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What
is Greenhouse Effect?
The "greenhouse effect"
refers to the temperature regulation effect that certain atmospheric
gases have on the earth. The temperature-regulating gases, called "greenhouse
gases" or GHGs, form a blanket around the earth that traps some
heat from the sun within the earths atmosphere, keeping the planet warm
and habitable.
"Global warming," or climate change, can occur when the blanket
of GHGs gets thicker.
Climate models from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as
well as models from other scientific bodies, indicate that global concentrations
of GHGs have been rising steadily over the past 100 years.
As atmospheric concentrations of GHGs increase, the greenhouse blanket
gets thicker. This causes heat to be trapped in the lower layers of
the atmosphere and may cause global average temperatures to rise.
The six types of GHGs covered under global warming policies and in trading
programs are:
" Carbon dioxide (CO2) " Methane (CH4) " Nitrous Oxide
(N2O) " Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) " Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
" Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
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