What are greenhouse gases and where do they come from?

The greenhouse effect is the effect that occurs when heat from solar radiation that reaches the surface of a planet cannot return to space . The heat that comes to us from the sun is produced by infrared light. When this light reaches the surface of a planet (such as the Earth), it heats its surface. Under normal conditions, this heat later returns to space, allowing the temperature of the planet in question to remain stable.

However, when a planet has an atmosphere, there are certain gases, called greenhouse gases , that act as a shield for that heat to return to space. In other words, the infrared radiation that has heated the planet’s surface rebounds and goes into space but, on its way, it encounters certain gases in the air that trap it and prevent it from reaching space. Consequently, the temperature of the planet in question will increase steadily, since these gases, when present in a high quantity in the atmosphere of a planet, end up constituting a true shield that prevents heat from returning to space.

The same is what happens in a greenhouse, when a crop is covered with plastic or glass, this element prevents solar radiation from rebounding and escaping from this room. As a result, the temperature rises, which allows some plants to be grown that need a higher temperature and that, in reality, in certain seasons would not occur naturally. Due to the similarity of the process that exists between the effect of the heat that occurs in greenhouses and the process in which the heat of the sun is trapped in the atmosphere of the planets, this process is called the “greenhouse effect”.

Discover much more about the Greenhouse Effect: causes, consequences and solutions in this other AgroCorrn article. We also recommend that you learn the Difference between natural and artificial greenhouse effect well .

Although both are related to each other, it is important to understand that they are different things. The greenhouse effect is the effect we have just defined. Likewise, global warming is the consequence of this greenhouse effect . That is, because the greenhouse effect ends up accumulating the sun’s heat in the atmosphere of a planet, there is an increase in its global temperature, which is what is understood as “global warming” as such.

The greenhouse effect and global warming are processes that occur on many planets depending on their atmosphere. However, in the case of the Earth, the problem is that this greenhouse effect and its consequent global warming come from human activities that produce greenhouse gases. Likewise, the great problem of global warming is that, as the temperature increases, the ecosystem deteriorates and becomes unbalanced, which has consequences for both the environment and life on Earth, which includes life itself. human species. In fact, global warmingIt will lead to catastrophes for human civilization such as the rise in sea level (with the consequent destruction of cities and coastal territories), periods of droughts and floods that in turn will lead to the loss of crops, as well as the destruction of a large part of the biodiversity of plants that are used not only for food, but also for the production of medicines and other products related to the economy and human activities.

As you can see, this is a completely apocalyptic and catastrophic scenario. However, unfortunately, these are the consequences that global warming will have when climate change becomes extreme. Due to this, it is essential to attack its main cause: greenhouse gases discharged into the atmosphere by human activities.

Greenhouse gases are varied and, although not all of them have their origin in human activity, those that are influencing the greenhouse effect the most since the Industrial Revolution today are of anthropogenic origin. For this reason, it is essential to replace those activities and human processes that produce them with others that are free of emissions of these gases.

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

It is by far the greenhouse gas that has increased the most in the atmosphere in recent centuries. Its origin is in the own respiration of animals, including human beings. However, the big problem with carbon dioxide comes from combustion, since when fossil fuels are burned (coal, oil, natural gas, etc.) huge amounts of this greenhouse gas are released into the atmosphere. The main way to avoid this is to replace these energy sources with renewable energies that do not entail CO2 or carbon dioxide emissions , such as solar energy (thermosolar and photovoltaic), wind energy, hydraulic energy, tidal energy, geothermal energy, etc.

Methane (CH4)

Methane is another of the gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect. This gas is produced naturally by the putrefaction generated by anaerobic bacteria. In fact, animal droppings are an important source of this gas, which also forms most of the natural gas used as fossil fuel. The main emissions of methane of anthropogenic origin come from the livestock industry, since, since there are billions of animals destined for meat consumption, these animals produce excrement that, in addition to being a problem for the aquifers, also produce high amounts of CH4 or methane that is released into the atmosphere without control.

Nitrogen oxides (NOx)

Nitrogen oxides are a set of different types of gases that result from the combination of nitrogen and oxygen as a result of combustion. Its main origin is in the combustion of fossil fuels and their derivatives, such as gasoline and diesel.

Chlorofluorocarbonos (CFC)

These types of gases result from the combination of different types of molecules formed by hydrogen, fluorine and chlorine. They have been widely used in products that come packaged in aerosols (insecticides, hairspray, synthetic paints, etc.). In addition to being greenhouse gases, they also have a considerable damage on the ozone layer, which is why they are increasingly in disuse, since they can be easily substituted by other gases that allow the use of aerosols with similar uses but not harmful to the environment.

Ozone (O3)

Although it may attract attention, ozone is also a greenhouse gas. Ozone is widely known for the ozone layer , which protects us from excess solar radiation and is a fundamental element of our atmosphere to ensure the survival of life on Earth. In the case of ozone, it can be produced artificially by humans, and its use is limited almost exclusively to disinfecting water. Despite being a greenhouse gas, its presence due to anthropogenic causes is so low that it cannot be compared with other gases that are really dangerous for global warming such as methane and CO2.

Water vapor (H2O)

Finally, another of the greenhouse gases that is present in our atmosphere is water vapor. Naturally, some human activities emit water vapor. However, the presence of this gas in the Earth’s atmosphere is mainly due to the natural process of its evaporation. This gas, essential for the existence of clouds and rain, is naturally present in the Earth’s atmosphere and is not a real problem when it comes to the damage derived from the greenhouse effect on our planet.

As can be seen, although greenhouse gases can be many, the truly harmful ones that are causing the greenhouse effect and the consequent climate change due to global warming are due to those derived from certain human activities. In this sense, the burning of fossil fuels represents the main cause of the presence of these gases that are harmful to the environment. Likewise, livestock represents another of the sectors that emits the most greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in the form of methane.

The solution to avoid global warming is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and the presence of those already present. For this, it is necessary to opt for clean energy, reduce meat consumption, plant more trees and avoid deforestation and, as far as possible, reduce all types of human activity that entails the emission of this type of gases. This includes reducing the consumption of “disposable” products, opting for public transport, consuming 0 kilometer products or products produced from the region itself, as well as promoting the need to extend the life of products of all kinds, that is extend your life as long as possible, among many other aspects.

Learn more about how to reduce greenhouse gases here .

If you want to read more articles similar to What are greenhouse gases and where do they come from , we recommend that you enter our Ozone Layer category .