Question

Explain the term ‘greenhouse effect’.

Answer 1

The greenhouse effect is the warming of Earth’s surface and lower atmosphere caused by certain gases, called greenhouse gases, trapping heat.

Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour, nitrous oxide, ozone and CFCs allow sunlight to reach the Earth’s surface but absorb and retain part of the heat radiated back from the Earth. This prevents all the heat from escaping into space.

Excessive increases in greenhouse gases strengthen this effect and lead to global warming.