Summary of New Hampshire Greenhouse Gas Emissions

New Hampshire’s greenhouse gas emissions include the following six major greenhouse gases:

• Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
• Methane (CH₄)
• Nitrous oxide (N₂O)
• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
• Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
• Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆)

These gases are generated from a variety of activities that are commonly categorized into sectors. The sectors include Transportation; Electric Generation; Agriculture, Forestry and Waste; Residential; Commercial; and Industrial.

Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) emissions make up the vast majority of NH’s greenhouse gas emissions (96%). They are generated by burning fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas) to produce heat and electricity, and to power motor vehicles. CO₂ is emitted by all sectors.

The remaining greenhouse gases are generated by the Industrial, Agriculture, Forestry and Waste, and Transportation sectors. The synthetic gases (HFCs, PFCs and SF₆) are generated during industrial processes. Methane (CH₄) is generated by the decomposition of organic wastes in landfills, during the wastewater treatment process, and from livestock. Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is generated from the production and use of fertilizers and from transportation sources.

Source: The EPA Greenhouse Gas Inventory

Source: The EPA Greenhouse Gas Inventory

Between 1990 and 1995, NH emissions remained relatively constant. By 2004, NH greenhouse gas emissions had increased by 48% over 1990 gross emission levels. Nearly 40% of this increase had occurred at the very end of the period due to growth in the Electric Generation sector.

Source: The EPA Greenhouse Gas Inventory

Due to the amount of area in New Hampshire that is still dominated by forests, the NH landscape is actually a net carbon dioxide user (or sink). The process by which carbon is absorbed from the atmosphere and stored by plants is referred to as carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration may absorb an amount equivalent to nearly 25 percent of CO₂ emissions generated in NH. The charts above do not account for this carbon sequestration.

Related Web Sites

• Data regarding New Hampshire’s total energy consumption: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration
  
  
• Information on national and regional emissions: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Global Warming Site: Emissions