Greenhouse effect and Greenhouse gases and its causes, effects also GHG Protocol

About Greenhouse Effect:

• Solar insolation (short wave radiation) reaches the Earth and is transparent to the Earth’s atmosphere.

• The greenhouse effect is absorbed by the earth’s surface, which increases its temperature. The earth’s surface radiates back the rest of the heat to the atmosphere (Long-Wave Radiation).

• Some of the heat is trapped by greenhouse gases such as Carbon dioxide, Methane, Ozone, Nitrous Oxide, Chlorofluorocarbon compounds (CFCs), and Water Vapor in the atmosphere.

• Thus, they add to the heating, which is known as the greenhouse effect of the atmosphere. This causes global warming.

• However, life on Earth could not exist without some naturally occurring greenhouse gases. Without them, no heat would be trapped in the atmosphere, leading to extreme cold or permafrost conditions.

    Greenhouse gases are atmospheric gases that trap heat from the Earth’s surface, contributing to the greenhouse effect. This phenomenon is leading to significant global warming and climate change.

    All these sources of greenhouse gases have been discussed in detail in the following section.

    Fluorinated gases are artificial gases that contain fluorine. They have a lifetime of many centuries, which can significantly enhance the greenhouse effect (as they are potent greenhouse gases). There are mainly four types of fluorinated gas, they are:

    Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, leading to global warming.

Causes of Greenhouse Effect:

• The greenhouse effect is primarily caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and water vapor.

• These gases trap heat from the sun, preventing it from escaping back into space, leading to a warming greenhouse effect.

• Human activities like burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas), deforestation, and industrial processes significantly increase the concentration of these gases causing greenhouse effect.

• Natural processes, such as volcanic eruptions and solar radiation, also contribute, but human actions are the dominant drivers of the enhanced greenhouse effect.

Greenhouse Gases

• Atmospheric gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide (N2O), water vapour, and chlorofluorocarbons can trap the outgoing infrared radiation from the earth’s surface, causing the greenhouse effect.

• Hence, these gases are known as greenhouse gases, and the heating effect is known as the greenhouse effect.

1. Brown Carbon

• Brown carbon aerosols are non-graphitic organic materials that are brown or yellowish.

• They come from various sources, including biomass burning, industrial emissions, fossil fuel combustion, and automobile exhaust.

• Brown carbon aerosols can also be formed in the atmosphere from reactions of biogenic organic gases and volatile organic compounds from vegetation.

• Researchers classify organic materials in the atmosphere by their ability to absorb or scatter sunlight.

• The scattering of sunlight has a cooling effect overall on the climate, while the absorption of sunlight heats the air.

• Carbon-rich materials in the atmosphere range between predominantly scattering and strongly absorbing. The compounds between the two extremes are brown carbon aerosols.

• Brown carbon aerosols are made of thousands of complex compounds, and little is known about them in detail because of their complexity.

Sources of Brown Carbon

• Large-scale wildfires in forests and grasslands release substantial amounts of brown carbon.

• Burning crop residues and other agricultural waste contributes to brown carbon emissions.

• Diesel engines, in particular, emit brown carbon particles due to incomplete combustion.

• Combustion in industrial settings, including power plants, can produce brown carbon.

• Burning wood, coal, and other materials in stoves and open fires to heat and cook releases brown carbon.

• Decomposition of organic waste in landfills can produce brown carbon aerosols.

2. Water Vapour

• Water vapour is one of the greenhouse gases present around the planet, and it helps to reflect heat to Earth’s surface.

• Water vapour influences Earth’s climate more than other greenhouse gases.

• Water vapour is the most abundant greenhouse gas on Earth.

3. Carbon Dioxide

• Carbon dioxide is a meteorologically important gas as it is transparent to the incoming solar radiation but opaque to the outgoing terrestrial radiation.

• Carbon dioxide absorbs some of terrestrial radiation and reflects some part towards the earth’s surface.

• Carbon dioxide is largely responsible for the greenhouse effect.

• Its concentration is closer to the earth’s surface as it is denser than air.

4. Methane

• Methane is the most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. It is produced from the decomposition of animal wastes and biological matter.

• Producing gobar gas (methane) from animal wastes and biological matter can restrict emissions of this gas.

Sources of Methane

• Methane is produced by decomposing animal waste or dead organisms and when plant matter is burned.

• Human activities, such as cattle ranching and decomposing waste in landfills, produce large quantities of methane.

• Methane is also released from flooded rice or paddy fields during the sowing and maturing.

• When soil is covered with water, it becomes anaerobic or lacks oxygen. Under such conditions, methane-producing bacteria and other organisms decompose organic matter in the soil to form methane (CH4).

5. Nitrous Oxide

• N2O, or Nitrous Oxide, is a greenhouse gas.

• Meanwhile, NO (nitric oxide) and NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) emissions cause global cooling through the formation of (OH) radicals that destroy methane molecules, countering the effect of GHGs.

Sources of Nitrous Oxide

• The largest human-related sources are associated with the management of soil for agriculture.

• Using nitrogen-based fertilisers to improve farm soil quality is the most significant contributor to this problem.

• Other human-related sources of nitrous oxide are sewage treatment, farm animal waste products, burning fossil fuels, and industrial production of chemicals like nitric acid.

• The chief natural sources of nitrous oxide are decomposition and bacterial action in soil.

• Rather than just using oxygen for respiration, many species of bacteria can use nitrates, nitrogen-containing molecules in the soil, as the basis for respiration.

• This process, called ‘denitrification,’ releases nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. It is also a by-product of cloud thundering.

6. Fluorinated Gases

• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs): They are used as an alternative to CFC and HCFC (ozone-depleting substances) in refrigerators and air conditioning as they have zero ozone-depleting potential.

• Other sources include the manufacture of polymer foams, fire retardants, solvents for cleaning plastic and metals, fuels, and semiconductor technology in greenhouse effect.

• Perfluorocarbons (PFCs): Perfluorocarbons are compounds majorly produced as a by-product of various industrial processes associated with aluminium production and the manufacturing of semiconductors.

• PFCs generally have long atmospheric lifetimes and high global warming potential.

• Sulphur Hexafluoride (SF6): Sulphur hexafluoride processes magnesium and manufactures semiconductors.

• It is also used as a tracer gas for leak detection.

• Nitrogen Trifluoride (NF3): NF3 is a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential (GWP) 17,200 times greater than CO2 over 100 years.

• Its chief sources are the manufacturing of semiconductors, thin film solar cells and flat-panel displays.

7. Black Carbon

• Black carbon (BC) is a solid particle or aerosol (though not a gas) that contributes to the warming of the atmosphere.

• Black carbon, commonly known as soot. Soot is a form of particulate air pollutant produced from incomplete combustion.

• Black carbon warms the earth by absorbing heat in the atmosphere and reducing albedo (the ability to reflect sunlight) when deposited on snow and ice.

• Black Carbon is the strongest absorber of sunlight and heats the air directly. In addition, it darkens snow packs and glaciers through deposition, which leads to ice and snow melting.

• Black Carbon disrupts cloudiness and monsoon rainfall regionally. Black carbon stays in the atmosphere for only several days to weeks.

• Thus, the effects of Black Carbon on atmospheric warming and glacier retreat disappear within months of reducing emissions.

Sources of Black Carbon

• The main sources of Black Carbon include emissions from diesel engines, cook stoves, burning open wood and biomass, forest fires, industrial processes, and power generation.

Effects of Greenhouse Gases

• Rising sea levels: As glaciers and ice sheets melt, sea levels rise, threatening coastal cities and islands.

• Extreme weather events: Due to climate change, more frequent and intense hurricanes, droughts, floods, and heat waves are becoming common.

• Ocean acidification: Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves into the oceans, making them more acidic and harming marine ecosystems.

• Biodiversity loss: Climate change is disrupting ecosystems, leading to habitat loss and species extinction.

• Agricultural impacts: Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns can affect crop yields, leading to food shortages and price fluctuations.

• Health risks: Climate change is linked to heat-related illnesses, respiratory problems, and the spread of diseases.

Global Efforts to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

• The Paris Agreement is a global pact that aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.

• To reduce energy consumption, improve energy efficiency, and adopt sustainable practices.

• To invest in projects that reduce or capture carbon emissions.

• To adopt solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal energy sources to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

• To implement carbon pricing, emissions trading systems, and regulations to encourage low-carbon technologies.

Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming

• The greenhouse effect is a natural process where greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and water vapor trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, keeping the planet warm enough to support life.

• However, human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation have increased the concentration of these gases, intensifying the greenhouse effect and leading to global warming.

• Global warming refers to the long-term rise in Earth’s average temperature, causing climate change, melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events.

Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol)

• The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) is the most widely used international framework for measuring and managing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

• It was developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) to provide businesses, governments, and organisations with standardised methods for quantifying and reporting GHG emissions.

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