16.6 GREENHOUSE EFFECT AND GLOBAL WARMING

16.6 GREENHOUSE EFFECT AND GLOBAL WARMING
  • The term ‘Greenhouse effect’ has been derived from a phenomenon that occurs in a greenhouse. 
  • Have you ever seen a greenhouse? It looks like a small glass house and is used for growing plants especially during winter. 
  • In a greenhouse the glass panel lets the light in, but does not allow heat to escape. 
  • Therefore, the greenhouse warms up, very much like inside a car that has been parked in the sun for a few hours. 
  • The greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon that is responsible for heating of Earth’s surface and atmosphere. 
  • You would be surprised to know that without greenhouse effect the average temperature at surface of Earth would have been a chilly –18oC rather than the present average of 15oC. 
  • In order to understand the greenhouse effect, it is necessary to know the fate of the energy of sunlight that reaches the outermost atmosphere (Figure16.6). 
NCERT Class XII Biology Chapter 16 : Environmental Issues ...
  • Clouds and gases reflect about one-fourth of the incoming solar radiation, and absorb some of it but almost half of incoming solar radiation falls on Earth’s surface heating it, while a small proportion is reflected back. 
  • Earth’s surface re-emits heat in the form of infrared radiation but part of this does not escape into space as atmospheric gases (e.g., carbon dioxide, methane, etc.) absorb a major fraction of it. 
  • The molecules of these gases radiate heat energy, and a major part of which again comes to Earth’s surface, thus heating it up once again. 
  • This cycle is repeated many a times. 
  • The above-mentioned gases – carbon dioxide and methane – are commonly known as greenhouse gases (Figure 16.7) because they are responsible for the greenhouse effect Increase in the level of greenhouse gases has led to considerable heating of Earth leading to global warming. 
NCERT Class XII Biology Chapter 16 : Environmental Issues ...
  • During the past century, the temperature of Earth has increased by 0.6 oC, most of it during the last three decades. 
  • Scientists believe that this rise in temperature is leading to deleterious changes in the environment and resulting in odd climatic changes (e.g. El Nino effect) , thus leading to increased melting of polar ice caps as well as of other places like the Himalayan snow caps. 
  • Over many years, this will result in a rise in sea level that can submerge many coastal areas. 
  • The total spectrum of changes that global warming can bring about is a subject that is still under active research. How can we control global warming? 
  • The measures include cutting down use of fossil fuel, improving efficiency of energy usage, reducing deforestation, planting trees and slowing down the growth of human population. 
  • International initiatives are also being taken to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

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