Effect of Increased Greenhouse Gases in our Atmosphere

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#climatechange #greenhouse #ngscience

In the last video we learnt that the greenhouse effect is a natural process that helps to keep the Earth at a more stable temperature making it suitable for life.

A greenhouse is a glass enclosure used to grow plants. It works by trapping the heat from the Sun inside the greenhouse to maintain a stable temperature at night.

In the greenhouse effect, the Earth's atmosphere acts as the glass in a greenhouse. As the Sun heats the Earth during the day, special greenhouse gases in the atmosphere including carbon dioxide, water vapor and methane trap some of the heat escaping back into space at night. This helps to keep the Earth's temperature warmer and more stable.

Through numerous studies analyzing hundreds of years of data, scientists have confirmed that the average temperature on Earth is rising at a much higher rate than normal...more than any point in recorded history.

This warming of the Earth is having a negative impact on many ecosystems and organisms that inhabit them. Sadly, scientists have also confirmed that this warming of the Earth is due to increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by human activities.

A main cause of increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Burning fossil fuels in vehicles, manufacturing and to produce electricity releases carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the air. This causes the atmosphere to trap more heat resulting is a warmer Earth. This process is now referred to as human-induced climate change.

Also contributing to human-induced climate change is deforestation. When plants photosynthesize, they take in carbon dioxide from the air making them a a major source of carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere.

When we clear forests to make way for cities and farming, the vegetation that was once there can no longer remove carbon dioxide from the air.

There is another suprising contributor to human-induced climate change....these guys!

Cows are used by people all of the world as a source of meat and dairy products.
When cows digest their food, they produce methane gas which you may recall is also a greenhouse gas. The gas from a few cows would normally not be reason for concern. The problem comes when humans farm over a billion cows a year...and with the human population increasing, so to is our demand for more cows!

The impacts of human-induced climate change are far-reaching and complex. They include, but are not limited to, alterations in precipitation; sea level changes; ocean acidification; and more extreme weather events. These changes pose serious risks to all forms of life on Earth, human health, food security, water supplies, infrastructure, and economic activity.

It's not all bad news. Fortunately, there are plenty of things we can do slow and stop human-induced climate change and you can find out in our related videos.