Greenhouse Gases

Greenhouse Gas - How it works

Greenhouse gases result in a higher temperature since it insulates the planet from losing heat.

• The sun produces short-wave radiation and it gets through the atmosphere by clouds and ice.

• Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, etc are like a blanket that prevent all the heat from escaping.

• Clouds contribute to heating because they act like a blanket, preventing heat from coming out. When the clouds clear at night, it’s cooler because the heat is able to escape. The clouds aren’t blocking them. That’s why we have cooler nights.

What most commonly causes greenhouse effect warming?

• Water vapor, which is natural, is the #1 greenhouse gas

• Now, carbon dioxide (unnatural) is on the rise of a cause. Rise by 48% over the last 150 human years.

• CH4 has increased by 300% over the last 150 human years.

Types of Greenhouse gases

• Water Vapor (H2O) - Natural processes.

• Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - Caused by burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas, deforestation, industrial processes)

• Methane (coal, oil, natural gas, livestock and other agricultural practices, decay of waste)

• Nitrous Oxide (Fossil fuels, waste, agricultural practices, and industrial processes)

Consequences of melting glaciers

• Rising sea level (3ft by 2100)

• More wildfires

• Intense storms

• Flooding

Major winners (beneficiaries) and losers (adversely) affected regions/ cities

• Benefit from warming: Parts of the US, Canada, Russia, Alaska, Northern Europe

• Damages in US: Anything on the border, like Miami, NJ, Long Island, New Orleans

• Countries prone to flooding: Netherlands, Bangladesh, Bahamas, Thailand, Vietnam

• Countries expected to be drier: Parts of Africa (Kenya, Sudan, Mali, Niger, Ethiopia)

How to reduce CO2 production

• Non-carbon energy sources

• Electric cars

• Wind

• Hydroelectric

• Geothermal

• Nuclear

• Fusion/fission