Global Warming: The Greenhouse Effect and Consequences

Global warming is a bigger problem today, than it was years ago. Since the industrial revolution, the amount of carbon dioxide has increased by 40%.

Climate changes – issues

Laura Hedegaard Hansen,

Journalist.

The greenhouse effect

The Earth absorbs visible sunlight (short waved radiation) from the sun. The visible sunlight has the ability to pass through the atmosphere and the greenhouse gasses which are in it. The visible sunlight heats up the Earth, and because the Earth is cooler than the sun, the visible sunlight transforms into infrared light (long waved radiation). The Earth emits the infrared light, but the infrared light cannot pass through the greenhouse gasses. That results in, that the infrared light which is heating up the Earth, is trapped between the atmosphere and the Earth (not all of the radiation gets absorbed, some of it escapes into space). If this phenomenon did not exist, the Earth would be around 30° degrees colder, then we experience today. The greenhouse effect which causes that it’s possible to live on the Earth, exist because we have the greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, which are able to absorb and reflect the thermal radiation which The Earth emits. The greenhouse gasses which absorbs the Infrared radiation, is H2O vapor, CO2, methane, nitrogen and some CFC gasses. The principal greenhouse gas in the atmosphere is H2O vapor, but the greenhouse gasses which is affected by humanity is CO2 and methane. If we continue to burn fossil fuels – oil, coal and gas – the amount of greenhouse gasses will increase, and we will have a reinforced greenhouse effect, and that leads to, that further long waved radiations are going to be detained. Therefore, will The Earth be heated up, as a consequence of an increased emission of greenhouse gases owing to humans on the Earth.