You might hear people talking about the greenhouse effect as if it is a bad thing. It is not a bad thing, but people are concerned because Earth's 'greenhouse' is warming up very rapidly. This is happening because we are currently adding more greenhouse gases to our atmosphere, causing an increased greenhouse effect.
Key Points. Continued emissions of greenhouse gases will lead to further climate changes. Future changes are expected to include a warmer atmosphere, a warmer and more acidic ocean, higher sea levels, and larger changes in precipitation patterns.
Yes. While we cannot stop global warming overnight, or even over the next several decades, we can slow the rate and limit the amount of global warming by reducing human emissions of heat-trapping gases and soot (“black carbon”).
An expert in how climate change and biodiversity loss can affect human health, Bernstein, MPH '09, said that even a small global temperature increase could lead to troubling consequences, like rising sea levels, population displacement, disruption to the food supply, flooding, and an increase in infectious diseases.
The following is a list of steps YOU can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions:
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
- Use Less Heat and Air Conditioning.
- Replace Your Light Bulbs.
- Drive Less and Drive Smart.
- Buy Energy-Efficient Products.
- Use Less Hot Water.
- Use the "Off" Switch.
- Plant a Tree.
If greenhouse gases were not in the atmosphere, all the infrared light radiated by the Earth would go back out to space, leaving the Earth too cold for life. But the greenhouse gas molecules absorb the infrared light, and then re-radiate some of it back to the Earth's surface.
The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in the United States is from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation. EPA tracks total U.S. emissions by publishing the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks.
Greenhouse gases are transparent to incoming (short-wave) radiation from the sun but block infrared (long-wave) radiation from leaving the earth's atmosphere. This greenhouse effect traps radiation from the sun and warms the planet's surface.
Global warming is an aspect of climate change, referring to the long-term rise of the planet's temperatures. It is caused by increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, mainly from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation and farming.
How You Can Stop Global Warming
- Speak up!
- Power your home with renewable energy.
- Weatherize, weatherize, weatherize.
- Invest in energy-efficient appliances.
- Reduce water waste.
- Actually eat the food you buy—and make less of it meat.
- Buy better bulbs.
- Pull the plug(s).
Greenhouse gas, any gas that has the property of absorbing infrared radiation (net heat energy) emitted from Earth's surface and reradiating it back to Earth's surface, thus contributing to the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapour are the most important greenhouse gases.
Greenhouse gases in the air, mainly carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour, trap radiation from the Sun and act like a thermal blanket around the planet. Without the greenhouse effect, the Earth would have an average temperature of -18 °C and be covered in ice. Life as we know it would not be able to survive.
The greenhouse effect is a process that occurs when gases in Earth's atmosphere trap the Sun's heat. This process makes Earth much warmer than it would be without an atmosphere. The greenhouse effect is one of the things that makes Earth a comfortable place to live.
