Greenhouse gases contribute to many dangers in sustainability efforts and these greenhouse gases have been closely monitored by the EPA, with the government organization monitoring the rises and sinks of greenhouse gas emissions and the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. I believe that sustainability efforts should first and foremost look to reduce the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions that we are placing into the world. The US emissions totaled 5,222 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents in 2020. This is an 11% decrease from 2019 with the total change from 2019 to 2020 decreasing from 5796.42 million metric tons to 5222 metric tons. This resulted in a 574.42 million metric ton decrease in CO2 emissions. This was largely due to the pandemic as well as the continued search for more renewable and sustainable forms of energy.
One interesting topic I found regarding sustainability GHG emissions, especially CO2 emissions is electric cars. While electric cars are better for the environment, the deciding factor on the sustainability is how much is required to produce these electric cars. An all electric Chevrolet Bolt produces 189 grams of CO2 for every mile, as opposed to a gas fueled Toyota which produces 385 grams of CO2 per mile. However the challenge comes in the production of electric cars and the energy grid. It is important to understand that just because a car is electric might not mean it is as sustainable as it seems. This issue concerning electric cars relates back to my main point earlier about greenhouse gas emissions. We as people need to look to find the best possible solutions to decrease the harm we are doing to our planet.
Works Cited:
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions#colorbox-hidden
https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/electric-vehicle-myths
