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| Greenhouse Effect (Image: Wikipedia.org) |
One of the factors blamed as the cause of global warming is the greenhouse effect.
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
The greenhouse effect is a term used to describe the earth, such as having a greenhouse effect where the sun's heat will be trapped by the Earth's atmosphere. Normally this way the sun in the daylight shines on the earth and will make the earth warmer, but the surface of the earth at night becomes colder.But as a result of this greenhouse effect, some of the heat that should be reflected by the surface of the earth will be trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. that is why the earth has become warmer for years to come. For those of you who go to junior high school, you must have been taught about the greenhouse effect.
In general, the understanding of the greenhouse effect is the increase in the earth's temperature caused by changes in composition, which is present in the atmosphere. That causes sunlight to remain on the earth, and unfortunately it is not perfectly reflected to get out of the atmosphere.
If interpreted according to the process and the consequences of the greenhouse effect, a natural phenomenon occurs because of the reflection of sunlight that has passed through the Earth's atmosphere. This is also caused by substances that exist on the surface of the earth, but the severity of this phenomenon can cause damage to the atmosphere.
Sunlight is the main source of energy for living organisms. Sunlight also helps keep the earth's temperature warm.
The sun's rays emitted to the surface of the earth are partially absorbed and some are reflected back into the atmosphere.
Reflected sunlight - also known as infrared radiation - is captured by 'greenhouse gases' which help keep the atmosphere warm.
Greenhouse gases consist of, among others, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, and water-vapor.
Although the composition of these gases is only about 1% of the atmosphere, they play an important role in maintaining ecological balance and sustaining life on planet Earth.
Without the presence of greenhouse gases, the earth's temperature will be lower than 30 ° C, which means that there is no possibility of life on earth.
The greenhouse effect can be considered as a process where nature maintains balance in the atmosphere.
However, human activity in the past two hundred years has led to an increase in the percentage of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which then increases the average temperature on earth.
The following are some of the factors that cause the greenhouse effect.
1. Deforestation
One of the causes of the greenhouse effect is deforestation which triggers an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Deforestation causes no plants to absorb carbon dioxide used in photosynthesis.
Deforestation occurs due to the need for land for housing, agriculture, and various types of infrastructure that continue to increase.
2. Fossil Fuels
Greenhouse gases can also be released into the atmosphere because of burning fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas.
Gas from burning fossil fuels contributes to the addition of greenhouse gases which in turn triggers global warming.
3. Electrical Equipment
Another human work that triggers an increase in the greenhouse effect is the use of electrical equipment.
Examples of electrical equipment producing greenhouse gases are refrigerators. Old-fashioned refrigerators use a gas known as Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC).
CFC gas released into the atmosphere can act as a greenhouse gas which triggers an increase in earth's temperature.
4. Population Growth
Population growth is an indirect contributor and one of the main causes of the greenhouse effect.
With increasing population there is also an increase in various needs.
This increases production and industrial processes which causes an increase in industrial gas release that catalyzes the greenhouse effect.