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1. What is greenhouse gas?

Greenhouse Gas is a gas that has the ability to absorb long-wave (infrared) radiation reflected from the Earth's surface when illuminated by sunlight. They then dissipate heat back to the Earth, causing the greenhouse effect (KNH).

Greenhouse gases mainly include CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, O₃, water vapor, and CFC gases... Greenhouse gases play an important role in human life. They help the Earth maintain a balanced temperature of 14°C. That's fine if greenhouse gas levels stay at natural levels. However, humans have released large amounts of greenhouse gases, disrupting the balance.

Besides, unlike other gases in the atmosphere such as oxygen and nitrogen, greenhouse gases are trapped in the atmosphere. It's like a thick sheet of glass covers the Earth and turns our planet like a big greenhouse. They cannot escape the planet. When present in high concentrations, KNH will cause the Earth to heat up, causing climate change.  

Greenhouse gases last a long time. For example, Methane gas exists in the atmosphere for about 10 years, Nitrogen exists for up to 120 years, and Carbon exists for up to 1000 years.

Learn more: Greenhouse gas inventory and regulations you need to know

2. 07 types of gases that cause the greenhouse effect

Below are the gases that are the leading causes of the greenhouse effect:

• CO₂ - Carbon Dioxide: CO₂ causes the fastest and most serious greenhouse effect. Carbon Dioxide is released from natural processes such as human and animal breathing, plant respiration, volcanic eruptions, industrial production activities, burning fossil fuels...
• CH₄ - Methane: Methane gas is produced during the decomposition process from livestock farming, waste, rice cultivation and oil and gas production.
• N₂O - Nitrous oxide: Nitrogen gas is produced from vehicles, solid waste combustion, wastewater treatment, agricultural production and industrial activities.
• PFCs - Carbon perfluoride compounds: These are electrical insulators, refrigeration agents and in waterproof fabrics... (however this substance has been removed since 2015).
• HFCs - Hydrogen fluoride carbon compounds: Used as refrigerants and in fire extinguishers (this will be phased out by 2050 under the Montreal protocol)
• SF6 - Sulfide hexafluorite: SF6 is used as a non-conductive medium. This gas is often found in textile and dyeing production processes...
• NF3 - Nitrogen Trifluoride: NF3 appears widely in the semiconductor industry.

Of these 7 types of greenhouse gases, the 3 main types are CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O. The remaining gases account for a small proportion. The table below is the GWP (Global Warming Potential) index of some greenhouse gases. The GWP index represents the global warming potential of greenhouse gases, based on the same mass.

GREE NHOUSE GAS	GWP (AR4)	GWP (AR5)
Carbon dioxide (CO₂)	1	1
Methane (CH₄)	25	28
Nitrogen oxide (N₂O)	298	265
Clorofluorocacbon (CFC-11)	4675	4660
Sulpherhexaflorua	22800	23500

According to the table above, SF6 is the gas with the highest GWP index, up to 22800, while this index for CO₂ is 1. However, CO₂ is the gas with the largest proportion with the current average emissions of 54 billion tons/year, or about 1,700 tons/second, an all-time high. The increase in this number is the leading cause of global warming increasing at an unprecedented rate of more than 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade.

3. Which gas is not a greenhouse gas?

The main components of Earth's atmosphere are N₂, Oxygen, and Argon, which are not greenhouse gases, because these substances are almost completely unaffected by infrared radiation.

The greenhouse gas situation is becoming increasingly complicated. Therefore,developing a low-carbon economy, net emission reduction, and energy transition towards clean and green development is essential. In parallel, there are synchronous solutions to "green" the Earth, such as using resources effectively, planting more trees, and using biofuels instead of fossil fuels. To increase the amount of "clean" air and contribute no net C02 to the atmosphere.

4. Sources of greenhouse gas emissions

The world's greenhouse gas emissions are divided into the following areas:

4.1 Energy sector

According to data updated in 2019, up to 76% of GHG emissions come from the energy sector. The world's energy production and distribution process emits 76% of GHG emissions. This includes emissions from the production of heat, electricity, transportation fuels, fertilizers, consumer goods, building, and gas leaks.

4.2 Agricultural sector

Including farming and changing land use purposes accounts for 12% of emissions. Plants and nutritious soil tend to absorb more CO₂ from the air than they release. But when forests are replaced by farms, roads, and buildings, the stored carbon is released back into the air.

4.3 Industry sector

This is one of the fastest-growing sources of GHG emissions and has increased by 203% since 1990. Emissions from the production of chemicals, cement and many other materials such as rubber, fabric, plastic, steel... artificial.

4.4 Waste

3.3% of other human greenhouse gas emissions come from the waste sector such as: Solid waste landfills (including food waste), wastewater classification, water treatment household and production waste.

5. Bottom line

So, you now have a better understanding of the 7 main greenhouse gases and their primary sources. The next question is: How can we reduce these emissions? Vietnam has set a target to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050, making emissions control more critical than ever.

In response to this trend, Thuan Hai has researched and developed green energy solutions for manufacturing businesses, enabling them to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90%. Do you want your business to achieve these results?

Discover now: Green energy solutions to reduce CO2 emissions