greenhouse effect

When the sun’s radiation reaches our atmosphere, some of it is reflected back to space and some of it passes through the atmosphere and is absorbed by the earth. This process causes the earth to warm up.

This is a natural process that helps our planet to be habitable. If the sun’s radiation won’t pass through our atmosphere, planet earth would be uninhabitable and 30 °C (54 °F) colder.

The heat from the earth is radiated outward to the atmosphere and most of it is absorbed by the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

The main gases are:

Carbon dioxide (CO₂), Methane (CH₄) and Nitrous Oxide (N₂O).

The main greenhouse gas is Carbon dioxide.

CO₂ isn’t the most effective greenhouse gas, but it’s the most common.

carbon dioxide is called dry ice. Carbon Dioxide is normally a colorless, odorless and neutral gas.

True, Carbon dioxide is one of the products needed for Photosynthesis, that’s why the number one advice for how to fight GW is to plant trees.

CO₂ is emitted mostly by fossil fuel. After it’s emitted, it stays in the atmosphere for about 100 years.

Due to the fact that Carbon dioxide is part of the Photosynthesis and trees absorb it, deforestation is effecting the climate change. Notice: fewer trees, less Photosynthesis. Less Photosynthesis, more carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere. Get it? It’s really simple for people to understand, and yet – people don’t really want to learn about deforestation.

Of course, Carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas. It’s weak but it’s emitted by almost every activity we do: drive a car, ride a bus, use electricity, even now most of us are emitting CO₂ to the atmosphere.

Another greenhouse gas is Methane (CH₄). Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas. Methane traps about 25 times more energy than carbon dioxide, and lasts in the atmosphere for about ten years.

Methane is emitted by livestock, factories and waste dumps.

Burning one molecule of Methane produce one molecule of carbon dioxide and two molecules of water.

Methane is also the primary component of natural gas. Methane's relative abundance and clean burning process makes it a very attractive fuel. However, because it is a gas (at normal temperature and pressure) and not a liquid or solid, methane is difficult to transport from the areas that produce it to the areas that consume it.

The last gas on our list is Nitrous Oxide (N₂O), or most common as laugh gas.

Under room conditions, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a pleasant, slightly sweet odor and taste.

Nitrous oxide can be used as an oxidizer in a rocket engine. This has the advantages over other oxidizers that it is non-toxic and, due to its stability at room temperature, easy to store and relatively safe to carry on a flight.

Nitrous oxide has been the oxidizer of choice in several hybrid rocket designs (using solid fuel with a liquid or gaseous oxidizer). The combination of nitrous oxide with hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene fuel has been used by SpaceShipOne and others. It is also notably used in amateur and high power rocketry with various plastics as the fuel.

Nitrous oxide's persistence in the atmosphere, when considered over a 100 year period, per unit of weight, has 296 times more impact on global warming than that per mass unit of carbon dioxide. Nitrous oxide lasts in the atmosphere for about 100 years.

Despite its relatively small concentration in the atmosphere, nitrous oxide is the third largest greenhouse gas contributor to overall global warming, behind carbon dioxide and methane. Nitrous oxide is emitted by bacteria in soils and oceans.

There are more gases which are emitted by air conditioners and Aerosols. These gases are thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide, so use air conditioners that use the r410a gas. I use one and it works just fine.

Overall, global warming is already effecting us, but we need to act now for the future!