Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This article provides a comprehensive overview of the chemical processes driving carbon dioxide production across major global sectors, emphasizing their contribution to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.Carbon dioxide a primary driver of climate change, is produced through natural processes like respiration and volcanic activity, but human activities particularly fossil fuel combustion, industrial processes, and land-use changes lead in carbon dioxide emissions, reaching a record 37.4 billion tonnes in 2023.The energy sector, responsible for approximately 40% of emissions, relies heavily on coal and natural gas combustion.Transportation contributes to approximately 21% through hydrocarbon oxidation, while industrial processes like cement production and steelmaking add about 20%.Land use, forestry, and agriculture emit carbon dioxide via biomass burning and soil disturbance, with waste management contributing through organic decomposition.By explaining these reactions, the article aims to bridge scientific understanding and public action, highlighting sector-specific mitigation strategies and the role of citizen science in reducing emissions through sustainable practices, such as avoiding high-carbon fuels like coal and supporting circular economies.
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funder: Tshwane University of Technology
OpenAlex ID: W4414377225
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