How Earth keeps itself warm?
If the Earth was not surrounded by a warming blanket of air, it would be much too cold for human habitation. Earth’s atmosphere acts as this blanket because it contains small amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other gases in the atmosphere known as greenhouse gases. These gases help pertain heat to a vital process called the greenhouse effect.
What is the Greenhouse effect?
The greenhouse effect occurs when sunlight passes through the atmosphere and strikes the Earth. Some of the light is reflected and some is absorbed. The absorbed light warms the surface of the Earth. The heated surface then radiates infrared light into the atmosphere where it is absorbed by the greenhouse gases. These gases help regulate the temperature of the Earth.
What is the effect of burning fossil fuels?
Due to the burning of large amounts of coal, oil and natural gas the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has dramatically increased over the last 300 years. For instance, carbon dioxide abbreviated as CO2 has increased 30% since 1750.
Trees remove CO2 from the air as part of their natural processes. As human beings cut down forests, the capacity of trees to remove CO2 from the air is diminished. Scientists are concerned that as we continue to burn large amounts of fossil fuels and to clean are forest an exaggerated greenhouse effect will occur resulting in an increase in the world surface temperature known as the global warming. A warming of only a few degrees could cause a number of environmental problems including the melting of the polar ice gaps, causing ocean levels to rise and flooding coastal areas.
