Greenhouse gases are gases in Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat. They let sunlight pass through the atmosphere, but they prevent the heat that the sunlight brings from leaving the atmosphere. The main greenhouse gases are:
Greenhouse gases are gases that can trap heat. They get their name from greenhouses. A greenhouse is full of windows that let in sunlight. That sunlight creates warmth. The big trick of a greenhouse is that it doesn’t let that warmth escape.
That’s exactly how the greenhouse gases act. They let sunlight pass through the atmosphere, but they prevent the heat that the sunlight brings from leaving the atmosphere. Overall, greenhouse gases are a good thing. Without them, our planet would be too cold, and life as we know it would not exist. But there can be too much of a good thing. Scientists are worried that human activities are adding too much of these gases to the atmosphere.
Most Important Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)?
The most common and most talked about greenhouse gases is CO2 or carbon dioxide. Because it is so common, scientists use it as the benchmark or measure of things that warm the atmosphere.
Methane, another important GHG, for example, is 28-36 times as warming as CO2 when in the upper atmosphere (USEPA GWP – Global Warming Potential – estimate over 100 years), therefore, 1 ton of methane = 28-36 tons eCO2 or CO2 equivalents.
The most commonly discussed GHGs are:
CO2 or Carbon Dioxide is produced at any time something is burned. It is the most common GHG, constituting by some measures almost 55% of total long-term GHGs. It is used as a marker by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, for example, because of its ubiquity. Carbon dioxide is assigned a GWP or Global Warming Potential of 1.
Methane or CH4 is produced in many combustion processes and also by anaerobic decomposition, for example, in flooded rice paddies, pig and cow stomachs, and pig manure ponds. Methane breaks down in approximately 10 years but is a precursor of ozone, itself an important GHG. CH4 has a GWP of 28-36.
Nitrous oxide (laughing gas), NO/N2O, or simply NOx is a byproduct of fertilizer production and use, other industrial processes, and the combustion of certain materials. Nitrous oxide lasts a very long time in the atmosphere, but at the 100-year point of comparison to CO2, its GWP is 265-298.
Fluorinated gases were created as replacements for ozone-depleting refrigerants, but have proved to be both extremely long-lasting and extremely warming GHGs. They have no natural sources but are entirely man-made. At the 100-year point of comparison, their GWPs range from 1,800 to 8,000 and some variants top 10,000.
Sulfur hexafluoride or SF6 is used for specialized medical procedures, but primarily in what is called dielectric materials, especially dielectric liquids. These are used as insulators in high voltage applications such as transformers and grid switching gear. SF6 will last thousands of years in the upper atmosphere and has a GWP of 22,800.
How do we produce GHGs?
Many of our daily activities cause emissions of greenhouse gases. For example, we produce greenhouse gas emissions from burning gasoline when we drive, burning oil or gas for home heating, or using electricity generated from coal, natural gas, and oil. Greenhouse gas emissions vary among individuals depending on a person’s location, habits, and personal choices. Besides, the more recycling you do will reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, as well as the greenhouse gas emissions that result from the processing of raw materials. Also, when we’ll use biodegradable products, we’ll cause fewer emissions. Try using ecofworld’s eco-friendly mineral water bottles, reusable bamboo cutlery set, organic cotton mesh produce bags to give your part towards fewer emissions of GHGs.
Global warming is the gradual increase in the regular temperature happening in the earth’s troposphere. It is happening, as the levels of greenhouse gases are increasing. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) trap the heat whenever sunlight hits the earth. Both land and oceans in our planet are warmer over the past two centuries, and temperatures are still […]
