What will the greenhouse effect create

The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon and is beneficial for us. Certain gases in the atmosphere retain part of the thermal radiation emitted by the Earth's surface after being heated by the sun, this maintains the planet's temperature at a level suitable for the development of life.

Human action — through activities such as industry, intensive agriculture and livestock farming, or transport —, however, has increased the presence of these gases in the atmosphere — mainly, carbon dioxide and methane as a result of the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil or gas —, causing them to retain more heat and to increase the temperature on the planet.

This is what we know as global warming. The increase in the average temperature on Earth is changing living conditions on the planet. Let's find out about the main consequences of this phenomenon:. Thawing will produce a global rise in sea level and the release of more methane, among other consequences.

The decrease in agricultural and livestock production will bring about the food shortage. Reducing emissions of the so-called greenhouse gases, such as CO 2 or CH 4 is not the only solution to curb the greenhouse effect. International organisations also agree on the following recommendations:. Climate action is synonymous with any policy, measure or programme that works to reduce greenhouse gases, builds resilience to climate change or supports and finances those objectives.

The Paris Agreement was the first major international agreement towards those ends. Skip to main content.

You are in Environment Consequences of the greenhouse effect. Share in Twitter. Share in Facebook. Whatsapp Whatsapp. The consequences of the greenhouse effect: from desertification to floods Human action is causing an increase in global temperature. It accounts for about 6 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Fluorinated Gases Emitted from a variety of manufacturing and industrial processes, fluorinated gases are man-made. Although fluorinated gases are emitted in smaller quantities than other greenhouse gases they account for just 2 percent of man-made global greenhouse gas emissions , they trap substantially more heat.

Indeed, the GWP for these gases can be in the thousands to tens of thousands, and they have long atmospheric lifetimes, in some cases lasting tens of thousands of years. Replacing these HFCs and properly disposing of them is considered to be one of the most import ant climate actions the world can take. Water Vapor The most abundant greenhouse gas overall, water vapor differs from other greenhouse gases in that changes in its atmospheric concentrations are linked not to human activities directly, but rather to the warming that results from the other greenhouse gases we emit.

Warmer air holds more water. And since water vapor is a greenhouse gas, more water absorbs more heat, inducing even greater warming and perpetuating a positive feedback loop. Population size, economic activity, lifestyle, energy use, land use patterns, technology, and climate policy: According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC , these are the broad forcing s that drive nearly all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

Electricity and Heat Production The burning of coal, oil, and natural gas to produce electricity and heat accounts for one-quarter of worldwide human-driven emissions, making it the largest single source.

Agriculture and Land Use Changes About another quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions stem from agriculture and other land-use activities such as deforestation.

In the United States, agricultural activities —primarily the raising of livestock and crops for food—accounted for 8. Of those, the vast majority were methane which is produced as manure decomposes and as beef and dairy cows belch and pass gas and nitrous oxide often released with the use of nitrogen-heavy fertilizers. Trees, plants, and soil absorb carbon dioxide from the air. The plants and trees do it via photosynthesis a process by which they turn carbon dioxide into glucose ; the soil houses microbes that carbon binds to.

So nonagricultural land-use changes such as deforestation, reforestation replanting in existing forested areas , and afforestation creating new forested areas can either increase the amount of carbon in the atmosphere as in the case of deforestation or decrease it via absorption, removing more carbon dioxide from the air than they emit. When trees or plants are cut down, they no longer absorb carbon dioxide, and when they are burned or decompose, they release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.

In the United States, land-use activities currently represent a net carbon sink , absorbing more carbon dioxide from the air than they emit. Industry About one-fifth of global human-driven emissions come from the industrial sector, which includes the manufacturing of goods and raw materials like cement and steel , food processing, and construction.

In , industry accounted for In the United States, with Americans buying larger cars and taking more flights and with low gas prices encouraging drivers to use their cars more, transportation is the largest contributor of greenhouse gases.

It accounted for Carbon dioxide is the primary gas emitted, though fuel combustion also releases small amounts of methane and nitrous oxide, and vehicle air conditioning and refrigerated transport release fluorinated gases too. Nationwide, cars and trucks are responsible for more than 80 percent of transportation-related carbon emissions. Buildings Operating buildings around the world generates 6. In the United States, homes and businesses accounted for about 11 percent of warming emissions.

These emissions, made up mostly of carbon dioxide and methane, stem primarily from burning natural gas and oil for heating and cooking, though other sources include managing waste and wastewater and leaking refrigerants from air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. Other Sources This category includes emissions from energy-related activities other than fossil fuel combustion, such as the extraction, refining, processing, and transportation of oil, gas, and coal. Globally, this sector accounts for 9.

Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, more than 2, billion tons of carbon dioxide have been released into the atmosphere by human activities, according to the Global Carbon Project. North America and Europe are responsible for approximately half of that total, while the emerging economies of China and India have contributed another 14 percent. For the remainder, plus countries share responsibility.

An analysis of carbon dioxide emissions by country today shows that China now leads the pack, responsible for 27 percent of all emissions. Together, these global powers account for almost 60 percent of all emissions. According to the IPCC, to was likely the warmest year period of the last 1, years in the Northern Hemisphere, where assessment is possible. And all five of the years from to were the hottest on record globally. Inventory of U. Carbon dioxide levels are substantially higher now than at any time in the last years.

The burning of fossil fuels has elevated CO 2 levels from an atmospheric concentration of approximately parts per million ppm in pre-industrial times to over ppm in This is a 40 per cent increase since the start of the Industrial Revolution. If this continues, together with rising emissions of CH 4 and other greenhouse gases, by the global average surface temperature could have increased by up to 4.

This would include substantial cuts in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of the 21st century through large-scale changes in energy systems and land use. In , the burning of coal, natural gas and oil for electricity and heat was the largest single source of global greenhouse gas emissions 25 per cent.

By comparison, in , 14 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions came from fossil fuels burned for road, rail, air and marine transportation. Agriculture, deforestation and other changes in land use account for one quarter of net anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. According to a United Nations report, livestock is responsible for about The main sources of emissions are:. Higher concentrations of atmospheric CH 4 are also caused by changes in land and wetland use, pipeline losses and landfill emissions.

The use of fertilisers can also lead to higher N 2 O concentrations. Agriculture is estimated to be the main driver for around 80 per cent of deforestation worldwide. Source: Pixabay. Cement manufacture contributes CO 2 to the atmosphere when calcium carbonate is heated, producing lime and CO 2. Estimates vary, but it is widely accepted that the cement industry produces between five and eight per cent of global anthropogenic CO 2 emissions, of which 50 per cent is produced from the chemical process itself and 40 per cent from burning fuel to power that process.

The amount of CO 2 emitted by the cement industry is more than kg of CO 2 for every kg of cement produced. Aerosols are small particles suspended in the atmosphere that can be produced when we burn fossil fuels. Other anthropogenic sources of aerosols include pollution from cars and factories, chlorofluorocarbons CFCs used in refrigeration systems and CFCs and halons used in fire suppression systems and manufacturing processes. Aerosols can also be produced naturally from a number of natural processes e.

For example, sulphate aerosols from fossil fuel combustion exert a cooling influence by reducing the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth.

Aerosols also have a detrimental impact on human health and affect other parts of the climate system, such as rainfall.