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What are Greenhouse Gases |
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Greenhouse gases are atmospheric chemical compounds, which lead to greenhouse effect. Many greenhouse gases like water vapor, ozone, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane occur naturally. Other kinds of greenhouse gases occurring from human industrial activity include hydrofluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride and perfluorocarbons.
Human activities lead to a continuous build up of greenhouse gases mostly via modern industrialized production process. Carbon dioxide emanates into atmosphere from burning of fossil fuels, solid waste, wood products and wood. Fossil fuels include items like coal, oil and natural gas. Different types of industrial and agricultural processes lead to build up of nitrous oxide emissions. Burning of solid waste and fossil fuels also releases nitrous oxide in the atmosphere. Organic waste decomposition leads to emission of ethane. Organic waste decomposition occurs in landfills as also in livestock farming. Transport and production of fossil fuels also lead to methane emission. Different greenhouse gases have different abilities for absorbing and holding atmospheric heat. This phenomenon is known as greenhouse effect. PFCs and HFCs are highly heat absorbent greenhouse gases. Among naturally occurring greenhouse gases nitrous oxide absorbs around 270 times extra heat per molecule as compared to carbon dioxide. The comparable figure for methane is 21 times.
While
greenhouse effect is essential for sustaining life on Earth too much of it is bad. Human activities accelerate and distort natural process of creation of greenhouse gases. They lead to creation of more quantities of greenhouse gases than are required to maintain an ideal temperature for sustaining life in this Earth. Deforestation is also a major cause for global warming. Gasoline used as fuel in automobile engines increases level of carbon dioxide in air. Population growth is a major contributor of global warming, as this leads to an increase in use of fossil fuel for varied purposes.
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