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What are greenhouse gases? Why do they matter?
Browse by category
Greenhouse gases are gases in the earth’s atmosphere that trap solar radiation and keep it from reflecting back into space. Greenhouse gases are important because when they build up in the atmosphere, they trap heat and warm up the earth (also see
greenhouse effect
), a process known as
global warming
. Global warming leads to
climate change
.
There are many different kinds of greenhouse gases –
carbon dioxide
,
methane
,
nitrous oxide
, various fluorinated gases,
water vapor
, etc. Many greenhouse gases also occur naturally. However, recent human activities have shifted their balance in the atmosphere.
During the past two hundred years or so since
industrialization
, humans have generated and circulated far vaster quantities of GHGs than normally existed in natural processes like the
carbon cycle
. In particular, these gases result from the burning of
fossil fuels
.
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