Category Sources

Transportation via cars, trucks, trains, boats, and planes relies on the combustion of gasoline, diesel fuel, or kerosene. A Few More Details Vehicles used in road, rail, river, sea, and air transport require cost-effective, high-energy-density fuels to fill lightweight tanks capable of powering both short- and long-distance travel. For this purpose, they burn fossil fuels and release the resulting CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Refueling stations can efficiently store fossil fuels, offering cost-effective refueling options for vehicles with empty tanks. Full explanation: How the Economic System Impedes the Fight Against Global Warming. Original idea: Is It Possible to Completely Eliminate Taxes on the Green Economy?

Conventional “dirty” power plants burn coal or natural gas to produce steam or hot gases that drive turbines and generate electricity. A Few More Details Conventional power plants burn fossil fuels, which release CO2 (the main greenhouse gas, GHG) into the atmosphere through smokestacks. These fuels do offer several advantages: • Coal and natural gas are cost-effective energy sources. • The plants’ construction and infrastructure have already been fully amortized. • These plants can easily modulate their power output to respond to sudden surges in electricity consumption, particularly by adjusting the natural gas intake for gas turbines. • Coal and natural gas can be easily stored, allowing power plants to reliably meet continuous demand every hour of the day and night, all year long. Alternative “clean” power plants must replicate these characteristics in order to produce electricity without generating GHG emissions. Full explanation: How the Economic System Impedes the Fight Against Global Warming. Original idea: Is It Possible to Completely Eliminate Taxes on the Green Economy?

Industries producing raw materials and goods rely on diesel fuel, gasoline, natural gas, or coal to power machinery and heat furnaces. A Few More Details Industrial corporations burn fossil fuels to power engines or heat furnaces, which emit CO2 into the atmosphere. They prefer these fuels because they are cost-effective, easily stored for continuous operations, and suitable for mobile machinery that cannot be connected to the electrical grid. Oil and coal corporations themselves consume hydrocarbons throughout various stages of their operations, from excavating coal mines and drilling oil wells to processing coal, refining petroleum, leaking methane gas, and distributing coal or gas. Note Clarifications on EPA’s categories referenced in the other page: • Fossil fuels used to extract and transport gasoline, coal, or natural gas to consumers fall under this “industry” category rather than under the transportation category for trucks or trains. • The electricity consumed by industries, sourced from power plants, is classified under the “power plant” category rather than the “industry” category. Full explanation: How the Economic System Impedes the Fight Against Global Warming. Original idea: Is It Possible to Completely Eliminate Taxes on the Green Economy?

Residential and commercial buildings use cooking stoves and heating furnaces powered by natural gas or heating oil. A Few More Details Households and offices consume fossil fuels for heating, supplied either through pipelines or delivered by truck to fill on-site storage tanks. The combustion of these fuels emits CO2 into the atmosphere. These buildings also generate organic waste that is processed through sewage systems or garbage collection and eventually decomposes into methane. While this methane can potentially be captured and used as fuel, it is not always tapped. According to the EPA, this category excludes electricity generated by power plants but includes “distributed generation” from rooftop solar panels, because data on the generation, consumption, and storage of this energy remains private. Full explanation: How the Economic System Impedes the Fight Against Global Warming. Original idea: Is It Possible to Completely Eliminate Taxes on the Green Economy?

Organizations such as the EPA, the EIA and the IEA publish statistics on energy consumption and GHG emissions. A Few More Details Category of GHG emitter US GHG emissions “Dirty” electric power plants (EPA: same classification) 25% Industrial processes (EPA: same classification) 23% Fuels for transports (EPA: same classification) 28% Residential and commercial buildings (EPA: same classification) 13% Agriculture (EPA: same classification) 10% TOTAL OF HUMAN ACTIVITY 100% CO2 removed by ecosystems (i.e., forest and other plants) isn’t included. It does mitigate numbers above, but it shouldn’t deviate countries benefiting from large ecosystems (e.g., Amazon rainforest) to go for a carbon-free economy. (EPA estimates the US “net sink” at 11%) -11% These figures are based on data from the EPA’s 2019 report and are expected to remain relatively consistent in the coming years. However, it’s important to note that different institutions may categorize sources differently. It is crucial to be mindful of misinformation: Electricity is frequently misconstrued as synonymous with energy, but it represents only a portion of our total energy consumption. As a result, a 4% reduction in emissions from electricity generation may lead to only a modest 1% decrease in overall greenhouse gas emissions. Full explanation: How the Economic System Impedes the Fight Against Global Warming. Original idea: Is It Possible to Completely Eliminate Taxes on the Green Economy?

Agriculture contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through various processes involved in food production. A Few More Details Key sources of GHG emissions in agriculture include: • The combustion of fossil fuels in tractors and other machinery. • The release of methane from the decomposition of organic waste and agricultural byproducts. • The application of fertilizers and tilling practices, which generate GHG emissions through soil microbial activity. Approximately two-thirds of global methane emissions originate from agriculture. The remaining one-third is attributed primarily to the oil and coal industries and is categorized under “industrial processes.” Full explanation: How the Economic System Impedes the Fight Against Global Warming. Original idea: Is It Possible to Completely Eliminate Taxes on the Green Economy?

Organizations such as the EPA, the EIA and the IEA publish statistics on energy consumption and GHG emissions. A Few More Details Category of GHG emitter World GHG emissions “Dirty” electric power plants (EPA: electricity category includes electricity for heating) 34% Industrial processes (EPA: industry + oil industry from extraction to distribution) 24% Fuels for transports (EPA: same classification) 15% Residential and commercial (EPA: same classification) 6% Agriculture (EPA: category combines agriculture and “land use”, i.e., forests replaced by agriculture) 22% TOTAL OF HUMAN ACTIVITY 100% CO2 removed by ecosystems (i.e., forest and other plants) isn’t included, although it mitigates numbers above. This number could go higher by reversing logging and desertification. (EPA estimates its share at 5% (i.e., a fifth of agriculture’s 24%)) -5% These figures are based on data from the EPA’s 2019 report and are expected to remain relatively consistent in the coming years. However, it’s important to note that different institutions may categorize sources differently. It is crucial to be mindful of misinformation: Electricity is frequently misconstrued as synonymous with energy, but it represents only a portion of our total energy consumption. As a result, a 4% reduction in emissions from electricity generation may lead to only a modest 1% decrease in overall greenhouse gas emissions. Full explanation: How the Economic System Impedes the Fight Against Global Warming. Original idea: Is It Possible to Completely Eliminate Taxes on the Green Economy?