INTRODUCTION

Weather and climate have a profound impact

on living organisms on the planet. Ecological
systems have evolved over geological time
scales to suit the prevailing climate. The past
10 to 20 years have brought disturbing
evidence that human activities may cause
significant changes in future global climate.
"Global Warming" is now an issue known to
hundreds of millions of people across the
world. We provide herein an overview of the
current state of knowledge concerning
greenhouse gases and global warming.
Greenhouse effect has led to the beginning of
Climate change which can be the reason for
demolition of mankind in future. Greenhouse
effect has peaked over the years as the model
of industrialisation took over the good old
world. The industries use or produce as a by-
product in numerous greenhouse gases which
are literally destroying the eco system. In this
project, I am going to discuss about some of
those gases and the threat they pose to the
coming generations.
 GREEN HOUSE EFFECT
The name "Green-house effect" comes from
the fact that this effect is use in horticulture
for the upbringing of green plants in small
house made of glass walls and glass root.
The sun’s radiations warm the plants and the
air inside the greenhouse. The heat trapped
inside can’t escape out and warms the
greenhouse which is essential for the growth
of the plants. Same is the case in the earth’s
atmosphere.
During the day the sun heats up the earth’s
atmosphere. At night, when the earth cools
down the heat is radiated back into the
atmosphere. During this process, the heat is
absorbed by the greenhouse gases in the
earth’s atmosphere. This is what makes the
surface of the earth warmer, that makes the
survival of living beings on earth possible.
However, due to the increased levels of
greenhouse gases, the temperature of the
earth has increased considerably. This has led
to several drastic effects.
 CAUSES OF GREEN
HOUSE EFFECT
The major causes of the greenhouse effect
are:
• Burning of Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels are an important part of our lives.
They are widely used in transportation and to
produce electricity. Burning of fossil fuels
releases carbon dioxide. With the increase in
population, the utilization of fossil fuels has
increased. This has led to an increase in the
release of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere.
• Deforestation
Plants and trees take in carbon dioxide and
release oxygen. Due to the cutting of trees,
there is a considerable increase in the
greenhouse gases which increases the earth’s
temperature.
• Farming
Nitrous oxide used in fertilizers is one of the
contributors to the greenhouse effect in the
atmosphere.
• Industrial Waste and Landfills
The industries and factories produce harmful
gases which are released in the atmosphere.
Landfills also release carbon dioxide and
methane that adds to the greenhouse gases.

PROBLEMS FROM
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
The main problems from increased
greenhouse gases are:
• Global Warming
It is the phenomenon of a gradual increase in
the average temperature of the Earth’s
atmosphere. The main cause for this
environmental issue is the increased volumes
of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide
and methane released by the burning of fossil
fuels, emissions from the vehicles, industries
and other human activities.
• Depletion of Ozone Layer
Ozone Layer protects the earth from harmful
ultraviolet rays from the sun. It is found in the
upper regions of the stratosphere. The
depletion of the ozone layer results in the
entry of the harmful UV rays to the earth’s
surface that might lead to skin cancer and can
also change the climate drastically.
The major cause of this phenomenon is the
accumulation of natural greenhouse gases
including chlorofluorocarbons, carbon
dioxide, methane, etc.
• Smog and Air Pollution
Smog is formed by the combination of smoke
and fog. It can be caused both by natural
means and man-made activities.
In general, smog is generally formed by the
accumulation of more greenhouse gases
including nitrogen and sulfur oxides. The
major contributors to the formation of smog
are automobile and industrial emissions,
agricultural fires, natural forest fires and the
reaction of these chemicals among
themselves.
 RUNAWAY GREENHOUSE
EFFECT
• This phenomenon occurs when the planet
absorbs more radiation than it can radiate
back. Thus, the heat lost from the earth’s
surface is less and the temperature of the
planet keeps rising. Scientists believe that
this phenomenon took place on the surface
of Venus billions of years ago.
This phenomenon is believed to
have occurred in the following manner:
• A runaway greenhouse effect arises when
the temperature of a planet rises to a level
of the boiling point of water. As a result, all
the water from the oceans converts into
water vapour, which traps more heat coming
from the sun and further increases the
planet’s temperature. This eventually
accelerates the greenhouse effect.
• In simple words, increasing the greenhouse
effect gives rise to a runaway greenhouse
effect which would
 GREENHOUSE GASES
• Greenhouse gases are those gases in the
atmosphere that raise the surface
temperature of planets such as the Earth.
What distinguishes them from other gases is
that they absorb the wavelengths of
radiation that a planet emits, resulting in the
greenhouse effect. The Earth is warmed by
sunlight, causing its surface to radiate heat ,
which is then mostly absorbed by water
vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane
(CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and ozone (O3).
Without greenhouse gases, the average
temperature of Earth's surface would be
about −18 °C (0 °F), rather than the present
average of 15 °C (59 °F).
• Carbon dioxide is the cause for about three
quarters of global warming and can take
thousands of years to be fully absorbed by
the carbon cycle. Methane causes most of
the remaining warming and lasts in the
atmosphere for an average of 12 years.
• The three most powerful long lived greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere are carbon dioxide,
methane, and nitrous oxide. In this section the
sources, sinks, and atmospheric concentrations
of these compounds are considered. In addition
we will consider the class of compounds known
as halogenated organic compounds (of which
CFCs are a subset), SF6, and ozone in the lower
and upper atmosphere. At this point it is
germane to note that water vapor is the single
most powerful greenhouse gas in the
atmosphere. Water vapor has approximately
twice the effect of the second most powerful
greenhouse gas-carbon dioxide.
Methane:
• Methane (CH4) is the most abundant well
mixed greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. In
contrast to carbon dioxide, methane is removed
from the atmosphere via chemical reaction with
hydroxyl (OH) radicals. Methane plays an
important role in atmospheric chemistry and it
can influence the levels of other important
trace species via its reaction with OH. Also, an
increase in methane will lead to the production
of more tropospheric ozone which is an
important greenhouse gas.
• Methane is emitted into the atmosphere by a
large number of natural and anthropogenic
sources. Natural sources are believed to
contribute approximately 30% of the methane
flux while anthropogenic sources account for
the remaining 70%. Natural sources are
estimated to contribute a total of approximately
160 Tg(CH4) (1Tg= 10! g. 1000 Tg = 1Gt). The
largest natural sources are wetlands, termites,
and oceans which emit 115, 20, and 10 Tg(CH4),
respectively. Anthropogenic sources are natural
gas facilities, coal mines, petroleum industry,
coal combustion, enteric fermentation, rice
paddies, biomass burning, landfills, animal
waste and domestic sewage.
Carbon Dioxide:
• Discussion of the human impact on the levels of
carbon dioxide (Co2) in the atmosphere is
complicated by two factors. First, emissions of
CO2 associated with human activities, while
large on a human scale, are small when
compared to natural fluxes of CO2 associated
with photosynthesis, respiration, uptake into
ocean water, and release from ocean water.
• Second, there are several large reservoirs of Co2
(e.g. atmosphere, upper ocean, deep ocean,
biosphere) which are continually exchanging
CO2.
• In such a system one needs to be very careful
when using the words "source", "sink", and
"lifetime". Instead of "source" and "sink" it is
often better to refer to "net source" and "net
sink". Thus, the oceans are both a large (90 GtC
yr-1.) source and a large (92 GtC yr-1) sink of
atmospheric CO2. Overall the oceans provide a
net sink for CO; of 2 GtC yr-1. The unit used to
measure C02 flux is GtC which stands for Giga
(109) tonnes of carbon. The molecular weight of
CO2 is 44 while the atomic weight ofactivities
are believed to lead to emission of 5.5+0.5
GtC yr-1. from fossil fuel combustion and cement
production and emission of 1.61.0 GtC yr-1. from
changes in tropical land use (deforestation).
• The atmospheric burden of CO, is increasing ata
rate of 3.3+0.2 GtC yr. To balance the CO2
budget "unknown terrestrial sinks" have been
invoked and have been inferred to account for
1.3+1.5 GtC yr of CO2. This is often known as
the "missing sink". It should be noted that zero
lies within the range 1.3+1.5.
Nitrous Oxide:
• Nitrous oxide (N20) is the third most
abundant well mixed greenhouse gas after
carbon dioxide and methane. N20 is a long-
lived (130 years) trace constituent of the
lower atmosphere present in a
concentration which is currently 313 ppb
and increasing at a rate of 0.5-0.9 ppb yr-1.
• Anthropogenic emissions of N20 are
associated with biomass burning, fossil fuel
combustion, industrial production of adipic
and nitric acids, and the use of nitrogen
fertilizer, and are believed to total 3.2 TgN
yr1.
• N20 is transported through the troposphere
into the stratosphere where it reacts with O'
D) atoms and is the source of stratospheric
NOx (O D) atoms are electronically excited
oxygen atoms).
Other Gases:
• Fluorinated gases, such as hydro
fluorocarbons, per fluorocartbons,
chlorofluorocarbons, sulphur hexafluoride
(SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) have
heat-trapping potential thousands of times
greater than Co2 and stay in the atmosphere
for hundreds to thousands of years.
Accounting for about 2 percent of all
emissions, they're used as refrigerants,
solvents, and in manufacturing, sometimes
occurring as by-products.
• Other greenhouse gases include water
vapour and ozone (03). Water vapour is
actually the world's most abundant
greenhouse gas, but it is not tracked the
same way as other greenhouse gases
because it is not directly emitted by human
activity and its effects are not well
understood. Similarly, ground-level or
tropospheric ozone (not to be confused with
the protective stratospheric ozone layer
higher up) is not emitted directly but
emerges from complex reactions among
pollutants in the air.
 CONCLUSION
The earth has always experienced warm and cool
phases, with natural forces-from the sun's
intensity, volcanic eruptions, and natural changes
in greenhouse gas concentrations affecting how
much energy from the sun our planet absorbs.
In other words, humans are the problem. But we
may also be the solution. We have the ability to
rein in greenhouse gas emissions, though doing
so certainly won't be easy. Overhauling our
energy systems will require transformative,
aggressive global action-and now
Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions will
require significant effort at the international,
national, and local levels. First and foremost, we
must slash fossil fuel production, consumption,
and pollution by ramping up our use of clean,
renewable energy and energy-efficient
technologies and by investing in fuel efficient and
electric vehicles. We must end fossil fuel
subsidies and better leverage "cap and invest"
programs, carbon pricing, and carbon capture,
storage, and utilization technologies (which catch
the carbon dioxide from emissions sources like
power plants or directly from the air and
permanently bury it underground or convert it
into other materials). We must protect our
carbon-storing forests and reduce food waste and
the emissions that go with it. And as individuals,
we must commit to taking carbon cutting actions
in our daily lives.