What Is The Greenhouse Effect?

by | Jun 20, 2024

What is greenhouse effect?

The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon that maintains the Earth’s temperature and keeps our planet warm enough to sustain diverse ecosystems and human activities. 

However, this natural process has become a cause for concern. Do you know why? Well, the answer is clear—  Human Activities. Burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests, and industrialization have affected the Earth’s natural balance.

This leads to major changes in our climate, causing extreme heatwaves. Do you know? Nineteen of the hottest years on record have occurred since 2001.

One reason for this rise is the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. These gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), trap heat from the sun for the longest time, making it habitable. This leads to global warming, which threatens the existence of living beings on the planet. 

In this article, we’ve tried to explain the greenhouse effect, how it is caused in more detail, its consequences, and why switching to non-renewable energy sources is important for a sustainable future.

What Is The Greenhouse Effect?

The greenhouse effect is the process by which greenhouse gases absorb radiation from the sun and do not reflect back into space. This insulates the Earth’s surface and prevents it from freezing.

This process is important for sustaining life on Earth. However, human activities have intensified this effect, leading to global warming.

Greenhouse effect

How The Greenhouse Effect Is Produced?

The greenhouse effect occurs when the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s surface through sunlight. Some of this energy is reflected in space; the rest is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases. These gases, including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, trap heat, creating a warming effect. Here’s a simplified process for the same:

  • Solar Radiation: The sun emits solar radiation, which reaches the Earth. 
  • Absorption: The Earth’s surface absorbs some of this solar energy, warming the planet. 
  • Re-radiation: The Earth re-radiates some of this solar energy through infrared radiation.
  • Trapping: Greenhouse atmospheric gases absorb and re-radiate this infrared radiation, trapping heat and warming the atmosphere.
Greenhouse effect

What Causes The Greenhouse Effect?

There are a lot of factors that contribute to the greenhouse effect. We will discuss the major causes in this segment:

1. Greenhouse Gases

Greenhouse gases like CO2, CH4, and water vapor are the primary contributors. They trap heat in the atmosphere, preventing it from escaping into space. 

Greenhouse gas emissions increased 70 percent between 1970 and 2004. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today far exceeds the natural range seen over 650,000 years.

2. Fossil Fuels Combustion

Burning fossil fuels for energy and transportation releases large amounts of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

3. Deforestation

Another human activity that contributes largely to the greenhouse effect is deforestation. Cutting down trees reduces the Earth’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, increasing atmospheric CO2 levels.

4. Agricultural Practices

The use of nitrogen in fertilizers leads to the emission of nitrous oxide and methane in large quantities. This leads to an increase in greenhouse gases in the environment.

5. Industrial Activities

The Industrial Revolution led to a sharp increase in industries. However, these industries have also released harmful gases into the environment without being treated properly.

6. Waste Management

Improper waste management and open landfills are also causes of the greenhouse effect. Decomposing organic waste in landfills produces methane, contributing to the greenhouse effect.

So, let’s understand what greenhouse gases are and how they are contributing to the greenhouse effect.

What are Greenhouse Gases?

Earth’s greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the planet. The main gases responsible for the greenhouse effect include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases. 

In addition to these natural compounds, synthetic fluorinated gases also function as greenhouse gases.

1. Carbon Dioxide:

It is one of the primary greenhouse gases, which causes three-quarters of emissions. It can linger in the atmosphere for thousands of years.

2. Methane:

It is the main component of natural gas. Methane remains in the atmosphere for about 12 years but is 84 times more potent.

3. Nitrous Oxide:

Nitrous oxide accounts for only 6% of a small share of global greenhouse gas emissions. This gas is 264 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over 20 years. The lifetime of this gas in the atmosphere exceeds a century.

4. Fluorinated Gases

Fluorinated gases include Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃). These gases are used in refrigerants, solvents, and manufacturing.

Greenhouse gases

5. Water Vapor

The most common greenhouse gas is water vapor, which mostly comes from natural processes like evaporation from oceans and lakes and condensation into clouds. Human activities indirectly influence water vapor levels by emitting other greenhouse gases.

How Do Greenhouse Gases Contribute To The Greenhouse Effect

Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere through the following processes:

  • Absorption: Greenhouse gases absorb infrared radiation emitted from the Earth’s surface. 
  • Re-radiation: These gases re-emit the absorption heat in all directions, including back towards the earth’s surface. 
  • Warming effect: This trapped heat increases the overall temperature of the atmosphere, leading to the greenhouse effect. 
how greenhouses gases affect the greenhouse effect

Sources Of Greenhouse Gases

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC), burning fossil fuels for electricity and transportation, land use patterns, and agriculture are the main causes of greenhouse gas emissions.

1. Agriculture and Land Use

According to the IPCC, about another quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions stems from agriculture and other land uses, such as deforestation.

Trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air. Activities like deforestation lead to an increase in carbon dioxide in the air. Further burning them releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.

2. Industry

With the growth in the industry, humans might have reached the moon. But in doing so, we forget how this industry affects our environment.

According to the IPCC, about one-fifth of global human-driven emissions come from industries. They release gases in all possible ways, too, in large quantities.

sources of greenhouse gases

3. Burning Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuel combustion in power plants, vehicles, and industries releases significant amounts of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Burning petroleum-based fuels, namely gasoline and diesel, to power the world’s transportation systems accounts for 14 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. 

Nationwide, cars and trucks are responsible for more than half of the transportation-related carbon footprint emissions.

Read more about: How to reduce carbon footprint?

Consequences Of Greenhouse Effect

In the current times, concentrations of human-caused greenhouse gases in the environment are higher than ever, the planet is heating up and there’s no escape to that. 

At our current pace, the world will blow its entire “carbon budget” by around 2030. Led by the burning of fossil fuels, the consequences of the greenhouse effect are alarming.

1. Melting Glaciers and Ice Caps

The greenhouse effect accelerates melting glaciers and ice caps by increasing temperature. This melting contributes to the rise in sea levels. The loss of ice has been drastic through the years. 

The melting drains into the oceans, causing sea levels to rise. The constant melting of ice water has led to an increase in flooding. Rising sea levels could flood coastal communities, displaying millions of people living in those areas.

2. Global Warming

Global warming refers to the gradual rise in Earth’s temperature, driven by high levels of greenhouse gases. The temperature increase leads to more frequent and severe heat waves, which affect ecosystems. 

Global warming is a major threat to life on Earth and is disrupting life to a great extent. 

3. Climate Change

Climate change is an umbrella term for changes in climate patterns, including shifts in temperature, unwanted rains, and extreme weather conditions. The enhanced greenhouse effect triggers these changes. Ecosystems find it hard to adapt, leading to a loss of biodiversity and habitat. 

Further, it leads to disrupting agricultural cycles, affecting food and water. Climate change has also caused droughts in many areas, affecting people significantly. 

4. Impact on Agriculture and Livestock

Climate change driven by the greenhouse effect affects agricultural productivity through altered growing seasons, extreme weather, and increased pest and disease prevalence.  

Crops suffer from reduced yields or fail altogether, threatening the food chain supply. These impact food security and livelihoods, making it a threat to people in economies.

5. Impact on Human Health

The greenhouse effect contributes to health risks caused by extreme heat waves, which cause heat-related illnesses. It also alters the distribution of vector-borne diseases, increasing the spread of illnesses such as malaria and dengue.

What Can Be Done To Reduce Greenhouse Gases

Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions is a critical step in slowing the global warming trend. Many governments across the world are working towards this goal. Countries across the globe also acknowledged this reality with the Paris Climate Agreement 2015. 

Technically, every sector of the global economy, from manufacturing to agriculture, contributes greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. To reduce the effect, we must evolve away from fossil fuels in every segment. 

Switching To Non-Renewable Energies

The use of non-renewable energies like solar and wind should be pushed more for electric consumption. Bio-diesel should be used more for transport purposes to conserve energy there too. 

Strengthening energy infrastructure, improving energy efficiency, and reducing dependence on single sources of energy.

Adopting Better Farming Practices

Changes in farming practices, such as adopting eco-friendly farming techniques, could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, farms use large amounts of nitrogen-based fertilizers, which increase nitrogen oxide emissions from soil. 

Reducing the use of such fertilizers could help us curtain the greenhouse effect to a certain level. The way farmers handle animal manure also has an effect on global warming. 

On being stored in slurry or tanks, it releases methane. When it dries as solid, it does not. These small steps can contribute greatly to the environment. 

Conclusion

While essential for maintaining Earth’s temperature, the greenhouse effect has been aggravated by human activities, leading to deadly consequences. Understanding the greenhouse effect, its consequences, effects, and causes is important for developing ways to reduce its impact. 

The transition to renewable energy and the adoption of sustainable practices will help us reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect our environment.

Bhuwan Bhatia

Bhuwan Bhatia

Bhuwan Bhatia, an engineering graduate with a diverse background, has been passionate about entrepreneurship since age 13. Founder of edtech startup Technoshaala, Bhuwan now focuses on leading his innovative water management startup, FLOTAA, in Kanpur to create sustainable solutions.
Square Ad Banner - FLOTAA

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *