Concepts

Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming

CAPF wiki•1 min read•7 sections

At a glance

SubjectScience

Definition

The greenhouse effect is the trapping of outgoing heat (infrared radiation) by certain gases in the atmosphere; its intensification by human activity drives global warming and climate change.

Key points

Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), water vapour, and synthetic gases; they let sunlight in but absorb the heat the Earth re-radiates.
A natural greenhouse effect keeps the planet warm enough for life; the problem is its enhancement by burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industry.
Carbon dioxide is the most abundant human-released greenhouse gas; methane is far more potent per molecule but shorter-lived.
Consequences include rising average temperatures, melting glaciers, sea-level rise, and more extreme weather.
Key agreements: the UNFCCC (1992), the Kyoto Protocol (1997), and the Paris Agreement (2015), which aims to keep warming well below 2° Celsius and pursue 1.5°, with India committed to net zero by 2070.

Why it matters for CAPF

The greenhouse gases, the difference between the natural and enhanced effect, and the major climate treaties are core environment topics that also appear in current affairs and essay material.

Common confusion

The greenhouse effect is natural and necessary; global warming is its harmful intensification. Do not confuse it with ozone depletion, which is a separate stratospheric problem.

One-line recall

Gases like CO2 and methane trap outgoing heat; human emissions enhance this, causing global warming addressed by the Paris Agreement.

concept ozone depletion, concept photosynthesis, concept g20

Parent note

environment and ecology

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