He greenhouse effect Is produced when we receive the light that comes from the sun to maintain the temperature of the planet in a constant and habitable.
According to NASA, 100% of the light sent by the Sun to Earth, about 30% is reflected and sent back into space by clouds, ice, sand and other reflective surfaces.
Only 70% of sunlight is absorbed by the oceans, land and atmosphere. This light is used for different purposes, such as solar energy production, water evaporation and photosynthesis, in the case of plants.
The surface of the earth must be heated during the day, and it must be cooled again at night, releasing the heat contained in the atmosphere in the form of infrared (IR) radiation back into space. However, before this radiation can escape into space, it is absorbed by greenhouse gases (GHGs) present in the atmosphere.
The absorption of these gases causes the planet to be conserved at a higher temperature. In that sense, the greenhouse effect plays a fundamental role in the conservation of the planet's temperature, in order to make it fit for human life. Without this effect, the Earth's temperature would be approximately -30 ° C (Rinkesh, 2009).
However, excessive air pollution has contributed to consequences of global warming Are greater, to the extent that the energy received from the sun can not escape from the atmosphere because of pollution. All this means a threat to the environment and all life forms that inhabit the Earth.
Generally, the greenhouse effect of devastating consequences for the environment is called the Anthropogenic Greenhouse Effect, because its causes stem from the industrial and agricultural activities developed by the human being (BritishGeologicalSurvey, 2017).
In this line, the major causes of the greenhouse effect are greenhouse gases or GHG. These are gases composed of carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, nitrogen oxide, boiling gas and water vapor. These make up 1% of the earth's atmosphere, act as a thick and warm blanket that surrounds the exterior of the planet and regulates its temperature.
The greenhouse effect is not essentially bad, in fact, it is necessary for the survival of life on the planet. It is a naturally occurring process and is designed to help keep the Earth's surface temperature constant and ecologically balanced.
However, while a small proportion of the heat contained by the atmosphere manages to dissipate in space, most of this heat remains contained within the atmosphere, burning. Or in the worst case, penetrating the innermost layers of the atmosphere and raising the temperature significantly.
All this results in an increase in the average temperature of the Earth. This means that, to the extent that there are more greenhouse gases, the Earth will be hotter, and phenomena such as Global Warming will be more likely to occur (Stille, 2006).
Greenhouse gases
Although greenhouse gases make up a smaller percentage of the Earth's atmosphere, they are solely responsible for maintaining and increasing Earth's temperature.
As these gases increase, so does the internal temperature below them. These gases are composed mainly of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide and flowering gas (Casper, 2010).
- Carbon dioxide : Known as CO2, is the greenhouse gas that exerts a greater impact on the production of the greenhouse effect.
Methane : Methane gas is an organic by-product released into the atmosphere when soil organic matter is broken, for example, when a tree is felled. It is one of the main producers of the greenhouse effect, since it takes between nine and fifteen years to be released from the atmosphere.
- Nitrogen oxides : This toxic gas is formed when fossil fuels and other materials are burned at high temperatures.
- Fluorinated gas : Fluorine is a by-product of many consumer goods currently used, including refrigerators, refrigerants, fire extinguishers and aerosols.
All these gases are elements that can be found in small amounts in nature.
However, the increase of the production of the same thanks to the industry and the hand of the human beings, has had as a consequence the production of the greenhouse effect of negative impact for the Earth.
Causes of the greenhouse effect
There are several agents that have increased the amount of GHG contained in the atmosphere, as you can see below.
Burning of fossil fuels
Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas have become an integral part of human life. These fuels are used on a large scale to produce electrical energy and support the most common means of transportation.
When fossil fuels are burned, the carbon contained in them is released and combines with the oxygen present in the atmosphere, creating carbon dioxide (CO2).
With the increase in the world population and the number of vehicles, pollution has increased and with it the amount of CO2 present in the atmosphere. CO2 is most responsible for the greenhouse effect and global warming.
Apart from the pollution resulting from the numerous vehicles, there are high emissions of gases related to the production of electric energy. Burning coal to generate energy is one of the most important sources of CO2.
Several nations are currently working to use renewable energy sources to replace the burning of coal and other fossil fuels.
Deforestation
Forests are responsible for filtering the CO2 from the atmosphere and throwing oxygen back to it through the process of photosynthesis. This process of gaseous exchange carried out by both plants and trees is fundamental to the existence of life on earth (CBO, 2012).
The large-scale development of different industries has led to massive logging and deforestation. This has forced thousands of species to migrate to areas where they can survive, including the human species. Thus, the Forest resources Have been minimized.
When forests are burned, the carbon contained in them is released and converted back into CO2.
To the extent that there are fewer forests in the world, the process of filtration of greenhouse gases becomes more difficult and the greenhouse effect of devastating consequences becomes imminent (Casper, Greenhouse Gases: Worldwide Impacts, 2009).
Increase in world population
During the last decades there has been a significant increase in the number of inhabitants of the world.
Nowadays, thanks to this increase, the demand for food, clothing, shelter and consumer goods has increased. Thanks to these demands, new manufacturing niches have been established in cities and small towns, destroying forests, consuming natural resources and emitting greenhouse gases.
Similarly, the number of vehicles and the consumption of electricity and industrial goods has increased, increasing the use of fossil fuels and aggravating the problem of the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
The high demand for food also leads to planting of crops and animal husbandry for the meat industry on a large scale, so that the use of toxic gases such as nitrogen oxide increases. Finally, the massive cultivation of food and fish farming are one of the main responsible for the greenhouse effect.
Industrial waste and landfills
The manufacturing industries of cement, fertilizers, oil extraction and mining produce highly toxic greenhouse gases.
Similarly, waste produced in these industries releases CO2 and methane gas, significantly increasing environmental problems related to the anthropogenic greenhouse effect.
Evidence of climate change
Some observations indicate that the Earth's climate has changed considerably over the last few years. The thawing of glaciers, a product of global warming generated by the greenhouse effect has implicated an increase in ocean levels.
The highest temperatures recorded in the history of have taken place during the last 150 years. This is because the temperature of the earth rises on average 0.74 ° C each year. The rise in temperature is most evident in the north of the globe, where snowy surfaces have melted in an accelerated fashion during the last 50 years.
The greenhouse effect produced by the high emissions of gases product of the industry developed by the man, has caused that the amount of water vapor contained in the air also increases.
As a result, this causes the atmosphere to retain higher temperatures and less cold air. (Hardy, 2004).
References
1. BritishGeologicalSurvey. (2017). British Geological Survey. Retrieved from"What causes the man-made greenhouse effect?: bgs.ac.uk.
2. Casper, J. K. (2009). Greenhouse Gases: Worldwide Impacts. Infobase Publishing.
3. Casper, J. K. (2010). Anthropogenic Causes and Effects. In J.K. Casper, Greenhouse Gases: Worldwide Impacts (pp. 113 - 139). New York: Facts On File.
4. CBO. (January 6, 2012). Congressional Budget Office. Obtained from Deforestation and Greenhouse Gases: cbo.gov.
5. Hardy, J.T. (2004). Earth and The Greenhouse Effect. In J. T. Hardy, Climate Change: Causes, Effects, and Solutions (pp. 3-11). Bellingham: Wiley.
6. Rinkesh. (2009). Conserve Energy Future. Obtained from What is the Greenhouse Effect?: conserve-energy-future.com.
7. Stille, D.R. (2006). The Greenhouse Effect: Warming the Planet.Compass Point Books.