Yes, you read that right, we do. We owe our existence to the bad guys: Carbon Dioxide and Methane. You will agree with me if you let me explain.
Ever heard of the Greenhouse effect? It essentially relates to two things at the moment: Natural Greenhouse effect and Enhanced Greenhouse Effect.
Natural greenhouse effect is what preserves the earth’s warmth. It acts as a blanket protecting the earth from the -30 °C it would otherwise experience. We, humans and many other living species, cannot exist in that temperature! However, keep in mind that it does not necessarily function in the way that a greenhouse does. That is actually a faulty analogy as they do not work the same way. Greenhouses work by preserving the heat from the sun within the glass structure to ensure it doesn’t escape. Whereas “the greenhouse effect” works differently.
How Does It Work?
The natural greenhouse effect is what keeps the earth warm as I mentioned previously. The process? The atmosphere is basically made up of 98% Oxygen and Nitrogen. Methane and Carbon Dioxide make up less than 0.5 of that percent but they have a powerful impact! They can absorb heat and reflect it back to the earth and that is how it stays warm. Basically, when the energy from the sun is sent to earth, a lot of it gets reflected back. CO2 and Methane prevent the heat which is called infrared radiation from escaping to empty space by reflecting it back to earth. That is what is called the Greenhouse effect.
This video by MinuteEarth should sum that point and offer further explanations:
Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
The problem with the greenhouse effect and why it has a negative connotation is because at the moment, the earth is experiencing an enhanced greenhouse effect. Let me explain: Methane and Carbon Dioxide act as heating agent for the earth right? Well, what happens when there is too much of this heating agent? More heat, thereby resulting in global warming. I’m sure you know of the whole extra carbon and methane problem, I mean they are the “bad guys” right? Well…that’s debatable. If it wasn’t for us pumping these extra emissions out, they would be living in peace in our atmosphere and just ensuring we were warm enough. Also, if it wasn’t for us burning all these fossil fuels and raising so much livestock, we might not even have global warming or any of the other climate change effects! But…that’s just our opinion. We’d love to hear yours in the comments below!
Let us know in the comments if you’d like more posts related to climate change!
Related:
