in the economy, the price of fuel, and other factors. In 2016, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions decreased compared to 2015 levels. This decrease was largely driven by a decrease in emissions from fossil fuel combustion, which was a result of multiple factors including substitution from coal to natural gas consumption in the electric power sector; warmer winter conditions that reduced demand for heating fuel in the residential and commercial sectors.

References
¹ IPCC (2007). Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Exit Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.

² Kahn Ribeiro, S., S. Kobayashi, M. Beuthe, J. Gasca, D. Greene, D. S. Lee, Y. Muromachi, P. J. Newton, S. Plotkin, D. Sperling, R. Wit, P. J. Zhou (2007). Transport and its infrastructure. In Climate Change 2007: Mitigation. Exit Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [B. Metz, O.R. Davidson, P.R. Bosch, R. Dave, L.A. Meyer (eds.)], Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

3 U.S. Energy Information Administration (2016). Electricity Explained - Basics
Electricity Sector Emissions

The Electricity sector involves the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) makes up the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions from the sector, but smaller amounts of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) are also emitted. These gases are released during the combustion of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, to produce electricity. Less than 1 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from the sector come from sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆), an insulating chemical used in electricity transmission and distribution equipment.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Electricity Sector by Fuel Source

Coal combustion is more carbon intensive than burning natural gas or petroleum for electricity. Although coal accounted for about 67 percent of CO ₂ emissions from the sector, it represented only about 32 percent of the electricity generated in the United States in 2016. Another 33 percent of electricity generated in 2016 was generated using natural gas, an increase relative to 2015. Petroleum accounted for less than 1 percent of electricity generation in 2016. The remaining generation in 2016 came from non-fossil fuel sources including nuclear (about 21 percent) and renewable sources (about 14 percent), which include hydroelectricity, biomass, wind, and solar. These other sources usually release fewer greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuel combustion, if any emissions at all.

Emissions and Trends

In 2016, the electricity sector was the second largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for about 28.4 percent of the U.S. total. Greenhouse gas emissions from electricity have decreased by about 1 percent since 1990 due to fuel switching to lower emitting sources of electricity production.
1. U.S. Energy Information Administration (2016). Electricity Explained - Basics.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Electricity End-Use

Electricity is consumed by other sectorsin homes, businesses, and factories. Therefore, it is possible to attribute the greenhouse gas emissions from electricity production to the sectors that use the electricity. Looking at greenhouse gas emissions by end-use sector can help us understand energy demand across sectors and changes in energy use over time.

When emissions from electricity are allocated to the end-use sector, industrial activities account for a much larger share of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Emissions from commercial and residential buildings also increase substantially when emissions from electricity are included, due to their relatively large share of electricity consumption (e.g., lighting and appliances).

Reducing Emissions from Electricity

There are a variety of opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. The table shown below categorizes these opportunities and provides examples. For a more comprehensive list, see Chapter 7 of the Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Exit

Increased Efficiency of Power Plants and Fuel Switching

Increasing efficiency of existing power plants by using advanced technologies or substituting fuels that combust more efficiently.

Converting a conventional coal-powered steam turbine into an advanced turbine that uses pulverized coal.

Converting a coal-powered turbine into a natural gas-powered turbine.

Converting a single-cycle turbine into a combined-cycle turbine.

Renewable Energy

Using renewable energy sources rather than fossil fuel to generate electricity.

Increasing the share of total electricity generated from wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal sources and from certain biofuel sources.

Increased Energy Efficiency (end-use)

Reducing energy demand by increasing efficiency and conservation in homes, businesses, and industry.

EPA's ENERGY STAR® partners removed over 320 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2016 alone, and helped Americans save over $30 billion in energy costs, approximately 400 billion kWh of electricity.

Nuclear Energy

Generating electricity from nuclear processes rather than the combustion of fossil fuels.

Building nuclear power plants as fossil fuel power plants are retired.

Carbon Capture Sequestration and Storage (CCS)

Capturing CO ₂ as a byproduct of fossil fuel combustion before it enters the atmosphere and then transferring the CO ₂ to a long-term storage area, such as an underground geologic formation.

Capturing CO ₂ from the stacks of a coal-fired power plant, and then transferring the CO ₂ via pipeline to a nearby abandoned oil field where the CO ₂ is injected underground. Learn more about CCS.

Reference

Transportation Sector Emissions

The Transportation sector includes the movement of people and goods by cars, trucks, trains, ships, airplanes, and other vehicles. The majority of greenhouse gas emissions from transportation are carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions resulting from the combustion of petroleum-based products, like gasoline, in internal combustion engines. The largest sources of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions include passenger cars and light-duty trucks, including sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and minivans. These sources account for over half of the emissions from the transportation sector. The remaining greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector come from other modes of transportation, including freight trucks, commercial aircraft, ships, boats, and trains, as well as pipelines and lubricants.

Relatively small amounts of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) are emitted during fuel combustion. In addition, a small amount of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions are included in the Transportation sector. These emissions result from the use of mobile air conditioners and refrigerated transport.

Emissions and Trends

In 2016, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation accounted for about 28.5 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making it the largest contributor of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. In terms of the overall trend, from 1990 to 2016, total transportation emissions increased due, in large part, to increased demand for travel. The number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by light-duty motor vehicles (passenger cars and light-duty trucks) increased by approximately 45 percent from 1990 to 2016, as a result of a confluence of factors including population growth, economic growth, urban sprawl, and periods of low fuel prices. Between 1990 and 2004, average fuel economy among new vehicles sold annually declined, as sales of light-duty trucks increased. Starting in 2005, average new vehicle fuel economy began to increase while light-duty VMT grew only modestly for much of the period. Average new vehicle fuel economy has improved almost every year since 2005, and the truck share is about 43 percent of new vehicles in model year 2015.

Learn more about Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Transportation.

Reducing Emissions from Transportation

There are a variety of opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation. The table shown below categorizes these opportunities and provides examples. For a more comprehensive list, see Chapter 8 of the Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Exit

EPA's light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas rules are projected to save consumers $1.7 trillion at the pump by 2025, and eliminate 6 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution.

Fuel Switching

Using fuels that emit less CO ₂ than fuels currently being used. Alternative sources can include biofuels; hydrogen; electricity from renewable sources, such as wind and solar; or fossil fuels that are less CO ₂-intensive than the fuels that they replace.

Learn more about Green Vehicles and Alternative and Renewable Fuels.

Using public buses that are fueled by compressed natural gas rather than gasoline or diesel.

Using electric or hybrid automobiles, provided that the energy is generated from lower-carbon or non-fossil fuels.

Using renewable fuels such as low-carbon biofuels.

Improving Fuel Efficiency with Advanced Design, Materials, and Technologies

Using advanced technologies, design, and materials to develop more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Learn about EPA's vehicle greenhouse gas rules.

Developing advanced vehicle technologies such as hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles, that can store energy from braking and use it for power later.

Reducing the weight of materials used to build vehicles.

Reducing the aerodynamic resistance of vehicles through better shape design.

Improving Operating Practices

Adopting practices that minimize fuel use.
Improving driving practices and vehicle maintenance.

Learn about how the freight transportation industry can reduce emissions through EPA's SmartWay Program.

Reducing the average taxi time for aircraft.

Driving sensibly (avoiding rapid acceleration and braking, observing the speed limit).

Reducing engine-idling.

Improved voyage planning for ships, such as through improved weather routing, to increase fuel efficiency.

Reducing Travel Demand

Employing urban planning to reduce the number of miles that people drive each day.

Reducing the need for driving through travel efficiency measures such as commuter, biking, and pedestrian programs.

Learn about EPA's Smart Growth Program.

Building public transportation, sidewalks, and bike paths to increase lower-emission transportation choices.

Zoning for mixed use areas, so that residences, schools, stores, and businesses are close together, reducing the need for driving.

Industry Sector Emissions

The Industry sector produces the goods and raw materials we use every day. The greenhouse gases emitted during industrial production are split into two categories: direct emissions that are produced at the facility, and indirect emissions that occur off site, but are associated with the facility's use of energy.

Direct emissions are produced by burning fuel for power or heat, through chemical reactions, and from leaks from industrial processes or equipment. Most direct emissions come from the consumption of fossil fuels for energy. A smaller amount, roughly a third, come from leaks from natural gas and petroleum systems, the use of fuels in production (e.g., petroleum products used to make plastics), and chemical reactions during the production of chemicals, iron and steel, and cement.

Indirect emissions are produced by burning fossil fuel at a power plant to make electricity, which is then used by an industrial facility to power industrial buildings and machinery.

More information about facility-level emissions from large industrial sources is available through EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program's data publication tool. National-level information about emissions from industry as a whole can be found in the sections on Fossil Fuel Combustion and the Industrial Processes chapter in the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks.

Emissions and Trends

In 2016, direct industrial greenhouse gas emissions accounted for approximately 22 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making it the third largest contributor to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, after the and sectors. If both direct and indirect emissions associated with electricity use are included, industry's share of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2016 was 29 percent, making it the largest contributor of greenhouse gases of any sector. Greenhouse gas emissions from industry have declined by almost 14 percent since 1990, while emissions from most other sectors have increased.

Reducing Emissions from Industry

There are a wide variety of industrial activities that cause greenhouse gas emissions, and many opportunities to reduce them. The table shown below provides some examples of opportunities for industry to reduce emissions. For a more comprehensive list, see Chapter 10 of the Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Exit

Energy Efficiency

Upgrading to more efficient industrial technology.
EPA's ENERGY STAR® program helps industries become more energy-efficient.

Identifying the ways that (87 pp, 1 M, manufacturers About PDF) can use less energy to light and heat factories or to run equipment.

Fuel Switching

Switching to fuels that result in less CO ₂ emissions but the same amount of energy, when combusted.

Using natural gas instead of coal to run machinery.

Recycling

Producing industrial products from materials that are recycled or renewable, rather than producing new products from raw materials.

Using scrap steel and scrap aluminum as opposed to smelting new aluminum or forging new steel.

Training and Awareness

Making companies and workers aware of the steps to reduce or prevent emissions leaks from equipment.
EPA has a variety of voluntary programs that provide resources for training and other steps for reducing emissions. EPA supports programs for the aluminum, semiconductor, and magnesium industries.

Instituting handling policies and procedures for perfluorocarbons (PFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF ₆) that reduce occurrences of accidental releases and leaks from containers and equipment.

Commercial and Residential Sector Emissions

The residential and commercial sectors include all homes and commercial businesses (excluding agricultural and industrial activities). Greenhouse gas emissions from this sector come from direct emissions including fossil fuel combustion for heating and cooking needs, management of waste and wastewater, and leaks from refrigerants in homes and businesses as well as indirect emissions that occur offsite but are associated with use of electricity consumed by homes and businesses.

Direct emissions are produced from residential and commercial activities in a variety of ways:

Combustion of natural gas and petroleum products for heating and cooking needs emits carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O). Emissions from natural gas consumption represent about 78 percent of the direct fossil fuel CO₂ emissions from the residential and commercial sectors. Coal consumption is a minor component of energy use in both of these sectors.

Organic waste sent to landfills emits CH₄.

Wastewater treatment plants emit CH₄ and N₂O.

Fluorinated gases (mainly hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs) used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems can be released during servicing or from leaking equipment.

Indirect emissions are produced by burning fossil fuel at a power plant to make electricity, which is then used in residential and commercial activities such as lighting and for appliances.
¹ EPA (2012). Energy Efficiency for Water and Wastewater Utilities. Accessed 03/13/2012
More national-level information about emissions from the residential and commercial sectors can be found in the U.S. Inventory's Energy and Trends chapters.

Emissions and Trends

In 2016, direct greenhouse gas emissions from homes and businesses accounted for approximately 11 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from homes and businesses vary from year to year based on short-term fluctuations in energy consumption caused primarily by weather conditions. Total residential and commercial greenhouse gas emissions in 2016 have increased by about 7 percent since 1990. Greenhouse gas emissions from on-site direct emissions in homes and businesses have decreased by about 3 percent since 1990. Additionally, indirect emissions from use by homes and businesses have increased by 14 percent since 1990, due to increasing electricity consumption for lighting, heating, air conditioning, and appliances.

Reducing Emissions from Homes and Businesses

The table shown below provides some examples of opportunities to reduce emissions from homes and businesses. For a more comprehensive list of options and a detailed assessment of how each option affects different gases, see Chapter 9 and Chapter 12 of the Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Exit

Homes and Commercial Buildings

Reducing energy use through energy efficiency.

Homes and commercial buildings use large amounts of energy for heating, cooling, lighting, and other functions. "Green building" techniques and retrofits can allow new and existing buildings to use less energy to accomplish the same functions, leading to fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Techniques to improve building energy efficiency include better insulation; more energy-efficient heating, cooling, ventilation, and refrigeration systems; efficient fluorescent lighting; passive heating and lighting to take advantage of sunlight; and the purchase of energy-efficient appliances and electronics. Learn more about ENERGY STAR®.

Wastewater Treatment

Making water and wastewater systems more energy-efficient.

Drinking water and wastewater systems account for approximately 3 percent to 4 percent of energy use in the United States. Studies estimate potential savings of 15 percent to 30 percent that are "readily achievable" in water and wastewater plants.
Learn more about Energy Efficiency for Water and Wastewater Utilities.

Waste Management

Reducing solid waste sent to landfills.
Capturing and using methane produced in current landfills.

Landfill gas is the natural byproduct of the decomposition of solid waste in landfills. It primarily consists of CO ₂ and CH ₄.
Well established, low-cost methods to reduce greenhouse gases from consumer waste exist, including recycling programs, waste reduction programs, and landfill methane capture programs.

Refrigeration

Reducing leakage from refrigeration equipment.
Using refrigerants with lower global warming potentials.

Commonly used refrigerants include ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) refrigerants, often HCFC-22, and blends consisting entirely or primarily of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), both of which are potent greenhouse gases. In recent years there have been several advancements in refrigeration technology that can help food retailers reduce both refrigerant charges and refrigerant emissions.
Learn more about EPA's GreenChill Program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from commercial refrigerators.

References

Agriculture Sector Emissions

Agricultural activities - crop and livestock production for food - contribute to emissions in a variety of ways:

Various management practices on agricultural soils can lead to increased availability of nitrogen in the soil and result in emissions of nitrous oxide (N₂O). Specific activities that contribute to N₂O emissions from agricultural lands include the application of synthetic and organic fertilizers, the growth of nitrogen-fixing crops, the drainage of organic soil, and irrigation practices. Management of agricultural soils accounts for over half of the emissions from the Agriculture economic sector.*

Livestock, especially ruminants such as cattle, produce methane (CH₄) as part of their normal digestive processes. This process is called enteric fermentation, and it represents almost one third of the emissions from the Agriculture economic sector.

The way in which manure from livestock is managed also contributes to CH₄ and N₂O emissions. Different manure treatment and storage methods affect how much of these greenhouse gases are produced. Manure management accounts for about 15 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions from the Agriculture economic sector in the United States.

Smaller sources of agricultural emissions include CO₂ from liming and urea application, CH4 from rice cultivation, and burning crop residues, which produces CH₄ and N₂O.

More national-level information about emissions from agriculture can be found in the agriculture chapter in the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks.

* Management of croplands and grasslands can also lead to emissions or sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO₂). However, these emissions and removals are included under the .

Emissions and Trends

In 2016, greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture economic sector accounted for approximately 9 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture have increased by approximately 17 percent since 1990. One driver for this increase has been the 68 percent growth in combined CH ₄ and N ₂ O emissions from livestock manure management systems, reflecting the increased use of emission-intensive liquid systems over this time period. Emissions from other agricultural sources have either remained flat or changed by a relatively small amount since 1990.

Reducing Emissions from Agriculture

The table shown below provides some examples of opportunities to reduce emissions from agriculture. For a more comprehensive list of options and a detailed assessment of how each option affects different gases, see Chapter 11 of the Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Exit

Land and Crop Management

Adjusting the methods for managing land and growing crops.

Fertilizing crops with the appropriate amount of nitrogen required for optimal crop production, since over-application of nitrogen can lead to higher N₂O emissions without enhancing crop production.

Draining water from wetland rice soils during the growing season to reduce CH₄ emissions.

Livestock Management

Adjusting feeding practices and other management methods to reduce the amount of CH ₄ resulting from enteric fermentation.

Improving pasture quality to increase animal productivity, which can reduce the amount of CH₄ emitted per unit of animal product. Also, increased productivity in livestock can be introduced through improved breeding practices.

Manure Management

Controlling the way in which manure decomposes to reduce N₂O and CH₄ emissions.

Capturing CH₄ from manure decomposition to produce renewable energy.

Handling manure as a solid or depositing it on pasture rather than storing it in a liquid-based system such as a lagoon. This would likely reduce CH₄ emissions but may increase N₂O emissions.

Storing manure in anaerobic containment areas to maximize CH₄ production and then capturing the CH₄ to use as an energy substitute for fossil fuels.

For more information, see EPA's AgSTAR Program, a voluntary outreach and education program that promotes recovery and use of methane from animal manure.

Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry Sector Emissions and Sequestration

Plants absorb carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere as they grow, and they store some of this carbon throughout their lifetime. Soils can also store some of the carbon from these plants depending on how the soil is managed and other environmental conditions (e.g., climate). This storage of carbon in plants and soils is called biological carbon sequestration. Because biological sequestration takes CO ₂ out of the atmosphere, it is also called a carbon "sink."

Emissions or sequestration of CO ₂, CH ₄ and N ₂ O can occur from management of lands in their current use or as lands are converted to other uses. Carbon dioxide is exchanged between the atmosphere and the plants and soils on land, for example, as cropland is converted into grassland, as lands are cultivated for crops, or as forests grow. In addition, using biological feedstocks (such as energy crops or wood) for purposes such as electricity generation, as inputs to processes that create liquid fuels, or as building materials can lead to emissions or sequestration.*

In the United States overall, since 1990, Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) activities have resulted in more removal of CO ₂ from the atmosphere than emissions. Because of this, the LULUCF sector in the United States is considered a net sink, rather than a source, of CO ₂ over this time-period. In many areas of the world, the opposite is true, particularly in countries where large areas of forest land are cleared, often for conversion to agricultural purposes or for settlements. In these situations, the LULUCF sector can be a net source of greenhouse gas emissions.

* Emissions f rom c arbon s tocks are presented under the Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry sector in the Inventory. However, e missions from methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) are presented in the Energy sector.

Emissions and Trends

In 2016, the net CO ₂ removed from the atmosphere from the LULUCF sector offset about 11 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Between 1990 and 2016, total carbon sequestration in the LULUCF sector decreased by approximately 9 percent, primarily due to a decrease in the rate of net carbon accumulation in forests and cropland, as well as an increase in CO ₂ emissions from urbanization.

Reducing Emissions and Enhancing Sinks from Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry

In the LULUCF sector, opportunities exist to reduce emissions and increase the potential to sequester carbon from the atmosphere by enhancing sinks. The table shown below provides some examples of opportunities for both reducing emissions and enhancing sinks. For a more comprehensive list, see Chapter 11 of the Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Exit

Change in Uses of Land

Increasing carbon storage by using land differently or maintaining carbon storage by avoiding land degradation.

Minimizing the conversion of forest land to other land uses, such as settlements, croplands, or grasslands.

Changes in Land Management Practices

Improving management practices on existing land-use types.

Utilizing reduced tillage practices on cropland and improved grazing management practices on grassland.

Planting after natural or human-induced forest disturbances to accelerate vegetation growth and minimize soil carbon losses.

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Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions | US EPA

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Greenhouse gases trap heat and make the planet warmer. Human activities are responsible for almost all of the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the last 150 years. The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in the United States is from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation.

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Climate change: Earth's giant game of Tetris - Joss Fong

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A Vanishing Island Off the Louisiana Coast

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A Vanishing Island Off the Louisiana Coast

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The Vanishing Island | Op-Docs | The New York Times

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Newsela | Scientists say rising sea levels in Florida provide clue to climate change

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Archaeologists found submerged bricks from a fort that was on land in the 1800s. Scientists say that means sea levels started rising faster when factories started burning coal.

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Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

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Yes, yes, Greenland is melting. You already knew that...probably. And the giant flux of fresh water pouring out of the second largest ice sheet on the planet isn't slowing down anytime soon. Greenland's ice melt is actually accelerating. In the last decade alone, NASA's twin GRACE satellites measured it gushing 2 trillion tons of ice like a fire hose pouring fresh water into the North Atlantic.

But it's easier to focus on politics, celebrity gossip, reality TV and cat videos than on Earth's climate. It seems like everyone's all "Greenland? Who cares. Whatever. Next." And that upsets me.

Is it really that easy to pretend the effects of global warming don't exist?

We overlook Greenland ice loss at our own peril. It's one of the largest contributors to accelerating sea level rise, and in the U.S. alone, nearly 5 million people live in 2.6 million homes at less than 4 feet above high tide. If you happen to be one of them, you should definitely pay attention to Greenland.

Fortunately for all of us, NASA is paying attention to Greenland in a big way. We're so concerned about the amount of ice loss that we've named a Greenland observing expedition Oceans Melting Greenland, or OMG for short, because that's the most appropriate response to the phenomenon.

Dr. Josh Willis oversees integration of the GLISTIN-A radar instrument to the belly of the aircraft.

This week, OMG heads up north on one of NASA's G-III modified airplanes to continue a five-year mission that will look closely at how warming ocean water interacts with glaciers surrounding Greenland and melts them. The project began this past year by mapping undersea canyons via a ship equipped with an echo sounder. For this next part of the investigation, a radar instrument attached to the bottom of the G-III, called the Airborne Glacier and Land Ice Surface Topography Interferometer (GLISTIN-A), will be able to measure precisely how much the oceans are eating away at the edges of the ice on a glacier-by-glacier basis.

Instrument integration (a fancy word for attaching instruments to planes and making sure they work and don't come loose) went down at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center, and Principal Invesigator Dr. Josh Willis, Project Manager Steve Dinardo, Co-Investigator Dr. Ian Fenty and I headed there to check it out.

Glaciers on the edge

As the technicians and engineers tweaked fistfuls of wires, we crawled in, under, through and around the aircraft. Then Dr. Ian Fenty (who helped design the flight plan) and I sat aboard our flying science lab and talked ice loss for a while. "We often find that a glacier that's been retreating a lot might be in 1,000 feet of water," he explained. "Whereas the glacier that's not thinning very much is in water that's only 100 or 200 feet deep." That's because the layers of ocean water around Greenland are in a very unique situation, where you have colder fresh glacier meltwater near the surface over salty ocean water that, due to climate change, has been warming. The water found at 600 feet and below is a relatively warm 4 degrees Celsius compared with the surface water, which is just near freezing at 0 degrees. This means that the "primary suspect" behind the acceleration of Greenland's melting glaciers is the warming ocean waters that can get right up against the edge and interact with the glacier itself.

As the surface of lower elevation glaciers melts, the water percolates through the ice and forms giant subglacial channels, like a river system under the ice. If the ice running through these narrow rivers breaks off, the friction between the glacier and the substrate gets reduced a bit and literally stretches the ice so the glacier thins out. OMG's GLISTIN-A radar is going to measure the height of the ice. "If we see a change in elevation from one year to the next, we can know how much ice is being lost and how much the movement of the glacier is speeding up." Over the next five years OMG plans to go back to Greenland to look for more changes.

NASA technicians put the final touches on the GLISTIN-A instrument.

As I left the hangar and headed home, I thought about how Greenland is such a weird part of the world and how much I hope our society can put aside its troubles so we can work together to preserve it.

Find out more about Oceans Melting Greenland here.

Thank you for your comments.

Laura

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Greenland is melting and it's time to pay attention - Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet

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Yes, yes, Greenland is melting. You already knew that...probably. And the giant flux of fresh water pouring out of the second largest ice sheet on the planet isn't slowing down anytime soon. Greenland's ice melt is actually accelerating.

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Watch the video, and then respond to it using this ORGANIZER.

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Climate Change 101 with Bill Nye | National Geographic

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Look at this comic and read the explanations. Answer the questions on a blank Google Doc.

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Read this article. When finished, click the Flipgrid link and tell us something YOU will do to help!

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Can I help nature to help us?

Yes! We can all take notice of our environment. We can learn how our planet works. We can learn how to live on it without making a mess of it. We can help to keep it magnificent for ourselves, our children and grandchildren, and other living things besides us.

Some of the ways you can help may have to wait until you are a little older-like choosing an energy-efficient car, installing solar panels on the roof of your house, or choosing a "green career."

But there are many important ways you can help right now.

You can help by growing your own vegetables and fruits. You can help by planting a tree. Your new plants and trees will help to remove the greenhouse gas CO ₂ from the air. If you grow some of your own food, you will also help to prevent more CO ₂ from entering the air from the fossil-fuel-burning trucks, planes, and ships that transport your food to you from far away.

How can I reduce my "carbon footprint"?

Your carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air because of your own energy needs. You need transportation, electricity, food, clothing, and other goods. Your choices can make a difference.

Swap old incandescent light bulbs for the new compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). They use only 25% as much electricity to give the same light. They last ten times longer.

Turn off lights, TVs, computers, when you do not need them.

Unplug! Any electronic gadget you can turn on with a remote (TV, DVD player, Nintendo, Xbox) uses power even when it is "off." Appliances with a digital clock (like a coffee maker) or a power adapter (like a laptop computer) also suck power like a sneaky vampire. Plug these kinds of things into a surge protector or power strip that has an on/off switch. Then you can shut off all the power without unplugging each gadget.

There are even power strips that glow to show you how much power is going through them, and power strips you can control from your computer or iPhone.

Turn up the thermostat on the air conditioning when it's hot. Use fans if you're still hot. They use much less power.

Turn down the thermostat on the heating when it's cold. Sweaters, blankets, and socks are good for you and better for the planet.

Walk or ride your bike instead of taking a car everywhere. Even a 2-mile car trip puts 2 pounds of CO ₂ into the atmosphere!

If you must ride, carpool.

Stay out of the drive thru! When you go to a fast-food place, ask your driver to park the car and let you walk inside, rather than sitting in a line of cars with the engine running and polluting.

How can I reduce my trash pile?

Ask your parents to buy reusable grocery bags. Help them to remember to get them out of the car and take them into the store.

Recycle everything you can. If your city does not pick up recycled materials, find out who you can talk to about starting this service. You should be recycling paper, aluminum cans, cardboard, food cans, plastic, glass, newspapers, magazines, junk mail, phone books, and anything else made of paper.

Shop thrift stores. "BYOM." Bring your own mug. That's what you can tell your parents when they stop to buy their morning coffee. Use less paper whenever possible. Save the trees.

Drink tap water-filtered, if you like-instead of bottled water. Carry your drinking water in a reusable bottle. Plastic water bottles are an environmental disaster!

Use fewer containers. Buy the product that uses less packaging material. Even if you recycle packaging materials, it takes energy to create them in the first place and energy to remake them into something else.

Practice by playing "Recycle This!."

Do I need to save water too?

People and animals in many parts of the world do not have clean, safe water to drink. As many more regions are hit by drought, this problem will become even more serious. The sooner we start conserving water, the better off we all will be. Be aware of how much water you use.

Imagine you live in a recreational vehicle (RV), and your water tank holds only 50 gallons. Every time you turn on the water, the noisy electric water pump has to turn on too, sucking up your RV's battery power. Would you keep the water running while you brush your teeth? Would you spend 15 minutes in the shower using up all the water in the tank and depleting the battery? Would you plant a thirsty lawn in front of your RV if you were parked in the desert? Of course not!

How can I make a real difference?

You can choose a "green career." You can help to solve climate change problems and challenges. These are the exciting careers of the future. They range from designing satellites for NASA to fixing wind-energy generators to planning drought-tolerant landscapes for homes and parks. Many of the possible careers haven't even been thought of yet. You could invent your own career! Check out some Green Careers.

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We can do a lot, including planning for a green career.

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Carbon dioxide is the engine of life on earth.  Carbon dioxide  collects heat from the sun and brings it to earth and i puts a blanket over the earth and it is called the green house affect.

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Climate Comics
Climate Comics
Look at this comic and read the 