Green House Gases, Global Warming and its Effects | Air Pollution | Environmental Chemistry Notes

Industrial and domestic coal burning release high amount of carbon dioxide,carbon monoxide, chloroflurocarbons, methane, nitrous oxide etc from various sources.They are acting as greenhouse gases.

Green House Gases

The various green house gases are 

• Carbon Dioxide, CO2(warming effect 60%),
• Methane, CH4 (effect 20%)
• Chloroflurocarbons or CFCs(14%),
• Nitrous Oxide, N2O  (6%)
• Others of minor significance are water vapours and ozone.
  

Social issues and the environment :Climate change, Global warming and Acid rain, Green house effect, ozone layer depletion from Biology Exams 4 U

Global warming

• The excessive increase in the amount of green house gases in the atmosphere raises the temperature by retaining more infrared radiations.
• This excessive green house effect is referred to as global warming.
• CO2 is the most important green house gas that plays   a major role in increasing global warming.
• 60% of the global warming is caused by carbon dioxide. Chloroflourocarbon (CFC), nitrous oxide and methane constitute the remaining 40%of the global warming.

Effects of global warming

• Drought is one of the most serious problems arising from major climate change resulting from global warming. 
• Decrease in precipitation.
• Increased evaporation reduces water available for agricultural , and other uses. It may affect the food production.
• Sea level rise: the melting of glaciers
• Rising of sea level produces negative impacts on human existence, freshwater resources, agricultural and dry lands, animals and bird existence etc.
• Effect on range of species distribution.