GE1713

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

North Carolina Climate Office &
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

The Greenhouse Effect

The "greenhouse effect" is not the same as global warming. "Global warming" refers to
the increase in global average temperature due to excessive amounts of greenhouse gases. The
greenhouse effect describes a critical function of our atmosphere: to keep the earth warm enough
to sustain life.

The greenhouse effect is somewhat similar to the process that goes on in a real
greenhouse. The glass of a greenhouse allows the sun’s radiation in, which warms the ground
inside, which in turn warms the air above the ground by longwave (heat) radiation. The glass then
acts like a barrier to keep the warm air inside from mixing with the cooler air outside the
greenhouse.

The greenhouse gases in the atmosphere allow the sun’s short wavelength radiation in,
and because of the chemical properties of the gases, they do not interact with sunlight. But they
do absorb the longwave radiation from the earth and emit it back into the atmosphere, different
from a greenhouse which does not allow the longwave radiation to escape through the glass. The
increase in trapped energy leads to higher temperatures at the earth's surface. This has caused
some people to rename the process ‘the atmospheric greenhouse effect’ or just ‘the greenhouse
effect’.

Without the greenhouse effect, Earth’s temperature would be below freezing. It is, in part,
a natural process. However, Earth’s greenhouse effect is getting stronger as we add greenhouse
gases to the atmosphere. That is warming the climate of our planet.

Figure 1. How the Greenhouse Effect Works

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

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More Greenhouse Gases = A Warmer Earth

Even though only a tiny amount of the gases in Earth’s atmosphere are greenhouse
gases, they have a huge effect on climate. Sometime during this century, the amount of the
greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is expected to double. Other greenhouse
gases like methane and nitrous oxide are increasing as well. The quantity of greenhouse gases
is increasing as fossil fuels are burned, releasing the gases and other air pollutants into the
atmosphere. Greenhouse gases also make their way to the atmosphere from other sources. Farm
animals, for example, release methane gas as they digest food. As cement is made from
limestone, it releases carbon dioxide.

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. Some of the heat will head away from the Earth, some of it will be absorbed
by another greenhouse gas molecule, and some of it will wind up back at the planet’s surface
again. With more greenhouse gases, heat will stick around, warming the planet.

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GREENHOUSE GASES
U.S. Energy Information Administration &
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are called greenhouse gases. Many of the chemical
compounds in the earth's atmosphere act as greenhouse gases. Many gases exhibit these
greenhouse properties. Some gases occur naturally and are also produced by human activities.
Some, such as industrial gases, are exclusively human made.

Types of Greenhouse Gases (GHG)

Several major greenhouse gases that are the result of human activity are included in U.S. and
international estimates of greenhouse gas emissions such as:

• Carbon dioxide (CO2);

• Methane (CH4);

• Nitrous oxide (N2O); and

• Industrial gases/Fluorinated Carbons.

The following greenhouse gases are not counted in U.S. or international greenhouse gas
inventories:

• Water Vapor: the most abundant greenhouse gas, but most scientists believe that
water vapor produced directly by human activity contributes very little to the amount of
water vapor in the atmosphere.

• Ozone: at higher elevations in the atmosphere (the stratosphere), ozone occurs

naturally, and it blocks ultraviolet (UV) light (which is harmful to plant and animal life)
from reaching the earth’s surface. Governments all around the world ban and control
production and use of several industrial gases that destroy atmospheric ozone and
create holes in the ozone layer. At lower elevations of the atmosphere (the
troposphere), ozone is harmful to human health.

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Information on Major GHG

• Carbon dioxide (CO2): Carbon dioxide enters the
atmosphere through burning fossil fuels (coal,
natural gas, and oil), solid waste, trees and wood
products, and as a result of certain chemical
reactions (e.g., manufacture of cement). Carbon
dioxide is removed from the atmosphere (or
"sequestered") when it is absorbed by plants as
part of the biological carbon cycle.

• Methane (CH4): Methane is emitted during the Figure 2. U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2016
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
production and transport of coal, natural gas, and
oil. Methane emissions also result from livestock and other agricultural practices and by
the decay of organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills.

• Nitrous oxide (N2O): Nitrous oxide is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities,
as well as during combustion of fossil fuels and solid waste.

• Fluorinated gases: Hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and

nitrogen trifluoride are synthetic, powerful greenhouse gases that are emitted from a variety
of industrial processes. Fluorinated gases are sometimes used as substitutes for
stratospheric ozone-depleting substances (e.g., chlorofluorocarbons,
hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and halons). These gases are typically emitted in smaller
quantities, but because they are potent greenhouse gases, they are sometimes referred to
as High Global Warming Potential gases ("High GWP gases").

Sources of GHG
The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in the United States is
from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation. The primary sources of
greenhouse gas emissions in the United States are:

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• Transportation: Generates the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse

gas emissions from transportation primarily come from burning fossil fuel for our cars,
trucks, ships, trains, and planes. Over 90 percent of the fuel used for transportation is
petroleum based, which includes gasoline
and diesel.

• Electricity: Production generates the

second largest share of greenhouse gas
emissions. Approximately 68 percent of our
electricity comes from burning fossil fuels,
mostly coal and natural gas.

• Industry: Primarily come from burning

fossil fuels for energy, as well as
greenhouse gas emissions from certain
chemical reactions necessary to produce
goods from raw materials.
Figure 2. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic
Sectors
• Commercial and Residential: Emissions Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
from businesses and homes arise primarily from fossil fuels burned for heat, the use of
certain products that contain greenhouse gases, and the handling of waste.

• Agriculture: Come from livestock such as cows, agricultural soils, and rice production.

• Land Use and Forestry: Land areas can act as a sink (absorbing CO2 from the
atmosphere) or a source of greenhouse gas emissions.

References
Agency, United States Environmental Protection. (2018, October 31). Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
Retrieved from EPA: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/

North Carolina State University Climate Office. (n.d.). Greenhouse Effect. Retrieved from North Carolina
Climate Office: https://climate.ncsu.edu/edu/GreenhouseEffect

U.S. Energy Information Administration. (2018, July 20). Energy and the Environment Explained.
Retrieved from EIA: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. (2011). The Greenhosue Effect. Retrieved from UCAR:
Center for Science Education: https://scied.ucar.edu/longcontent/greenhouse-effect

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