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black figures are estimates of the natural stores and fluxes
red figures indicate the anthropogenic effects after 1750 (start of the Industrial Revolution)
The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that 90% of carbon is from the anthropogenic combustion of fossil fuels (coal, plus oil and natural gas)
The remaining 10% is from land use changes (deforestation, land drainage and agricultural practices)
Half of the carbon is equally absorbed by oceans and vegetation.......the rest by the atmosphere (hence global climate change)
1. Hydrocarbon fuel extraction and burning
Hydrocarbons - or fossil fuels - are natural sources of energy formed from the remains of living organisms
When extracted from the ground (from 70-100 million year old rocks), and then burned (combustion), the stored carbon is released primarily as carbon dioxide
This leads to what is known as the "enhanced greenhouse effect" - ie. the increase in emissions of CO2 speeds up the natural greenhouse effect process
2. Changing farming practices
Population growth, and changes in diet and increase in wealth have all led to increase in agricultural production
Arable farming:
Increased demand:
3. Deforestation
Deforestation results in a permanent loss of forest cover and a large release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere.
It occurs primarily in tropical countries where forests are permanently cleared and converted to agriculture and urban settlement, and is therefore responsible for about 20 percent of global CO2 emissions.
See case study on the Amazon rainforest
4. Land use changes - urbanisation
Extra reading:
http://urbaneco.washington.edu/wp/urban-landscape-patterns-and-ecosystem-function/carbon-and-urbanization/
units are in Petagrammes of Carbon per year