Understanding Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change

TLDR; Climate change is caused by the greenhouse effect, enhanced by human activities, primarily from the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane.

⛅ Greenhouse Effect Basics

The greenhouse effect is driven by the conversion of incoming radiation into a different wavelength, which warms the Earth.

75% of the Sun's radiation reaches the Earth's surface, where it is absorbed and converted into heat energy, mainly infrared radiation.

This longer wavelength infrared radiation heats up the atmosphere and is then re-emitted.

However, up to 85% of it is trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, contributing to the warming effect.

The enhanced greenhouse effect occurs when human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, increase the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, intensifying the warming effect.

🌡️ Indicators of Climate Change

Indicators of climate change include rising sea surface temperatures, melting glaciers and ice cover, increasing sea levels, and changes in the distribution of pests and diseases.

These changes stem from the overall increase in temperature caused by the greenhouse effect.

Additionally, higher temperatures lead to rising sea levels and increased average humidity, further confirming the impact of climate change on the environment.

🌍 Greenhouse Gases

Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor, are essential for the natural greenhouse effect.

However, human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels, have significantly increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, intensifying the greenhouse effect.

While water vapor is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect, the focus is on carbon dioxide due to human-induced emissions.

Other significant contributors include methane and nitrogen oxides.

🔍 Impact of Greenhouse Gases

Carbon dioxide, despite being less potent molecule to molecule than methane, is the main culprit due to its larger volume in the atmosphere.

Methane, although more potent, has a smaller overall effect due to its lower volume.

This distribution of gases leads to the amplified greenhouse effect and subsequent climate change, with carbon dioxide being the primary driver of the enhanced greenhouse effect.