A greenhouses
gas is any gas in the atmosphere which both emits and absorbs
radiation.
Despite
the bad name that global
warming has given greenhouse gases, they are actually
necessary for human life on Earth.
Without
greenhouses gases, the Earth would be a cold planet, much
too cold for human life to have ever evolved.
The world's
ecosystem keeps the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
at an average that makes life on Earth ideal for human life.
The greenhouse
effect was first recognized in the 19th century during the
Industrial Revolution. Since then, industry has continually
contributed a lot of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, much
more than the amount that is naturally there. This causes
the atmosphere to warm up, and if it continues, will make
life uncomfortably hot for humans and all the other life on
Earth.
Causes
of greenhouse gases
Despite all the attention of pollution emissions by cars,
it is petroleum oil
and other fossil fuel power plants which are the largest greenhouse
gas contributors. These are followed by industrial processes,
and in third place, transportation emissions. Other major
causes of the greenhouse effect are agricultural by-products
and various fossil fuel extraction and refinement processes.
There is hope for a solution to global warming, however, because
besides efforts to curb our output of greenhouse gases, scientists
are working on a number of different ways that greenhouse
gases can be removed from the atmosphere.
Removing
greenhouse gases from the atmosphere
Some of
these proposed methods include fertilizing the ocean with
iron to encourage plankton growth; using massive amounts of
chemical scrubbers to clean the atmosphere; or dumping limestone
in to the ocean, which promotes natural carbon
dioxide removal processes.
These man-made solutions are attractive, but they only address
the symptoms, rather than the root of the problem. Even if
they are implemented, it will only postpone the greenhouse
gas problem.
Currently,
there is no better to eliminate greenhouse gas pollution,
say experts, than simply taking personal steps to reduce global warming by cutting back on our own contributions
while urging governments to develop alternative
energy sources and place stricter controls over present
fossil fuel emissions.
More
information about greenhouse gases & global warming around
the Web:
GreenHouse
Gas Online - Greenhouse Gas News, Research and Resources
- The latest headline news, information on carbon dioxide,
methane, nitrous oxide and how they effect climate change
and global warming, plus information on research studies offering
several scenarios of future impact on the atmosphere.