The Truth About Global Warming: Part 2: Greenhouse Gases and Effect

    Greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide and other gases that apparently contribute to the warming of the Earth’s atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are also known as global warming gases. Some greenhouse gases occur naturally in the atmosphere, while other come from human activities. Obviously, occurring greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, methane, and ozone. Certain human activities, however, include to the levels of most of these naturally occurring gases.

      Carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere when solid waste, fossil fuels like oil, and woods are burned. Methane is produced “during the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil”. Methane emissions also come from the “decay of organic wastes in metropolitan solid waste landfills,” and the raising of livestock. Also, nitrous oxide is released during agricultural and industrial activities, as well as during burning of solid waste and fossil fuels.

       The term greenhouse refers to that aids in heating the Earth’s surface and atmosphere. It comes from the fact that certain atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor, are capable to alter the energy equilibrium of the planet by captivating long-wave radiation released from the Earth’s surface. Without the greenhouse effect life on this planet would almost certainly not exist seeing that the average temperature of the Earth would be an unpleasantly cold, 18° Celsius, rather than the present 15° Celsius.

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     A documentary aired on the National Geographic Channel in Britain on August 9, 2003 titled what’s up with the weather. It noted that the levels of carbon dioxide for example, were presently at their uppermost levels in the past 450,000 years.