Greenhouse gas
hideGreenhouse gases are gases in an atmosphere that absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. Common greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. In our solar system, the atmospheres of Venus, Mars and Titan also contain gases that cause greenhouse effects. Greenhouse gases greatly affect the temperature of the Earth; without them, Earth's surface would be on average about 33°C (59°F) colder than at present.
Human activities since the start of the industrial era around 1750 have increased the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The 2007 assessment report compiled by the IPCC observed that "changes in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases and aerosols, land cover and solar radiation alter the energy balance of the climate system", and concluded that "increases in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations is very likely to have caused most of the increases in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century".
For more information about Greenhouse gas, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with carbon emissions
Researchers Discover Use for Carbon Dioxide in Conversion of Biomass Into Biofuel
Nov 11, 2009 |
3.8 / 5 (13) |
2
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Columbia University have successfully discovered a beneficial use for carbon dioxide in the conversion of organic materials, such as grass and bark, into fuel. Their findings ...
Australian scientists call for urgent 'global cooling' to save coral reefs
Nov 09, 2009 |
1.8 / 5 (5) |
2
(PhysOrg.com) -- Australian marine scientists have issued an urgent call for massive and rapid worldwide cuts in carbon emissions, deep enough to prevent atmospheric CO2 levels rising to 450 parts per million (ppm).
New study predicts future consequences of a global biofuels program
Oct 22, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
2
A report examining the impact of a global biofuels program on greenhouse gas emissions during the 21st century has found that carbon loss stemming from the displacement of food crops and pastures for biofuels ...
Growth versus global warming
Oct 12, 2009 |
3.2 / 5 (10) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Houses on stilts, small scale energy generation and recycling our dishwater are just some of the measures that are being proposed to prepare our cities for the effects of global warming.
Software Helps Design Energy Stingy Buildings (w/ Video)
Oct 12, 2009 |
3 / 5 (3) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new quick, easy to use and free software tool created by NREL developers seamlessly combines the building energy simulation of EnergyPlus with the popular drawing interface of Google's SketchUp, ...
Corals 'could starve in high CO2'
Oct 05, 2009 |
2 / 5 (4) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- As human activity pumps more and more carbon into the atmosphere, a new threat has emerged to the world's coral reefs - starvation.
Is trash the solution to tackling climate change?
Sep 29, 2009 |
3.3 / 5 (4) |
0
Converting the trash that fills the world's landfills into biofuel may be the answer to both the growing energy crisis and to tackling carbon emissions, claim scientists in Singapore and Switzerland. New research published ...
Senate climate-change bill to be unveiled this week
Sep 29, 2009 |
1.8 / 5 (5) |
3
Two top Senate Democrats are set to introduce a climate-change bill this week that would put new limits on carbon emissions, as world leaders prepare for a climate summit in Denmark after agreement last week by the G20 nations ...
Swiss to inaugurate high-tech, green mountain hut
Sep 25, 2009 |
4 / 5 (4) |
1
Switzerland will inaugurate on Saturday a new mountain refuge in the Alps that looks more like a futuristic space station than the no-frills stonewall huts that alpinists are more familiar with.
Smaller isn't always better: Catalyst simulations could lower fuel cell cost
Sep 17, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Imagine a car that runs on hydrogen from solar power and produces water instead of carbon emissions. While vehicles like this won't be on the market anytime soon, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers ...
Perennial energy crops could be good for carbon savings and for wildlife
Sep 16, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Growing the energy crops short rotation coppice (SRC) willow and miscanthus grass could help the UK to reduce carbon emissions and benefit wildlife, according to researchers from the UK Research Councils’ ...
Study reveals dynamic Wisconsin climate, past and future
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 14, 2009 |
3.1 / 5 (8) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- If the future scenarios being churned out by the world's most sophisticated computer climate models are on the mark, big changes are in store for Wisconsin's weather during the next century.
Scientists say climate change mitigation strategies ignore carbon cycling processes of inland waters
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 01, 2009 |
1 / 5 (1) |
0
In the paper, The Boundless Carbon Cycle, published in the September issue of Nature Geoscience, scientists from the University of Vienna, Uppsala University in Sweden, University of Antwerp, and the U.S. based Stroud Water ...
UN seeks better data on hurricanes, droughts
Aug 31, 2009 |
1 / 5 (1) |
1
(AP) -- The United Nations opened talks Monday on setting up a better weather surveillance system worldwide so all nations can get earlier, more accurate warnings about hurricanes, droughts and floods.
UN meeting: help nations adapt to global warming
Aug 30, 2009 |
2.7 / 5 (6) |
1
(AP) -- As nations negotiate tough decisions on cutting greenhouse gases, the United Nations is holding a separate conference on coping with more floods, droughts and other effects of climate change already ...
