What is 'greenhouse effect'? State its importantce for us.
The greenhouse gases plays an important role in keeping the Earth's surface warm and able to sustain life.
A greenhouse gas is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range. Increasing greenhouse gas emissions cause the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.
The greenhouse effect is what makes our planet habitable. If we had no atmosphere, which acts as a blanket that traps heat, the average temperature all over the globe would be 0 C (32 F). Life could only exist in a narrow range of latitudes, probably near the equator. Adding an atmosphere with carbon dioxide, water, and/or methane in small amounts raises the global average temperature to 10 C (50 F), making more places liveable. The greenhouse effect is also important in terms of climate change. We need some greenhouse gasses to be in the atmosphere, but the problem is that industry and agriculture are putting more greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, which is warming up the Earth, potentially too much.