The greenhouse effect and ozone depletion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The greenhouse effect and ozone depletion - Essay Example However, due to the fact that the earth is cooler than the sun, the wavelength of the energy radiated back lies within the infrared region of the spectrum. Most of this thermal radiation is absorbed by the clouds and other parts in the atmosphere and is radiated again to the earth. This entire effect is termed as the greenhouse effect. Due to this effect, the temperature of the earth is maintained at levels which allow life to be possible, albeit this effect is useful, the use of human activities, majorly, the deforestation and the burning of the fossil fuels have led to an intensified green house effect. This has ultimately led to global warming (IPPC, 2007). The natural greenhouse effect involves certain greenhouse gases. These include, oxygen nitrogen, carbon dioxide etc. As a result of the natural greenhouse effect, the gases present in trace amounts within the atmosphere play a vital role in raising the temperature. This phenomenon is of immense concern since it leads to changes at sea level, changes in the weather (Myhre & Shindell, 2013). The greenhouse effect is not only caused by natural factors but also by anthropogenic sources. This human induced green house effect is mainly due to the energy sector which plays the role of the second largest contributor of emissions of non-CO2 greenhouse gases. This accounted for 26 percent of emissions in 2005 (Myhre & Shindell, 2013). Further, the coal mining activities, waste from home and businesses and agriculture accounts for the release of the greenhouse gas methane. This gas causes global warming through excessive greenhouse effect resulting in a climate change. These climate impacts are in relation with the rate of temperature rise while other impacts are related to the extent of temperature rise (EPA, 2015). It is believed that the levels of CO2 have increased by 38% while those of methane have increased by 148% since 2009. These gases aid in increased infrared energy emitted by the