Environmental chemistry Greenhouse gasses are gasses that contribute to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation. Here are some examples of green house gasses: water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. Greenhouse gasses are not all bad gasses, without them the average temperature of the earth's surface would be about −18 °C rather than the present average of 15 °C. The earth's climate didn't only change because of humans but earth had expedited climate change without the help of humans too. We know about past climates because of evidence left in tree rings, layers of ice glaciers, ocean sediments, coral reefs and layers of sedimentary rocks. "For example, bubbles of air in glacial ice trap tiny samples of Earth’s atmosphere, giving scientists a history of greenhouse gases that stretches back more than 800,000 years. The chemical make-up of the ice provides clues to the average global temperature." NASA Earth Observatory Using ancient evidence, this chart shows a record of the earth's past climate. As the earth came out of the ice ages over the past million years, the global temperature raised the total of 4 to 7 degrees Celsius. In the past century alone the temperature has rose 0.7 degrees Celsius that is already roughly 10 times faster than the average rate of ice- age recovery warming. A tiny amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses, like methane and water vapour keeps the world's surface temperature 30°Celsius warmer than it would be without them. We have added a huge volume of carbon dioxide but that didn't make the worlds temperature rise. NASA earth observatory says that there might be several reasons on why the volume of co2 does not double the green house effect. Over short periods of time it is hard to indicate the effects of natural changes and manmade changes. Some believe that water vapour is the actual cause of global warming; "When carbon dioxide increases, more water vapour returns to the atmosphere. This is what helped to melt the glaciers that once covered New York City," said co-author David Rind, of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. "Today we are in uncharted territory as carbon dioxide approaches 390 parts per million in what has been referred to as the 'super interglacial.'" "The bottom line is that atmospheric carbon dioxide acts as a thermostat in regulating the temperature of Earth," Lacis said. Fossil fuels are energy sauces that are non- renewable, some examples of fossil energy is oil, coal, and natural gas. These fossil flues are formed when prehistoric plants and animals dies and were gradually buried by lays and lays of rock. Over millions of years of heat and pressure, different types of fossil fuels formed -- depending on what combination of organic matter was present, how long it was buried and what temperature and pressure conditions existed as time passed. Fossil fuels exist, and they provide a valuable service. It’s not so much that we use fossil fuels for energy that is problematic, but it’s the side effects of using them that causes all of the problems. Burning fossil fuels creates carbon dioxide, the number one greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. Combustion of these fossil fuels is considered to be the largest contributing factor to the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The oil, coal and natural gas companies know these are serious problems. But until our renewable energy sources become more viable as major energy providers, the only alternative for our global population is for these companies to continue tapping into the fossil fuel reserves to meet our energy needs. Just how limited are our fossil fuel reserves? Some estimates say our fossil fuel reserves will be depleted within 50 years, while others say it will be 100-120 years. The fact is that neither one of these projections is very appealing for a global community that is so heavily dependent on fossil fuels to meet basic human needs. The bottom line: We are going to run out of fossil fuels for energy and we have no choice but to prepare for the new age of energy production since, most certainly, human demands for energy will not decrease. Sources: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalWarming/page3.php https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/co2-temperature.html https://www.nature.com/articles/nature06588 https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/co2-temperature.html https://www.skepticalscience.com/co2-temperature-correlation.htm http://www.ecology.com/2011/09/06/fossil-fuels-renewable-energy-resources/
