Is global warming the same thing as the green house effect?

Question

Is it? If not, whats the difference?

Answer 1

The theory is that the greenhouse effect is causing global warming. (key word is theory)

Answer 2

Greenhouse effect:
In our atmosphere, we have something called greenhouse gasses. They exist naturally, and two examples of greenhouse gasses are water vapour and carbon dioxide (there are several more of them). The greenhouse gasses cause some of the heat that is emitted from the earth to stay within our atmosphere. If there were no greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, all the heat from the earth would radiate out into space. This would mean that the average temperature of earth would be -18 degrees Celsius (0 degrees Farenheit) instead of +15 deg C (60 deg F). That's a huge difference - I doubt that there would be human life on planet earth without the greenhouse effect!

Global warming:
When people talk about global warming, they usually mean that the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere increases (although, global warming could also have other causes). Some people say that changes occur naturally, some people say it's because we pollute the air with carbon dioxide etc. An increase of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere would mean that less of the heat from the earth would radiate into space, which gives an increase in the average temperature on earth. Rising temperatures could mean, for instance, that some of the polar ice melts, causing flooding in coastal countries.

So:
Greenhouse effect - a good thing
Global warming - possibly bad

Answer 3

Pretty much. Global warming is the end result of the green house effect.

the green house effect is the process where by florocarbons and other pollutants in the atmosphere help to trap heat thereby causing the environment to experience an increas ein temperature.

the increase is what is known as global warming as it causes the mean temperature around the globe to rise.

therefore global warming is the end result of the greenhouse effects. most political hacks would disagree and many still cling to the ridiculously short sighted belief that global warming is a myth (this depsite reams of evidence to the contrary)

Watch al gores documentary "An incovenient truth" for more information. I also recomend the EPA websites and Greenpeace. both have details on the phenomenon.

Answer 4

No. Global Warming is the raising of the surface temperature of the planet - whatever the reason. If that goes up, you are in a warming period. Green House effect is an explanation for Global Warming that I happen to agree is a probable cause of it. Greenhouse is a theory, global warming is a fact.

-Dio

Answer 5

No, but they may be related. Global waarming is a generalized warming of the Earth's temperature. The greenhouse effect, is characterized by an increase in "greenhouse" gasses in the upper atmosphere. This traps the heat from the sun and can result in global warming. So, while not the same thing, one can lead to the other.

Answer 6

It is called greenhouse effect because it is similar to what happens in a greenhouse during the day when the sun is high. Basically the glass acts as a barrier which traps in the heat and causes the temperature inside to go up. The emission of carbon dioxide and other gasses that are released when fossil fuels are burned act as the barrier (just like the glass in the greenhouse analogy) trapping the heat within the Earth's atmosphere and causing the global warming efect people keep mentioning and our fearless leaders keep ignoring.

Answer 7

Nope, the green house effect is supposedly a cause of global warming. Global warming (pretty self-explanatory term) is basically the overall rise in the temperature of the planet, causing polar ice melts, and consequently a rise in the level of the sea, floodings, etc. The green house effect, in a nutshell, is the inert gases and pollution in the atmosphere containing the warmth of sun rays' radiation thus warming up the planet.

Answer 8

The green house effect is when heat from pollution (examples....car exhaust, industrial smoke, landfills) is building up in the earths atmosphere and is mostly held in the atmosphere by the blanket of carbon dioxide which doesnt allow much of the heat to dissolve back into space. Thus creating heat which is the #1 factor in global warming. Global warming is when the earths temperature rises , allowing the ice caps to melt and disrupt the balance of the salt water in the ocean and could possibly shut down the atlantic ocean current that supplies heat to most areas in the northern lattitudes, that could ultimately lead to a ice age.

Answer 9

The greenhouse effect is what happens when there are too many gases in our atmosphere that reflect radiant energy back to the Earth instead of letting it bounce off the Earth and go back out into space.

Global warming is what happens when stupid humans who think they know everything decide to do nothing to slow down the buildup of these pollutants that cause the greenhouse effect in our atmosphere.

(The short answer is, the greenhouse effect causes global warming. For a longer answer and to understand the science that explains all of this, watch Al Gore's movie.)

Answer 10

Global warming is the biggest scam the world has ever had to deal with, Environmentalists have been lying to the people of this country for years now, they are basing their research that goes back about 65 to 70 years and it's all to do with MONEY!,mother nature has been changing this world since it's beginning and continues to do so daily, the earth is evolving it's changing continuously, the north is getting warmer the south colder, and it dose not have a dam thing to do with global warming or green house effect, it's simply fear mongering that's all, don't you believe it for one second it really is just a lie.

Answer 11

The Greenhouse effect is that the polluntion that is put into the air prevents the earth from venting heat and this leads to global warming.