How do Greenhouse Gases Contribute to Global Warming?
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities have been identified as the most significant driver of man-made climate change. The greenhouse effect was identified by scientists around 1896. It refers to the natural warming of the Earth from the gasses in the atmosphere trapping the heat from the sun instead of letting it escape back into space.
Since the beginning of the industrial era, the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases have increased in the atmosphere. The majority of this increase is directly related to human activities. Even after accounting for natural fluctuations, the carbon dioxide levels are unprecedented when compared to the last 800,000 years.
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities have increased by 45% from 1990 to 2019. Carbon dioxide emissions account for three-fourths of total emissions. The warming attributed to carbon dioxide increased by 36%. Transportation, electricity, and other energy production produce the majority of the world’s emissions.
What are Greenhouse Gasses?
Greenhouse gasses trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere and cause the planet to warm up. The main gasses discussed with talking about the greenhouse gas effect are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and fluorinated gasses. All of these substances occur naturally except for the fluorinated gasses, which are synthetic.
All of these gasses are removed naturally from the Earth’s atmosphere over time. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by carbon sinks such as forests and the ocean. Sunlight in the upper atmosphere destroys fluorinated gasses.
The influence that anyone greenhouse gas has on global warming depends on three factors: how much of it exists in the atmosphere, how long it lives in the atmosphere, and how effective it is at trapping heat. The density of gasses in the atmosphere is measured in parts per million (ppm), parts per billion (ppb), or parts per trillion (ppt). 1 ppt of a gas means there is one molecule of that gas per every 1 trillion molecules of air.
The lifespan of the gas or the amount of time these gasses stay in the atmosphere plays a role in how much influence it has on global warming. How effective a certain gas is at trapping heat will also play a role. This term is coined a gas’s global warming potential (GWP). It is a measure of how much energy the gas absorbs when compared to the emissions of 1 ton of carbon dioxide over 100 years.
Radiative forcing (RF) is used to measure climate change drivers including greenhouse gasses, the sun, and volcanic eruptions. This measurement shows scientists how much of the sun’s energy gets absorbed by the Earth and how much is released back into space as a result of any specific gas. A substance with a negative RF value means it has a cooling effect on the planet while a positive RF value means a warming effect.
What Causes the Greenhouse Gas Effect?
Sunlight is what makes life viable on Earth. It warms the planet, gives us light, Vitamin D, and plays a role in essentially everything else on the globe. An estimated 30% of the energy from the sun that reaches Earth is reflected in space.
The other 70% passes through the atmosphere and is absorbed by the land, ocean, and atmosphere. This causes the Earth’s core temperature to increase. This heat is then sent back up to space in the form of infrared light.
Some of this light escapes the atmosphere, but 90% of that infrared light gets absorbed by the gasses in the atmosphere. Those greenhouse gasses redirect that light back down to the ground, causing even more warming.
Greenhouse gasses in the Earth’s atmosphere have been between 200 and 280 ppm for the majority of the past 800,000 years. That is much longer than humans have been on the planet.
Just in the past century alone, the concentration of gasses in the atmosphere has jumped up to more than 400 ppm. This increase can be attributed to human activities like deforestation and the continual burning of fossil fuels.
These gasses, particularly carbon dioxide, are causing the heat to be trapped. The higher the concentrations of greenhouse gasses are in the atmosphere the higher the temperatures on Earth will rise.
Take Action Against Global Warming
The actions one person can take to offset climate change are countless. Individual actions, however small, will add up to be big changes over time. Things like turning off lights when they are not in use, conserving water, composting, and eating locally grown foods are all examples of ways to cut down on a person’s carbon footprint.
Choosing one or two changes to make at a time and adding on more when those changes become habitual is a great way to ease into a lower-waste lifestyle. Sharing these changes with others could help spread the word and get more people involved in saving the planet’s natural resources.
Individual actions are great, but to create true and lasting change, corporations have to change. According to The Guardian, “100 companies have been the source of more than 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1988.”
While taking the bus to work and taking shorter showers might save a few resources, an individual’s waste does not even compare to these huge businesses. Reducing greenhouse gasses and reversing climate change cannot happen if humans continue down this path.
Taking action to save the planet can involve calling or emailing local, state, and federal government representatives. They are public servants. These politicians are elected to represent the voice of the people who voted for them.
Calling, writing, or sending an email is a way to make your voice heard. Getting out to vote for representatives that have a strong stance on reversing climate change is imperative.
Emailing companies to suggest environmentally-friendly swaps they can implement in their business. Examples include encouraging them to make the switch to cleaner energy, use more sustainable packaging, and introduce or improve a company’s sustainability practices.
One last suggestion is to get involved with a local organization. Volunteer at a community cleanup or other environmentally-focused event. Bring friends or family along for a bonus of getting to spend quality time with loved ones.
