Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming: At this very moment, the climate of the Earth is ever so slightly changing. If something is not done to stop the human activities that are creating greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, then someday down the line, our planet's climate will have made a radical change from what it is now. The climate is predicted to change because such greenhouse gasses as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are clogging our atmosphere trapping heat in the environment, thus creating global warming"ÃÂthe rise in temperature of our planet.
The heat energy from the sun is what controls the Earth's weather and climate. While it heats the surface we live on, our planet radiates some of that energy back into space. However, not all of the energy gets back to space because greenhouse gasses (CO2, water vapor, and methane) are trapping the outgoing heat, therefore creating a "greenhouse effect"ÃÂ by retaining warmth.
English: Ozone Depletion comparison in North Ameri...
Top: Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels ...
This figure is a simplified, schematic representat...The main sources of the gasses can be attributed to the burning of fossil fuels and other human processes. The emissions from running cars and trucks, heating homes and businesses, and the pollutants dispensed from factories are what make up most of the Earth's carbon dioxide supply. Increased agriculture (methane from cows), deforestation, landfills, and mining are also huge contributors to the production of the greenhouse gasses and the emissions that are constantly changing our planet.
The temperatures on Earth would be much lower than it is now if this natural "greenhouse effect"ÃÂ did not exist. However, since we do have such gasses, our planet's average temperature is 60oF. But if the steady increase of these gasses keeps increasing in the atmosphere, someday the Earth will be much warmer than it should be and many problematic situations may exist.
With the continuance of global warming...