Where Do Greenhouse Gases Come From?
Most greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere from both natural and anthropogenic (human-caused) sources. When the gases that the Earth releases are balanced with the gases that the Earth uses, then the climate on Earth remains livable.
The main source of natural greenhouse gases is:
Volcanic eruption. When a volcano erupts, carbon emerges from the volcano in the form of carbon dioxide and thus enters the atmosphere.
The main sources of greenhouse gases due to human activity are:
Burning fossil fuels adds a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere. Industrial emissions also add chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other gases to the atmosphere.
When land use changes remove forests and natural vegetation, they remove parts of the biosphere that store carbon. This means extra carbon goes into the atmosphere.
Livestock digestion and manure add methane (CH4) to the atmosphere.
Rice farming adds methane (CH4) to the atmosphere.