This is what we know as global warming. The increase in the average temperature on Earth is changing living conditions on the planet. Let's find out about the main consequences of this phenomenon:.
Thawing will produce a global rise in sea level and the release of more methane, among other consequences. The decrease in agricultural and livestock production will bring about the food shortage.
Reducing emissions of the so-called greenhouse gases, such as CO 2 or CH 4 is not the only solution to curb the greenhouse effect. International organisations also agree on the following recommendations:. Climate action is synonymous with any policy, measure or programme that works to reduce greenhouse gases, builds resilience to climate change or supports and finances those objectives. The Paris Agreement was the first major international agreement towards those ends. Skip to main content.
You are in Environment Consequences of the greenhouse effect. Share in Twitter. Share in Facebook. Whatsapp Whatsapp. The consequences of the greenhouse effect: from desertification to floods Human action is causing an increase in global temperature. Numerous gases that are part of the atmosphere absorb the Earth's infra-red radiation, producing an increase in the temperature of the surface of our planet and the atmospheric layer that surrounds it.
Radiation escaping into space. Evolution of CO 2. With more greenhouse gases in the air, heat passing through on its way out of the atmosphere is more likely to be stopped.
The added greenhouse gases absorb the heat. They then radiate this heat. With more greenhouse gases, heat will stick around, warming the planet. Skip to main content. How Does the Greenhouse Effect Work? A Couple of Common Greenhouse Gases Carbon dioxide : Made of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms, carbon dioxide molecules make up a small fraction of the atmosphere, but have a large effect on climate.
There was about parts per million volume ppmv of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the mid th Century at the start of the Industrial Revolution. The amount is growing as burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. There is about parts per million volume ppmv now. Methane : A powerful greenhouse gas, able to absorb far more heat than carbon dioxide, methane is made of one carbon and four hydrogen atoms.
It is found in very small quantities in the atmosphere but is able to make a big impact on warming. Methane gas is also used as a fuel. Water Vapor The most abundant greenhouse gas overall, water vapor differs from other greenhouse gases in that changes in its atmospheric concentrations are linked not to human activities directly, but rather to the warming that results from the other greenhouse gases we emit.
Warmer air holds more water. And since water vapor is a greenhouse gas, more water absorbs more heat, inducing even greater warming and perpetuating a positive feedback loop. Population size, economic activity, lifestyle, energy use, land use patterns, technology, and climate policy: According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC , these are the broad forcing s that drive nearly all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
Electricity and Heat Production The burning of coal, oil, and natural gas to produce electricity and heat accounts for one-quarter of worldwide human-driven emissions, making it the largest single source.
Agriculture and Land Use Changes About another quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions stem from agriculture and other land-use activities such as deforestation. In the United States, agricultural activities —primarily the raising of livestock and crops for food—accounted for 8. Of those, the vast majority were methane which is produced as manure decomposes and as beef and dairy cows belch and pass gas and nitrous oxide often released with the use of nitrogen-heavy fertilizers.
Trees, plants, and soil absorb carbon dioxide from the air. The plants and trees do it via photosynthesis a process by which they turn carbon dioxide into glucose ; the soil houses microbes that carbon binds to.
So nonagricultural land-use changes such as deforestation, reforestation replanting in existing forested areas , and afforestation creating new forested areas can either increase the amount of carbon in the atmosphere as in the case of deforestation or decrease it via absorption, removing more carbon dioxide from the air than they emit. When trees or plants are cut down, they no longer absorb carbon dioxide, and when they are burned or decompose, they release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.
In the United States, land-use activities currently represent a net carbon sink , absorbing more carbon dioxide from the air than they emit. Industry About one-fifth of global human-driven emissions come from the industrial sector, which includes the manufacturing of goods and raw materials like cement and steel , food processing, and construction. In , industry accounted for In the United States, with Americans buying larger cars and taking more flights and with low gas prices encouraging drivers to use their cars more, transportation is the largest contributor of greenhouse gases.
It accounted for Carbon dioxide is the primary gas emitted, though fuel combustion also releases small amounts of methane and nitrous oxide, and vehicle air conditioning and refrigerated transport release fluorinated gases too. Nationwide, cars and trucks are responsible for more than 80 percent of transportation-related carbon emissions.
Buildings Operating buildings around the world generates 6. In the United States, homes and businesses accounted for about 11 percent of warming emissions.
These emissions, made up mostly of carbon dioxide and methane, stem primarily from burning natural gas and oil for heating and cooking, though other sources include managing waste and wastewater and leaking refrigerants from air-conditioning and refrigeration systems.
Other Sources This category includes emissions from energy-related activities other than fossil fuel combustion, such as the extraction, refining, processing, and transportation of oil, gas, and coal.
Globally, this sector accounts for 9. Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, more than 2, billion tons of carbon dioxide have been released into the atmosphere by human activities, according to the Global Carbon Project. North America and Europe are responsible for approximately half of that total, while the emerging economies of China and India have contributed another 14 percent.
For the remainder, plus countries share responsibility. An analysis of carbon dioxide emissions by country today shows that China now leads the pack, responsible for 27 percent of all emissions. Together, these global powers account for almost 60 percent of all emissions. According to the IPCC, to was likely the warmest year period of the last 1, years in the Northern Hemisphere, where assessment is possible. And all five of the years from to were the hottest on record globally.
It is:. These changes pose threats not only to plants and wildlife, but directly to people. Warmer temperatures mean insects that spread diseases like dengue fever and Zika can thrive—and heat waves are getting hotter and more lethal to humans.
People could go hungry when our food supply is diminished thanks to droughts and floods —a National Research Council study found that for every degree Celsius that the planet heats up, crop yields will go down 5 to 15 percent. Food insecurity can lead to mass human migration and political instability.
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