Greenhouse effect and Global Warming

Introduction

The Earth is getting warmer. The annual average global temperature has
increased 1.8°F (1°C) from 1901 to 2016. Scientists attribute this observed global
warming trend to the increased greenhouse effect. What is the greenhouse
effect? Maybe you have already felt a miniature version of the greenhouse
effect. Has this happened to you? It's a hot summer day and your parents have
parked the car in the sun and no one opened the windows. How does it feel
inside the car? It is very hot because the sun's energy is trapped inside the car.
When you feel that trapped energy as heat, you have just felt the greenhouse
effect. This is why no one should be left in a car on a warm, sunny day (including
pets), because the inside temperature of the car can become over 100ºF (37.8°C),
even with the windows slightly opened! The sun warms our planet. We feel the
sun's energy as heat, but more of this heat is getting trapped near Earth by
greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.

Human activities are changing the Earth's natural greenhouse. Over the last
century the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the
concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Scientists predict that the
Earth's temperature will continue to rise. According to the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), electric utility companies, industry, businesses, homes,
and transportation cause carbon dioxide levels to build up in our atmosphere.

The Greenhouse Effect

The ​greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon in which the

specific gases in the atmosphere of the Earth trap heat from the sun (see ​The
Greenhouse Effect Diagram attachment). Typically, our atmosphere absorbs just
the right amount of heat so that living things can survive. Essentially, the
atmosphere acts like the glass in a greenhouse. As a result of this, the Earth's
surface is about 58°F (14°C) warmer than it would be without the greenhouse
effect.

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere are called greenhouse gases, and the
primary greenhouse gases on Earth are ​water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane,
nitrous oxide, and ozone​. Of these, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), have an appreciable greenhouse effect, and are
being released in large quantities by human activity. These gases, except for
CFCs, come from both natural and human-made sources, and the higher their
concentration in the atmosphere, the warmer the Earth's temperature becomes.

● Carbon dioxide comes from natural processes (like decaying and living
organisms and volcanoes), but it also is released when fossil fuels (like
coal and oil) are burned.
● Methane ​is released from natural decay, wetlands, growing rice, raising
cattle, using natural gas, and mining coal.
● Nitrous oxide ​is not only naturally released by bacteria in the soil and the
oceans, but also emitted by certain types of factories, power plants and
plant fertilizers.
● CFCs ​are a class of human-made chemicals once commonly used in air
conditioners, refrigerators and as the pressurizing gas in aerosol spray
cans.

Global Warming

Global warming is the increase in the Earth's average atmospheric

temperature over a long period of time, generally due to increased levels of
greenhouse gases caused by human activities. Scientists believe that even a
2-3ºF (0.6-1.1°C) increase in the average temperature of the Earth could trigger
disasters.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

between 1880 and 1980, the global annual temperature increased at an average
rate of 0.13°F (0.07°C) per decade. Since 1981, the global annual temperature
has increased at twice that rate, 0.32°F (0.18°C). This has led to an overall 3.6°F
(2°C) increase in global average temperature today compared to the
pre-industrial era. In 2019, the average global temperature (over land and
ocean) was 1.75°F (0.95°C) above the 20th-century average. This made 2019 the
second hottest year on record, behind 2016.

This rise in average global temperature is caused by human activities,

particularly the burning of fossil fuels. The amount of carbon dioxide entering
the atmosphere increases when fossil fuels are burned and the excess carbon
dioxide cannot be used by plants (especially since we are eliminating them, too).
The excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere absorbs heat from the sun and
keeps it near the surface of the Earth, which raises the Earth's temperature. The
concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has doubled in the last 100
years and scientists expect it to double in the next 100 years as well.

Scientists predict that these changes will trigger disaster. For example, a major
shift in weather patterns could cause droughts, tropical storms and increase
temperatures that would make some currently ​habitable ​areas of the Earth
become uninhabitable. Scientists also predict that melting polar ice caps could
cause a rise in sea levels and, in turn, flood low-lying areas, such as coastal cities
like New York City and San Francisco. The melting of the icecaps could also dilute
marine saline concentrations, threatening marine life.

While most scientists believe that the greenhouse effect will gradually warm the
Earth's climate, some scientists predict that as the temperature rises, more
water will evaporate from the oceans, resulting in more clouds. This increase in
clouds could block out sunlight, causing an overall decrease in the Earth's
average temperature. This increased atmospheric reflectivity is called an
increase in the Earth's a
​ lbedo​.

Photosynthesis

Forests have been called the "lungs of the Earth" because animals inhale oxygen
and exhale carbon dioxide in the process of breathing, and plants take in carbon
dioxide and give off oxygen in the process of photosynthesis​. See ​The Carbon
Cycle Diagram​ attachment.

As of 2019, more than 78 million acres of tropical forest are cut and burned each
year to clear land for farming and ranching. According to the World Resources
Institute, averaged over 2015 – 2017, global loss of tropical forests contributed
about 4.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year (or about 8-10% of annual
human emissions of carbon dioxide).

Engineering

Environmental engineers are concerned about photosynthesis because plants

help clean the air of harmful carbon dioxide gas, replacing it with oxygen. With
the decreasing numbers of trees in the world, the air is not being cleaned as
well. Additionally, the carbon dioxide levels continue to increase due to
increasing numbers of automobiles and industrial pollution. Environmental
engineers are continually challenged to find methods to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions from industry and cars, and find ways to clean our polluted air.
Students can explore taking the matter into their own hands with the
literacy-based associated activity ​Pollution Politics​.

References
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Energy Information Administration. Department of Energy. www.eia.gov. Last accessed August 30, 2020.
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Environmental Issues​. Teacher Created Materials, 1994. Online at Teacher Created Resources.
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The EPA Global Warming Kids Page. Updated July 12, 2004. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
www.epa.gov. Last accessed August 30, 2020.

Goodman, Billy. A
​ Kid's Guide to How to Save the Planet​. New York, NY: Avon Books, 1990.

Investigations in Science – Ecology​. Huntington Beach, CA: Creative Teaching Press, 1995.

Rain Forest – Extended Thematic Unit. ​Teacher Created Materials, 1995. Online at Teacher Created Resources.
http://www.buyteachercreated.com/estore/product/0674. Last accessed on August 30, 2020.

Science Plus – Technology and Society (Level Green)​. Holt, Rinehart and Winston Inc., 1997.

Williams, Jack. Understanding Greenhouse Gases. Written November 7, 2000. Updated July 23, 2003. USA
Today. Originally found at www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/wco2.htm. Accessed August 17, 2004.

“Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet.” NASA, NASA, climate.nasa.gov/. Last accessed September 4,
2020.

"By the Numbers: The Value of Tropical Forests in the Climate Change Equation." World Resources Institute,
https://www.wri.org/blog/2018/10/numbers-value-tropical-forests-climate-change-equation. Last accessed
September 6, 2020.