Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect is at the centre of the climate change debate. Therefore, it is important to understand how it affects our planet.

The sun heats up the earth by sending solar rays towards us. Some of these rays don’t get through our atmosphere. Those that do, warm up the earth.

When the Earth warms up it radiates its own rays of heat – infrared rays. Those which don’t escape past the atmosphere are absorbed by greenhouse gases, these greenhouse gases warns the earth is it is at the temperature we experience now. Without this process, the earth would be some 30degrees cooler and life on our planet would be different.

However, we are producing too much greenhouse gases, which mean they are absorbing more heat and warming the earth too much- this is called global warming. One of the main greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide. Which can be created from the chopping down and burning of trees.

the fuel used in cars and machinery also creates carbon dioxide, as same as the coal and natural gas. Therefore, if we reduce the use of fuel and reduce deforestation, the amount of greenhouse gas around Earth should also be reduce.

Scientists say it is already too late to prevent global warming but and therefore climate change, but by reducing greenhouse gases we could still limit the impact. Even a change in temperature of under 1C is enough to cause changes in rainfall and sea level rises.