How does wasting electricity cause greenhouse effects?

Answer 1

electricity is made largely by burning fossil fuels. these fuels are made of carbon. when they are burned, CO2 goes into the air. the more CO2, the hotter it gets.

Answer 2

I wouldn't say wasting electricity causes greenhouse effects directly, but it makes the problem worse. think of it like this:

Electricity comes from natural resources and is often produced through combustion (burning) The byproducts of that burning raise up in the air to form a layer over the planet. That layer prevents heat from leaving the planet (the same way the glass in a greenhouse keeps heat inside). The more electricity we use, the more fuel needs to be burned. The more fuel is burned the thicker the layer of gas is that prevents heat from escaping. The more heat we prevent from escaping, the worse the problem becomes.

The reason "wasting" electricity is worse then just using it is because the rate at which things are burned matters. If we use less over longer periods of time it allows what damage we already did to being to repair itself. Basically it allows the gas layer to dissipate and form into other compounds that don't block heat the same way.

Answer 3

It really depends on how the electricity that you are wasting was generated. Much of the electricity that people use is made from burning coal or petroleum products. When these fossil fuels are burned, they produce greenhouse gases. These are the gases that cause the greenhouse effect, or warming of the Earth. Therefore, if you waste electricity, say by leaving lights on in a room you are not in, or by leaving electrical appliances plugged in when you are not using them, you are causing more electricity to be used, subsequently causing more electricity to be generated by the above methods, and therefore contributing to the greenhouse effect.

Answer 4

It takes energy to create electricity. Most electricity in the US is created by burning coal, a fossil fuel. Even with stack burners, some greenhouse gasses (CO2 and CO) are released into the atmosphere. Therefore, if you waste electricity at home you are causing the generating plant to burn more coal to keep you supplied.

Answer 5

By wasting electricity, you cause a larger draw on the power grid, this demand is then compensated for by increasing the power generated by you provider. As most electrical generators use fossil fuels, this means more fuel emissions(greenhouse gasses).
Although science is coming to realize that CO2 is not the world killer it originally thought. It still is best to limit our release of it.

Answer 6

It doesn´t cause much of global Warming in France or Brazil since:

France: 75% of nuclear energy
Brazil: 75% of hydro generated electricity

Nevertheless in the US, China or India (No I´m not trying to make a list of technologicaly backwards electricity producers), a large part of the generation relies on coal and other fossil fuels which release CO2 when they are combusted

Answer 7

Not directly.. But electricity is created by releasing greenhouse gases in most communities so by wasting electrisity you are releasing more greenhouse gases than you need to..

Answer 8

The environmentalist doesn't want anything that produces CO2 ,but the plants and photosynthesis take care of the CO2 . One of the major contributions if the environmentalist breathing.

Answer 9

Because energy power plant have to burn more fuel to supply demand

Answer 10

Because so much of our energy is generated by coal and oil.