2007-03-20 18:51:07 · 7 answers · asked by Kartia A 1 in Environment
The very simple answer:
An increase in the atmospheric CO2 results in an increase in the amount of heat which is trapped by the atmosphere.
CO2 is the main culprit because there is more of that than any of the other gasses.
CO2 is not the only gas responsible for the green house effect. Another notable gas is methane. Molecule for molecule, methane is about 10X more effective at trapping the heat, but there is far less methane in the atmosphere so its overall effect is not as pronounced as CO2.
2007-03-20 19:00:03 · answer #1 · answered by helloeveryone 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some gases in the atmosphere are transparent to visible light, but block heat. They let sunlight in and block the resulting heat. That's the greenhouse effect. It's like how the glass in a greenhouse keeps plants warm in winter. It's largely natural, desirable, and caused by water vapor.
Global warming is excess greenhouse effect caused by man, chiefly through burning fossil fuels and making carbon dioxide. It threatens to cause very costly flooding and damage to agriculture.
The terms are used badly pretty often.
Other greenhouse gases include methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons.
CO2 is the most important greenhouse gas produced by man. We make very large amounts, mostly by burning fossil fuels to make power for homes, factories, and vehicles.
2007-03-21 02:24:13 · answer #2 · answered by Bob 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
jbtascam links to a really interesting site. It establishes that atmospheric CO2 has risen, and that it is rising due to man's activities, and that it behaves as a greenhouse gas. The site then agrees that the earth's temperature is indeed rising.
Finally it concludes that the rise has nothing to do with man's activities--that all this highly specific data is inconclusive. Fascinating! Makes me think they would have fallen right in step with the tobacco executives who testified before congress that there was no link between smoking and lung cancer.
2007-03-21 03:49:44 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
CO2 is actually not a green house gas. It is only 370 parts per million which, comparable to the air, is a grain of salt in a 44gallon bottle. A major green house gas that no body talks about the water vapor it is generally 10,000 parts per million or sometimes even 40,000 parts per million. The thing is Global warming is a government scandal. They tell things that makes it seem true and everything is is proof that global warming is not there is kept in the dark. The media also helps the government. Who wants news that the earth is not changing due to an unbalance the human race has created? People like interesting times. Another fact is that humans only produce 6billion tons of CO2 while nature itself produces 180billion. How does that even change the scale?
2007-03-21 02:30:39 · answer #4 · answered by petpetabc 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Please take a little time to explore this site. Whether you agree with the premise or not (that Global Warming ain't our fault) it is one of the best sites for EXPLAINING what part CO2 plays in the whole "greenhouse" thing.
2007-03-21 02:41:06 · answer #5 · answered by jbtascam 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
There are lots of greenhouse gases,
water, carbon dioxide, methane, and other nitrogen containing hydrocarbons.
2007-03-21 01:59:28 · answer #6 · answered by peteryoung144 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go here and watch An Inconvenient Truth:
http://peekvid.com/feature/movies/57/An-Inconvenient-Truth.html
2007-03-21 01:54:28 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋