Environment Education

Greenhouse effect
• A greenhouse is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of
transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring
regulated climatic conditions are grown.
• A greenhouse let in sunlight. That sunlight creates warmth. The big
trick of a greenhouse is that it doesn’t let that warmth escape.

What are greenhouse gases?

Greenhouse gases are gases in Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat. They let
sunlight pass through the atmosphere, but they prevent the heat that the
sunlight brings from leaving the atmosphere. The main greenhouse gases are:
• Water vapor
• Carbon dioxide
• Methane
• Ozone
• Nitrous oxide
• Chlorofluorocarbons
• The greenhouse effect is a process that occurs when gases in Earth’s
atmosphere trap the Sun’s heat.
• This process makes Earth much warmer than it would be without an
atmosphere.
• The greenhouse effect is one of the things that makes Earth a
comfortable place to live.
Global Warming and Climate Change
• Global warming is the long-term heating of Earth’s climate system
observed since the pre-industrial period (between 1850 and 1900)
due to human activities, primarily fossil fuel burning, which increases
heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth’s atmosphere.
• It is most commonly measured as the average increase in Earth’s
global surface temperature.
• Since the pre-industrial period, human activities are estimated to
have increased Earth’s global average temperature by about 1 degree
Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit), a number that is currently increasing
by 0.2 degrees Celsius (0.36 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade.
What is Climate Change?
Climate change is a long-term change in the average weather
patterns that have come to define Earth’s local, regional and global
climates.
• Climate data records provide evidence of climate change key
indicators, such as -
• Global land and ocean temperature increases; rising sea levels;
ice loss at Earth’s poles and in mountain glaciers; frequency and
severity changes in extreme weather such as hurricanes,
heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, floods and precipitation etc.
• “Global warming” refers to the rise in global temperatures due mainly
to the increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere.
• “Climate change” refers to the increasing changes in the measures of
climate over a long period of time – including precipitation,
temperature, and wind patterns.
• “Climate change” and “global warming” are often used
interchangeably but have distinct meanings. Similarly, the terms
“weather” and “climate” are sometimes confused.
• Weather refers to atmospheric conditions that occur locally over short
periods of time—from minutes to hours or days. Familiar examples
include rain, snow, clouds, winds, floods or thunderstorms.

• Climate, on the other hand, refers to the long-term regional or even

global average of temperature, humidity and rainfall patterns over
seasons, years or decades.
 Ozone Layer
• The ozone layer or ozone shield is a region of Earth’s stratosphere that
absorbs most of the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation. It contains a high
concentration of ozone (O3) in relation to other parts of the
atmosphere.
• The ozone layer is mainly found in the lower portion of the
stratosphere, from approximately 15 to 35 kilometers above Earth.
Ozone depletion
• Ozone depletion, gradual thinning of Earth’s ozone layer in the upper
atmosphere caused by the release of chemical compounds containing
gaseous chlorine or bromine from industry and other human
activities.
• The thinning is most pronounced in the polar regions, especially over
Antarctica.
• Ozone depletion is a major environmental problem because it
increases the amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation that reaches Earth’s
surface, which increases the rate of skin cancer, eye cataracts, and
genetic and immune system damage.
Some compounds release chlorine and bromine on exposure to high
ultraviolet light, which then contributes to the ozone layer depletion.
Such compounds are known as Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS).
Effects on Human Health
- The humans will be directly exposed to the harmful ultraviolet radiations of the
sun due to the depletion of the ozone layer. This might result in serious health
issues among humans, such as skin diseases, cancer, sunburns, cataract, quick
ageing and weak immune system.
Effects on Animals
- Direct exposure to ultraviolet radiations leads to skin and eye cancer in animals.
Effects on the Environment
- Strong ultraviolet rays may lead to minimal growth, flowering and
photosynthesis in plants. The forests also have to bear the harmful effects of the
ultraviolet rays.
Effects on Marine Life
- Planktons are greatly affected by the exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays. These
are higher in the aquatic food chain. If the planktons are destroyed, the
organisms present in the food chain are also affected.
 Solutions
Avoid Using ODS
Reduce the use of ozone depleting substances. E.g. Avoid the use of CFCs in refrigerators
and air conditioners, replacing the halon based fire extinguishers, etc.
Minimise the Use of Vehicles
The vehicles emit a large amount of greenhouse gases that lead to global warming as well
as ozone depletion. Therefore, the use of vehicles should be minimised as much as
possible.
Use Eco-friendly Cleaning Products
Most of the cleaning products have chlorine and bromine releasing chemicals that find a
way into the atmosphere and affect the ozone layer. These should be substituted with
natural products to protect the environment.
Use of Nitrous Oxide should be Prohibited
The government should take actions and prohibit the use of harmful nitrous oxide that is
adversely affecting the ozone layer. People should be made aware of the harmful effects of
 Water Scarcity
• Water scarcity refers to the situation where the potable, unpolluted water is lower than
the demand in a region.
• 70% of area of earth is water. Still there is only 3% potable water in earth, out of which
65% is in glaciers.
• According to recent reports, nearly 1.2 billion people lack access to clean drinking water.
Furthermore, water shortages can cause a variety of illnesses which can range from food
poisoning to cholera.
• Major Causes Of Water Scarcity
• - Climate change
• - Natural calamities such as droughts and floods
• - Increased human consumption
• - Overuse and wastage of water
• - A global rise in freshwater demand
- Overuse of aquifers and its consequent slow recharge
• Scarcity of water can also cause water pollution. For instance, if inadequate
water is available for sanitation, water gets polluted through the
introduction of disease-causing pathogens. In fact, 88% of all water-borne
diseases are caused this way. Furthermore, water scarcity can cause an
imbalance in the ecosystem. Foodchains are affected, and biodiversity is
harmed.
Loss of arable soil
• Arable land is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow
crops. The amount of arable land is reducing in a considerable rate
recently.
• According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations, in 2013, the world’s arable land amounted to 1.407 billion
hectares, out of a total of 4.924 billion hectares of land used for
agriculture.
• Loss of arable soil is mainly caused by soil erosion, use of harmful
chemicals in agriculture, overgrazing, deforestation, climate change,
soil degradation etc.