The world is getting hotter. Heat waves are more intense. Ice caps are melting faster. Wildfires rage across landscapes once known for their cooler climates. But what’s driving that relentless rise in temperatures? The answer lies in a process that has shifted from a natural balance to an alarming trend—the greenhouse effect.
How does the greenhouse effect work?
The greenhouse effect is named after actual greenhouses—buildings designed to provide a warm, supportive environment for plants to grow during colder months. Greenhouses are generally made of clear materials that allow sunlight to enter. The sunlight warms the air inside while providing a barrier that stops the heat from leaving. That ensures the temperature inside remains hospitable.
The earth’s atmosphere functions in a similar way. Most of it (99.5 percent) is made of nitrogen, oxygen, and argon. The sun’s energy passes through those gases, bounces off the earth’s surface, and goes back into space.
Greenhouse gases—such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, and water vapor—are different. When the sun’s energy reflects off the earth’s surface, it is converted into heat, which those gases absorb and keep in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases, despite accounting for just a tiny percentage of the atmosphere, are the reason the planet is warm enough for humans to live on. Without those gases, Earth’s average temperature would be -4°F (-20°C), compared to the 57°F (14°C) average temperature the planet has had since the 1880s.
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