WHAT PERCENTAGE OF GLOBAL WARMING IS CAUSED BY LITTERING?
In terns of everyday littering then the percentage will be minute – zero for all intents and purposes. In order to contribute to global warming then greenhouse gases should be produced. As paper or cardboard litter degrades it will release carbon dioxide but in comparison to the amounts produced by transportation or industry the amount will be of virtually no consequence. The use of raw materials produces lots more greenhouse gases than recycling does. If litter is thrown on the ground rather than recycled then there will be a consequence, but again, the proportion will be miniscule. I don’t have the figures and I can’t imagine there are any reliable figures available. If I had to put a value on it then it would be in the order of 0.001%. If you extend the definition of littering to include the abandonment of clear-felled timber, commercial and illegal dumping, contamination, spills, leaks etc then the figures start to add up. The biodegradation of felled timber accounts for about 3% o
