Major Greenhouse Gases from People's Activities

The screen shows a pie chart with five types of greenhouse gases. Clicking each section of the pie reveals a popup with more information about the gases.

Popup for carbon dioxide

Where does it come from?

• Burning fossil fuels to produce electricity and heat buildings.
• Burning gasoline and other fossil fuels to run vehicles.
• Cutting down and burning trees or other vegetation.
• Some industrial and manufacturing processes, like producing cement and certain chemicals.

How long does it stay in the atmosphere?
Anywhere from 50 to thousands of years.

Popup for methane

Where does it come from?

• Raising livestock. Certain animals—especially cows and sheep—produce methane as they digest food. Manure also releases methane when it decays.
• Landfills. As trash in a landfill breaks down over time, it releases methane.
• Producing and transporting natural gas. Natural gas is made mostly of methane, which is released if there are even small leaks in gas pipes.
• Mining coal. Methane is often found underground with coal and can be released during mining.

How long does it stay in the atmosphere?
About 12 years.

How much heat does it trap?
About 25 times more heat than the same amount of carbon dioxide.

Popup for nitrous oxide

Where does it come from?

• Farming practices that add extra nitrogen to the soil, such as applying lots of fertilizer. Certain bacteria that live in the soil turn this extra nitrogen into nitrous oxide.
• Burning fossil fuels.
• Some industrial and manufacturing processes.

How long does it stay in the atmosphere?
About 114 years.

How much heat does it trap?
About 298 times more heat than the same amount of carbon dioxide.

Popup for fluorinated gases

Where do they come from?

• Leaking coolants. Fluorinated gases used as coolants can be released by leaky refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners in cars and homes.

• Some industrial and manufacturing processes, like producing computer chips.

How long do they stay in the atmosphere?
Each gas is different. Some of these gases can last for thousands of years.

How much heat do they trap?
Depending on the gas, anywhere from a few hundred to 23,000 times more heat than the same amount of carbon dioxide.

Although these gases represent only a small fraction of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, emissions are expected to increase faster than the emissions of other greenhouse gases.

Popup for other gases

Other greenhouse gases that stay in the atmosphere for a long time include chlorofluorocarbons, which are more commonly known as CFCs. CFCs also damage the Earth's ozone layer, so the countries of the world have joined together and agreed to stop using these chemicals. As a result, emissions of CFCs are already decreasing, and they will continue to decrease over time.