What Greenhouse Gases Affect Climate Change?

The Data Explorer is an interactive tool that provides access to data from the EPA's annual Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks and the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks by State. You can use the tool to create customized charts or maps, examine trends over time, and download data. Visit other EPA pages to learn more about the EPA's national Inventory and how it relates to EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program and the EPA's state-level greenhouse gas (GHG) data. The EPA recognizes that there will be differences between the EPA's state-level GHG estimates and some inventory estimates developed independently by individual state governments. Inventory data presented here should not be viewed as official data of any state government. Additional information is available on official state GHG data, where it exists, including information on potential areas of difference between EPA's data and official state data.

How do Greenhouse Gases Affect the Heating of the Atmosphere?

Earth’s Greenhouse: Too Much of a Good Thing?

Imagine Earth’s atmosphere as a giant greenhouse. During the day, sunlight warms the planet, and at night, Earth cools by releasing heat. But greenhouse gases like CO₂, methane, and water vapor trap some of that heat, keeping things cozy. The problem? Human activities are pumping extra greenhouse gases into the air, trapping more heat than we need. This causes global warming, which leads to wild weather—stronger hurricanes, tornadoes, heatwaves, floods, droughts, and forest fires. It's like turning up the thermostat when we already feel warm!

CO₂: Natural Balancer Gone Wild

CO₂ is part of Earth’s natural carbon cycle, but humans are cranking it up by burning fossil fuels and other activities. Luckily, nature has “carbon sinks” like forests, oceans, grasslands, and wetlands that soak up CO₂, keeping things balanced. But here’s the catch: human actions like deforestation mess with these sinks, making it harder for them to do their job. We're tipping the scales—and the planet's feeling the heat!

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is Primarily emitted from burning fossil fuels, deforestation, industrial processes transportation as well as forest fires. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Carbon dioxide is widely reported as the most important anthropogenic (originating from human activity) greenhouse gas because it currently accounts for the greatest portion of the warming associated with human activities.

Natural sinks that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (Soil, Grasslands, Oceans, Wetlands, Permafrost & Forests) help regulate carbon dioxide concentrations, but human activities can disturb these processes (e.g., deforestation) or enhance them.

Prepare for a chilling revelation: beneath the frozen landscapes of polar regions and lofty mountains lies a treasure trove of organic carbon, trapped in the icy embrace of permafrost. But here's the plot twist – as global temperatures soar, there's a looming threat. The thawing of permafrost could unleash massive amounts of stored carbon dioxide and methane, unleashing a climate change nightmare. It's a race against time to unlock the secrets of permafrost and prevent this icy giant from wreaking havoc on our planet. Are you ready to confront the frozen frontier and rewrite the story of our climate future?

Sure, trees are carbon-sequestering champions, but hold onto your hat – forests are the unsung heroes of carbon storage! These green giants, along with their bustling ecosystems of mosses and diverse plant life, are key players in the carbon sink game. When photosynthesis kicks in, carbon dioxide gets sucked up by trees, soil, and vegetation, but here's the kicker: mosses, with their moisture-retaining magic, take carbon sequestration to the next level. Let's peel back the forest canopy and uncover the thrilling world of carbon capture in nature's own backyard!