Greenhouse Effect:
Greenhouse effect is an indispensable and normal phenomenon. Each year the temperature is rising on account of pollution and the concentration of GHGs is mounting too. This is referred to as global warming. At the present pace of increase, the average temperature of the earth is predicted to increase by 3°C to 8°C in the coming century.
Greenhouse Gases:
The term ‘greenhouse gases’ refers to the atmospheric gases that absorb the spectrum and emit them back within the thermal range of infrared radiation. These gases can significantly affect the global temperature. The temperature of the Earth’s surface would have been almost 59° Fahrenheit colder than the present temperature in absence of these gases.
Global Warming:
Major part of the Sun’s ray that enters the Earth’s atmosphere gets reverted back into the space. Yet some amount of heat is absorbed by the GHGs such as CO2. The additional gases that contribute to this are water vapor, methane, CFCs, and nitrous oxide. This help to maintain the coziness and warmth very similar to the greenhouse in cold countries.
Global warming will exert subsequent effects on:
- Changes in climatic pattern
- Changes in the distribution of flora and fauna
- Changes in the pattern of cultivation and crop yield
- Snow caps will melt leading to increasing sea levels, this will lead to the submergence of coastal cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, London, New York, etc.