Ask a Teacher
Explain greenhouse and its effects ? |
Greenhouse gases, such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane etc., move in and out of the atmosphere. They trap some of the heat radiated out from the Earth that would normally move out into space. This is called the greenhouse effect. It is natural, and is caused by the earth's carbon and water cycles and the heat from the sun. Without this warming we would be a cold dead planet. The Enhanced Greenhouse Effect: Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, 260 hundred years ago, we have been burning fossil fuels, initially coal, then oil and natural gas in much greater quantities than before. Fossil fuels contain carbon that has been hidden away for millions of years. Burning fossil fuels is adding extra Carbon Dioxide to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, much more than the normal carbon cycle can manage, and is making the atmosphere and the planet warmer. Increased demand for food and red meat has led to massive deforestation for grazing land. Trees no longer act as a valuable soak or sink for carbon dioxide. More cattle mean more methane expelled into the atmosphere. Methane is a much more dangerous greenhouse gas than CO2. This process is called the enhanced, or accelerated greenhouse effect. |