What Type of Gases Are Involved In the Greenhouse Effect?

Climate changes are upon us whether we like it or not. Our overuse of fossil fuels is producing gases giving rise to the greenhouse effect.

What Type of Gases Are Involved In the Greenhouse Effect?

Some greenhouse gases occur naturally in the atmosphere, while others result from human activities. Naturally occurring greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Certain human activities, however, add to the levels of most of these naturally occurring gases. The types of gases involved in the greenhouse effect and our responsibility for them are:

• Carbon dioxide is released to the atmosphere when solid waste, fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal), and wood and wood products are burned.
• Methane is emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil. Methane emissions also result from the decomposition of organic wastes in municipal solid waste landfills and the raising of livestock.
• Nitrous oxide is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities, as well as during combustion of solid waste and fossil fuels.
• Very powerful greenhouse gases that are not naturally occurring include hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), which are generated in a variety of industrial processes.
  

Each greenhouse gas differs in its ability to absorb heat in the atmosphere. HFCs and PFCs are the most heat-absorbent. Methane traps over 21 times more heat per molecule than carbon dioxide. Nitrous oxide absorbs 270 times more heat per molecule than carbon dioxide. Often, estimates of greenhouse gas emissions are presented in units of millions of metric tons of carbon equivalents, which weights each gas by its Global Warming Potential.

It is believed that excessive amounts of each of these gases create a heat envelope in our atmosphere. Essentially, the more gas in the air, the more heat is retained on your planet and the warmer we get. There are many fears and uncertainties associated with the resulting climate change. While projections are dire, the exact impact of global warming isn’t yet clear.

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