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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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