Greenhouse Effect | National Geographic Society (2023)

global warmingdescribes the current increase on averageTemperaturethe air and oceans of the earth. Global warming is often cited as the latest example of thisclimate change.

EarthClimatehas changed several times. Our planet has gone throughseveral ice ages, in whichice sheetsandglaciercovered large parts of the earth. It has also gone through interglacial periods where temperatures were higher than today.

Earlier changes in Earth's temperature happened very slowly, over hundreds of thousands of years. However, the recent warming trend is happening much faster than ever before. Natural cycles of heating and cooling are insufficient to explain the magnitude of the warming we have experienced in such a short time - only human activities can account for it. Scientists fear that the climate is changing faster than some living thingsto adjustto.

1988 became theWorld Meteorological Organizationand theUnited Nations Environment Program establishedacommitteevonThe climatologist,The meteorologist,geographers, and other scientists from around the world. ThisIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)includes thousands of scientists reviewing the most up-to-date informationresearchavailable in the context of global warming and climate change. The IPCCratedthe risk of climate change caused by human activities.

According to the IPCC's most recent report (from 2007), average surface temperatures on Earth have increased by about 0.74 degrees Celsius (1.33 degrees Fahrenheit) over the past 100 years. The increase is greater in the northlatitudes. The IPCC also found that land regions are warming faster than oceans. The IPCC states that most temperatures have risen since the mid-20th centurycenturyis likely due to human activity.

Thatgreenhouse effect
Human activities contribute to global warming byGlasshouseEffect. The greenhouse effect occurs when certain gases - known asgreenhouse gases- collect in the groundthe atmosphere. These gases that occur naturally in the atmosphere includecarbon dioxide,methane,nitrogenoxide andfluorinatedGases sometimes known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Greenhouse gases allow sunlight to shine on the Earth's surface, but they trap heat, which is reflected back into the atmosphere. This makes them look like the insulating glass walls of a greenhouse. The greenhouse effect ensures a pleasant climate on earth. Without them, surface temperatures would be about 33 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler, and many life forms wouldfreeze.

Since theIndustrial RevolutionIn the late 1700s and early 1800s, humans released large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This amount hasshot upin the past century. greenhouse gasemissionsincreased by 70 percent between 1970 and 2004. Emissions of carbon dioxide, the most important greenhouse gas, have increased by around 80 percent over this period. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today far exceeds the natural range of the past 650,000 years.

Most of the carbon dioxide that humans put into the atmosphere comes from combustionfossil fuelssuch asoil,Money, andnatural gas. Cars, trucks, trains and planes are all on fireFossilfuels. Many electrpower plantsalso burn fossil fuels.

Another way humans release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is by reducing itforests. This happens for two reasons.decayingPlant matter, including trees, releases tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Living trees absorb carbon dioxide. Ofdecreasingthe number of trees to absorb carbon dioxide, the gas remains in the atmosphere.

Most of the methane in the atmosphere comes fromcattle Agriculture,landfills, and fossil fuel production such as coal mining and natural gas processing.laughing gascomes fromAgrartechnikand burning fossil fuels.

Fluorinated gases include chlorofluorocarbons,hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and fluorocarbons. These greenhouse gases are used inspray cansand cooling.

All of this human activity adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, trapping more heat than usual and contributing to global warming.

Effects of global warming
Even small increases in average global temperatures can have a huge impact. Perhaps the largest and most obvious effect is that glaciers andpolar capsmelts faster than usual. Thatmelt waterdrains into the oceans and causesSea levelto rise and oceans to become less salty.

Ice sheets and glaciers naturally advance and retreat. As the Earth's temperature has changed, the ice sheets have grown and contracted, and sea levels have fallen and risen.Alt coralsfound on land in Florida, Bermuda and the Bahamas show that 130,000 years ago sea levels must have been five to six meters (16-20 feet) higher than they are today. The earth doesn't have to get very hot to melt the glaciers. Northern summers at the time of these ancient fossils were only three to five degrees Celsius (five to nine degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than they are today.

However, the speed at which global warming is taking placeunprecedented. The effects are unknown.

Glaciers and ice caps cover about 10 percent of the earthLandmassetoday. They contain about 75 percent of the world's fresh water. If all of that ice melted, sea levels would rise about 70 meters (230 feet). The IPCC reported that global sea levels rose by about 1.8 millimeters (0.07 in) per year from 1961 to 1993 and by 3.1 millimeters (0.12 in) per year since 1993.

Rising sea levels could lead to floodingCoastalcommunities and displaced millions of people in areas such as Bangladesh, the Netherlands and the US state of Florida. ForcedMigrationwould have an impact not only on these areas but also on the regions where the "climate refugees”escape. Millions more people in countries like Bolivia, Peru and India depend on glacial meltwater for drinking.irrigation, andHydropower. A rapid loss of these glaciers woulddevastatethese countries.

Glacier melt has already slightly raised global sea levels. However, scientists are discovering ways sea levels could rise even faster. For example, the melting of the Chacaltaya Glacier in Bolivia has exposed dark rocks underneath. The stones absorb the heat of the sun, thus speeding up the melting process.

Many scientists use the term "climate change" instead of "global warming". After all, greenhouse gas emissions do not just affect temperature. Another effect concerns changes inprecipitationlike rain andsnow. Precipitation patterns may change or become more extreme. During the 20th century, precipitation increased in the eastern parts of North and South America, northern Europe, and northern and central Asia. However, it has declined in parts of Africa, the Mediterranean, and parts of southern Asia.

Future Changes
No one can look into a crystal ball and predict the future with certainty. However, scientists can make estimates about future population growth, greenhouse gas emissions, and other factors affecting climate. You can enter these estimates into the computermodelsto find out the most likely effects of global warming.

The IPCC forecasts that greenhouse gas emissions will continue to increase in the coming yearsdecades. As a result, they predict the average global temperature will rise by about 0.2 degrees Celsius (0.36 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade. Even if we reduce greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions to 2000 levels, we can still expect warming of about 0.1 degrees Celsius (0.18 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade.

The panel also predicts that global warming will contribute to some serious changes in water supplies around the world. By the middle of the 21st century, the IPCC predicts a flowflow awayand water availability will most likely increase at high latitudes and in sometropicalareas. However, many arid regions in the mid-latitudes and tropics will experience declining water resources.

As a result, millions of people may be exposed to itWater scarcity. Water scarcity reduces the amount of water available for drinking,electricity, andHygiene. Bottlenecks also reduce water use for irrigation. Agricultural production would slow and food prices would rise.Consistentlyyears fromdrynessin themGreat Plainsof the United States and Canada would have that effect.

IPCCDataalso suggest that the frequency ofheat wavesand extreme precipitation will increase.weather conditionssuch asstormsand tropicalcyclonesgets more intense. Storms themselves can be stronger, more frequent, and last longer. You would be followed by stronger onesstorm surges, the immediate rise in sea level after storms. Storm surges are particularly damaging to coastal areas because their effects (floods,Erosion, damage to buildings and crops) are lasting.

What we can do
Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions is acriticalStep to slow global warming trend. Many governments around the world are working towards this goal.

The biggest effort so far has beenKyoto-Protokoll, which was adopted in 1997 and came into force in 2005. By the end of 2009, 187 countries had signed and ratified the agreement. Under theProtocol, 37 developed countries and theEuropean Unionhave committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

There are several ways governments, industries and individuals can reduce greenhouse gases. We can improveenergy efficiencyin homes and businesses. We can improve itfuel efficiencyof cars and other vehicles. We can also support the development of alternative energy sources, such assolar powerandBiofuelsthat do not burn fossil fuels.

Some scientists are working to capture carbon dioxide and store it underground instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. This process is calledcarbon sequestration.

Trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. Protecting existing forests and planting new forests can help offset greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Changes in cultivation methods could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, farms use large amounts of nitrogenfertilizer, which increase nitrogen oxide emissions from the ground. Reducing the use of these fertilizers would reduce the amount of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

The way farmers treat animalsfertilizecan also affect global warming. If manure is stored as a liquid ormudin ponds or tanks it releases methane. However, when it dries as a solid, it does not.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions isvitalimportant. However, the global temperature has already changed and will most likely continue to change in the coming years. The IPCC suggests that people are looking for ways to adapt to global warming and try to slow or stop it. Some of the customization suggestions are: