Greenhouse Effect And Global Warming: Causes, Effects

You have landed on the right page to learn interesting facts about Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming. It is getting hotter on Earth. Is it good? What happens if the Earth gets heated? What are the causes of Earth getting heated? The term ‘Greenhouse effect’ has derived from a phenomenon, which occurs inside a greenhouse. In a greenhouse, the glass panel lets the light in but does not allow heat to escape. Therefore, it results in warming up of the greenhouse.

Thus, the greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon responsible for heating Earth’s surface and atmosphere. In this article, you will learn about the Greenhouse effect and Global warming, causes and its effects. Continue reading to know more.

What is the Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming?

Have you ever seen a greenhouse? A greenhouse is a small house of glass used to grow plants, especially in places with cold climates. They will help by trapping heat from the sun. The glass panels of the greenhouse allow the sunlight to enter but do not allow the heat to escape. Thus, it keeps the greenhouse warm from the inside.

Similarly, the Earth’s atmosphere traps heat from the sun. As a result, Earth’s atmosphere acts like a blanket around it. Gases such as methane, carbon dioxide, water vapour, nitrous oxide, and \({\rm{CFCs}}\) in the atmosphere trap the heat radiated by the Earth, which keeps it warm. These gases are referred to as greenhouse gases. The gases behave much like the glass panes in a glasshouse. The Earth absorbs some of the sunlight falling on its surface and reflects the rest. The greenhouse gases trap a part of this reflected light.

As a result, it causes heating of the Earth’s surface and its lower atmosphere. This phenomenon is known as the greenhouse effect. It helps in maintaining optimum temperature on the Earth by keeping it warm. Without this effect, the average temperature on the Earth’s surface would have been \({\rm{1}}{{\rm{8}}^{\rm{o}}}{\rm{C}}{\rm{.}}\)

Reasons for the Greenhouse Effect

We know that an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is one of the significant causes of air pollution. In addition, scientists believe that an increase in carbon dioxide and certain other gases is responsible for global warming. Global warming refers to the abnormal rise in the Earth’s surface temperature. To understand how this happens, let us first familiarize ourselves with the concept of the greenhouse effect.In recent years, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the air, particularly carbon dioxide, has increased significantly. As a result, it has led to an enhanced greenhouse effect, resulting from which the average temperature of the Earth’s lower atmosphere is growing gradually. Hence, it is known as global warming.

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Causes of Global Warming

As discussed above, the concentration of carbon dioxide has increased a lot in the air in the past few years, and it is mainly due to some human activities.

1. Burning of Fossil Fuels: Increased burning of fossil fuels such as coal, wood, petrol, and diesel has led to an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air. 
2. Deforestation: Also, large scale cutting down of trees has further disturbed the balance of carbon dioxide. Plants use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. Because of deforestation, the amount of carbon dioxide used by plants is reduced; hence its concentration in the air increases. An increase in population also leads to deforestation and ultimately to global warming.
3. High levels of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons acceptor in the atmosphere allows the heat waves to reach Earth but prevents them from escaping, and the Earth becomes warm.
4. Global warming has far-reaching consequences. Melting of the glaciers and polar ice caps, rising sea levels and reduced salinity, flooding of the low-lying areas, and rising temperature are just a few of the devastating effects of global warming. Moreover, it disturbs the entire ecosystem. Thus, it is a matter of international concern where each one must play their part.

Negative Impacts of Global Warming

1. The polar ice caps and Himalayan snow caps will melt. It is estimated that if all the ice on the earth melts, about \(200\) feet of water would be added to the surface of all oceans, and low-lying coastal cities like Shanghai, Kolkata, Bangkok, Dhaka, Venice, San Francisco, and many other coastal towns around the p- lobe will be inundated.
2.  North America will be warmer and drier. 
3. Global warming will reduce grain production.
4. Deserts are likely to increase. 
5. Global warming might sweep One-third of forests away.
6. Chances of hurricanes, cyclones, and floods will be more.
7. A rise in the sea level directly threatens about \({\rm{6,000}}\,{\rm{km}}\) of India’s coastline. The most vulnerable areas of the coast are Gujarat, Mumbai, S. Kerala and deltas of Cauvery (Tamil Nadu), Krishna and Godavari (Andhra Pradesh), Mahanadi (Orissa), and Ganga (West Bengal). It estimated that if the current rate of rise continues, the islands of Lakshadweep Archipelago would be lost. Low lying coral atolls of Lakshadweep Archipelago are most vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise.
8. Global warming is likely to cause the extinction of more than one million species of animals and plants by \(2050.\)
9. Significant risk to vulnerable systems like Arctic ecosystems and coral reefs.
10. The new warmer temperature conditions lead to increased weed growth, the eruption of diseases and pests. Thus, crop productivity would also decrease.
11. The decline in Arctic sea ice extent and glaciers retreat. On March \(7, 2017,\) Arctic sea ice reached its record  lowest level.

In addition to global warming, these \({\rm{GHGs}}\) are also responsible for ocean acidification (due to an increase in carbon dioxide dissolution in ocean water and it is estimated that the world’s oceans have become \({\rm{30\% }}\) more acidic since the industrial revolution), ozone depletion, smog pollution, and changes in plant growth and nutrition levels.

By an initiative taken by the United Nations, many countries have reached an agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Kyoto and Copenhagen protocols are two such agreements.

Preventive Measures of Global Warming

1. Reduction in use of fossil fuels. 
2. Improved efficiency of energy usage.
3. Reducing deforestation.
4. Check on human population explosion. 
5. Afforestation and reforestation.
6. Planting trees and slowing down the growth of the human population.
7. International initiatives are also being taken to curb the emissions of greenhouse gases, mostly \({\rm{CFCs}}{\rm{.}}\)
8. The usage of technologies to be reduced, which emits greenhouse gases.
9. Instead of vehicles, use bicycles for short distances.

Relation Between Greenhouse Gases and Global Warming

1. Human activities increase these gases.
2. The gases in the atmosphere constitute the inequality in the heat absorbing and reflecting process.
3. Global warming changes the pattern of the temperature change, rain, snowfall and then results in overall change in the climate pattern
4. All three are interconnected.
5. These are the causes to affect the difference in the relationship.
6. It is the cause of the greenhouse effect and its effect on climate change.

Summary

Climate change is occurring due to the greenhouse effect and global warming. Natural systems are affecting due to the increase in the temperature around the world. All these are happening due to the increase of greenhouse gases. In this article, we learnt about the causes, effects and preventive measures of the greenhouse effect and global warming.

FAQs on Greenhouse Effect & Global Warming

Q.1. How are the greenhouse effect and global warming different?
Ans: The Earth absorbs some of the sunlight falling on its surface and reflects the rest. The greenhouse gases trap a part of this reflected light. It causes heating of the Earth’s surface and its lower atmosphere. This phenomenon is known as the greenhouse effect.
We know that an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is one of the significant causes of air pollution. In addition, scientists believe that an increase in carbon dioxide and certain other gases is responsible for global warming. Global warming refers to the abnormal rise in the Earth’s surface temperature.

Q.2. How are the greenhouse effect and global warming connected?
Ans: The greenhouse effect is associated with Global warming produced when the Earth’s surface and atmosphere absorb solar energy and reradiates the power back into space. In addition, a small amount of energy emitted by oceans and lands is absorbed by the atmosphere and reradiated back to the Earth.

Q.3. Is the greenhouse effect the same as global warming?
Ans: Global warming is due to a gradual increase in the Earth’s atmospheric temperature due to the greenhouse effect. The heat-trapping gases such as methane and carbon dioxide build up the warming of Earth’s atmosphere.

Q.4. What are the effects of global warming?
Ans: The effects of global warming as follows:
1. The polar ice caps and Himalayan snowcaps will melt. It is estimated that if all the ice on the earth metals, about \(200\) feet of water would be added to the surface of all oceans, and low-lying coastal cities like Shanghai, Kolkata, Bangkok, Dhaka, Venice, San Francisco, and many other coastal towns around the \({\rm{p – }}\)lobe will be inundated.
2. North America will be warmer and drier.
3. Global warming will reduce grain production.
4. Deserts are likely to increase.
5. Global warming might sweep One-third of forests away.
6. Chances of hurricanes, cyclones, and floods will be more.

Q.5. How does pollution affect the greenhouse effect and global warming?
Ans: It caused by a blanket of pollution that traps heat around the Earth. This pollution comes from cars, factories, homes, and power plants that burn fossil fuels such as oil, coal, natural gas, and gasoline. Global warming pollution knows no boundaries.

Q.6. How to reduce the greenhouse effect and global warming?
Ans: One can reduce the greenhouse effect and global warming by taking the following steps:
1. Reduction in use of fossil fuels.
2. Improved efficiency of energy usage.
3. Reducing deforestation.
4. Check on human population explosion.
5. Afforestation and reforestation.
6. Planting trees and slowing down the growth of the human population.
7. International initiatives are also being taken to curb the emissions of greenhouse gases, mostly \({\rm{CFCs}}{\rm{.}}\)
8. The usage of technologies to be reduced which emits the greenhouse gases.
9. Instead of vehicles, use bicycles for short distances.

Q.7. How does carbon dioxide contribute to the greenhouse effect and global warming?
Ans: Carbon dioxide is one of the components of air. If there is excess carbon dioxide in the air, it acts as a pollutant. For photosynthesis, plants utilize carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. The cutting down of more trees leads to deforestation. The amount of carbon dioxide in the air increases because of deforestation. It is also responsible for the greenhouse effect.

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