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What are Greenhouse Gases? |
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Greenhouses gases blanket the earth and make the temperature livable. Without these gases, it would be to cold to live here. ( About 59 degrees Farenheit colder, in fact.) The most prominent greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrous oxide, the ozone, and CFC's. Greenhouse gas is not all good, however. Radiations from the sun are trapped, leading to a surface temperature rise, called greenhouse effect, or greenhouse warming. By heating up the earth's surface, they also cool the stratosphere, triggering ozone layer depletion. The ozone layer keeps the UV rays from entering the earth's atmosphere. Most of these gases are considered a nuisance to the environment, and many countries have banned the use of products that produce the gases. Another major non- gas contributor to the greenhouse effect are clouds, which absorb and emit infrared radiation. The main source of greenhouse gas is due to human activity. The burning of fossil fuels, manure management by farmers, rice paddy farm management, land use, pipeline changes, landfill emissions, and even the newer, vented septic systems.Fertilizers used on farms and in gardens are another culprit, as are the use of chlorofluorcarbons (CFC's) used in refrigeration. The Kyoto Protocol, introduced in 2005 is intended to address the greenhouse gas problem. |
