Water vapor, carbon dioxide, and ozone are among the most popular greenhouse gases, and there is a layer of ozone gas that naturally sits near the top of the earth’s air pressure. When harmful chemicals are released into the air, and inevitably the atmosphere, the ozone layer is slowly depleted. This layer also protects us from the harmful rays of the sun, and if it is destroyed, it will be much more difficult for us to enjoy time outdoors, or to grow plants for food and shade. Both humans and animals will have to struggle to survive in these conditions, which is why protecting the ozone layer is so important.

The depletion of the ozone layer has also become a serious environmental issue because carbon dioxide is another greenhouse gas, which plants need in order to survive. Humans can not inhale large amounts of this gas, which is why plants are needed to absorb the carbon dioxide and convert it into oxygen. If there is no safe environment for plants to grow, greenhouse emissions will worsen and our future on the earth will be jeopardized.

If you want to make sure that you’re doing your part to cut down on greenhouse emissions, you can pay special attention to the products you use for your home and personal grooming. For instance, items like hairspray or spray deodorant may contain chemicals that will thin the ozone layer, so check the label for the ‘no CFCs’ symbol. This is also true for some Styrofoam products, so if you’re getting plates or cups for a picnic, be sure to get paper products that are CFC free as well.

Due to the environmental issue of greenhouse emissions and global warming, you should also be extra careful when going outside. Even if you’re only going to be outside for a short period of time, you should make sure that you have adequate sun protection on your face and body—a sunscreen of at least SPF 20 should do. You may also want to purchase sunglasses with UV protection so that you can properly shield your eyes from the sun. While there has been damage done to the earth, we can all do our part to preserve the planet and its resources. Living green in order to save on fuel usage, as well as being an informed consumer are all great ways to make sure that greenhouse emissions are minimized. For more great information on how you can help, visit www.eia.doe.org or www.greenhouse.gov.

But unnatural carbon dioxide emissions, methane emissions, nitrous oxide emissions and other chemical byproducts or emissions can really put a damper on the ecosystem. It is the sheer volume of that has been created and unlike our previous thoughts on humanities affect on the environment was too small to make a difference, we are quickly being proven wrong. Greenhouse gases are out there in such great amounts that they are throwing off the balance of the environment.

The fact that there are carbon dioxide emissions and methane emissions isn’t the biggest part of the problem. Every human being produces carbon dioxide when they breathe and a herd of cows produces enough methane in a year to power an entire house. The problem is that we now create so much of these emissions. It’s simply more than the environment can naturally process, and this leaves the excess gases just hanging around in the atmosphere absorbing heat. That is the nature of the greenhouse effect. The gases essentially seal us into a giant solar oven.

But where does all of these carbon dioxide emissions come from?  Each time a human or animal takes a breath an exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place.  Oxygen is taken in and carbon dioxide is exhaled.  As our world population climbs, so too does the number of animals consumed for meat and with it the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.  In a balanced ecosystem Greenhouse gases are perfectly natural but it is when populations exceed what nature can adequately sustain that problems arise.

The most important step in reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emissions and methane emissions is to regulate the manufacturing processes of the giant factories that are located all over the country. They are the largest producers of these green house emissions. We can all make a difference though, when we realize the things we use everyday cause emissions and that these greenhouse gases are also having the same kind of effect that the big industries are. It is up to all of us to take responsibility. If we wait, and rely on the government to fix everything, then it may be too late. Every person needs to evaluate what kind of impact they are having on the environment, and then act accordingly.

Emissions trading is not hard to understand. It is based on the principles of simple economics. If one company has something that another company needs, then they sell it to them. In this case, the product is an allowance of GHG emissions. It is simple matter of supply and demand and gives the smaller companies a chance to hold some leverage over their larger competitors.

Emissions trading is one of those things that cropped up because people-especially people involved in the production of goods and services-are natural bargainers. Someone managing a corporation realizes that he will have a difficult time reducing ghg emissions on one particular factory, maybe because that factory is old or simply has to produce a lot more. At the same time, he knows he can reduce emissions significantly on another factory that is newer and is required to produce a lot less. So he reasons that it doesn’t really matter if the limit is five units per factory as long as both factories produce no more than 10 units of emissions. So if he can get one factory down to two units, the other can produce eight and still keep the pair of them under regulations.

Of course, that is a simplified explanation of emissions trading, but that’s how it works in a nutshell. It would be better, of course, if it we could somehow convince all factories to reduce emissions to the very minimum amount we can possibly have and still produce goods, but there are so many variables it simply isn’t possible without closing down a lot of plants. And so allowing them to bargain with their GHG Emissions allowances is one way of softening the blow of the restrictions in the first place. It allows them to find a way to comply, and that is something.

While emissions trading may not be the final answer to eliminating harmful greenhouse gas emissions, it is one positive step the effort to at least gain some control over them. This process allows scientists to work with the government to see what further changes we can make. As bigger companies purchase shares of emission allowance from smaller ones, they should be actively working towards developing manufacturing methods that will reduce emissions all together. The long term point of the policy is to give these companies time to develop cleaner technology, not to allow them to keep up business as usual as long as they have money to trade.

To reduce greenhouse gas, we must reduce emissions from the vast numbers of automobiles that we have on the road today, not to mention trucks, factories and all forms of machinery. Automobiles, of course, are the most prevalent. Why, then, aren’t we powering them with a cleaner kind of energy, solar for instance? The reason is big business.

It may seem like a monumental task that we’ll never be able to attain, but the effort to reduce greenhouse gas will make a difference. Even if we can’t reverse the damage that has been done, we can work hard to reduce emissions now and stop the damage in its tracks. For every person who realized the importance of alternative energy sources and chooses to reduce the size of their gaseous footprint, we’ve taken one step closer to eliminating the greenhouse effect. It may be slow, but progress will be made. It’s up to each one of us to make changes ourselves, and to educate those around us to the danger.

Using different kinds of energy, solar for instance, to power our vehicles and our houses will go a long way toward cleaning up the environment. But if we are to reduce emissions significantly, we really need to reduce the number of cars on the road. That’s difficult to do, since our cities have developed in such a way so that a person can’t live an independent life unless he has his own car. You can’t even have one or two cars per family anymore-if there are six people living in a house, chances are, there are six automobiles there. Many people can’t even get to work without a car. We can’t reduce greenhouse gas significantly until we get to the root of the problem.

So in order to significantly reduce greenhouse gas, we will need to change the infrastructure of our entire society. We have to take care of the corporations, as silly as that sounds, but they are the ones making the automobiles. They aren’t just going to go away quietly or lose millions just to make a cleaner car. They do things the way they do them because it’s cheaper. One solution is to have the government step in with new regulations and force them to-but they won’t because big business donates big bucks. So it’s a problem. But it’s more of a political problem than a resource issue. We have the wherewithal-we just need the will.

How much of an effect does human influence really have?

Small, slow increases in the concentrations of greenhouse gases happened prior to the Industrial Revolution. Since the Industrial Revolution in the mid-18th century, the levels have skyrocketed. In the 1970s, greenhouse gas levels spiked dramatically, thanks to new processing techniques. For example, carbon dioxide concentrations increased by approximately 200 parts per million (ppm) since the start of the Industrial Revolution. Fifty ppm were noted from the 1700s to 1973. The next 50 ppm increase occurred from 1973 to 2006.

How is global warming related to greenhouse gases?

Most scientific communities agree that the sudden upswing in global warming is at least partially attributable to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. While a basic tenet of statistical research is that correlation does not prove causality, there seems little doubt that the two events are linked in some way. Much research is currently underway throughout a variety of scientific fields in an effort to determine the specific links.

What happens next?

Scientists predict that even if we are able to bring worldwide greenhouse gas emissions down to an acceptable level, global warming will still progress to some extent. However, limiting greenhouse gas emissions will help to curb the damage done to the environment. If we do not take steps to limit greenhouse gas emissions, then the global effects could become catastrophic over the next hundred or so years.

Some weather experts warn that super storms like Hurricane Katrina could become more frequent and even more deadly. Katrina drew strength from an ocean that was just 2 degrees Fahrenheit about normal. Many other extreme weather events, from fires to tornadoes, can also be linked directly or indirectly to the effects of global warming. As the temperature continues to climb, worsening weather patterns can be expected.

What are some of the new technologies that are being explored to limit greenhouse gas emissions?

New technologies are being explored in a surprisingly vast array of different fields. Sustainable architecture is a new branch of architecture that applies the principles of sustainable design to the creation of new buildings. The goal is to replace traditional building materials and processes, which often contribute greatly to greenhouse emissions, with new ones that cause less impact on the environment. Examples of sustainable design details are on-site energy production such as wind and solar power and on-site rain harvesting for wash water. A so-called “green building” may also contain such built-in features as low-emitting windows, building materials that allow for more efficient heating and cooling, and deciduous trees on the property to block the sun in summer but allow it to penetrate during winter.

Sustainable architecture is an important part to reducing worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. However, another large piece of the puzzle is emissions related to cars, from the construction process to the refining of oil that is used for gasoline. New hydrogen powered cars, electric cars and hybrids help to reduce the emissions generated from each car significantly. However, due to the slowness of the new trend to catch on widely, these newer, cleaner cars cannot do the job by themselves.

Many communities have begun to move in the direction of alternative transport. Encouraging carpooling, which reduces the total number of Vehicle Miles Traveled, is a basic tenet that greatly assists with an overall reduction of emissions. However, in order to make a larger impact, alternative means of transportation must also be considered.

Some towns have begun to realize the importance of a clean, safe, and efficient transportation infrastructure. New Orleans, for example, although hampered by Hurricane Katrina, has begun a process of re-instituting the electric streetcars that used to carry passengers cleanly and efficiently throughout the city. Many cities have subway networks, and they are expanding their coverage. Other areas have begun to explore the possibility of high-speed light rail.

Many other new and exciting technologies are right around the corner in a myriad of industries. Working together, we can all do our part to reduce greenhouse emissions and help to combat their negative effects.