greenhouse effect
Published: November 09, 2022 | Updated:
August 16, 2023
The greenhouse effect is when greenhouse gasses (GHGs), create a heat trap and prevent our sun’s energy from returning to space.
GHGs trap heat much like the glass roof of a greenhouse, and are necessary to some extent to maintain a comfortable climate. Without the greenhouse effect, the Earth would be about 33 degrees Celsius cooler, and many life forms would freeze.
Since the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th Century, human activity has been adding excessive amounts of carbon dioxide and other GHGs into the atmosphere, and the greenhouse effect is causing global warming and climate change to occur at an unprecedented rate.
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NASA / What is the greenhouse effect?