Question

27) Describe in detail what the greenhouse effect is and how it works/what causes it

List 2 examples of greenhouse gases.

What is the general consensus among scientists about whether or not global climate change is occurring and if human activities are contributing to this? Give at least 2 examples of reasons or statistics/data that would help why scientists have come to this conclusion. Be sure to answer both questions (2 points)

Answer 1

The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the Earth's surface. When the Sun's energy reaches the Earth's atmosphere, some of it is reflected back to space and the rest is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases. The greenhouse gases is the problem caused by increased quantities of gases such as carbon dioxide in the air. These gases trap the heat from the sun, and cause a gradual rise in the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere.

Examples - chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Hydrofluorocarbons (includes HCFCs and HFCs).

The evidence is overwhelming. Record-breaking temperatures, humidity, and sea level rise, along with many other indicators, show that the Earth is warming fast, and that all the heat-trapping emissions we release into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels is changing our climate.

Scientists worldwide agree that global warming is happening, and that human activity causes it.

The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), written by a panel of hundreds of climate experts and scientists from member countries of the World Meteorological Organization the United Nations Environmental Programme, plus a team of external reviewers, states unambiguously:

Human influence on the climate system is clear, and recent anthropogenic emissions of green-house gases are the highest in history. Warming of the climate system is unequivocal and increasing day by day since decades. Human activities are responsible for the increase. The primary source, fossil fuel burning, has released roughly twice as much carbon dioxide as would be required to account for the observed increase. Tropical deforestation also has contributed to carbon dioxide releases during the past few decades. The excess carbon dioxide has been taken up by the oceans and land biosphere.