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Glossary of Terms

Greenhouse Gases

Greenhouse gases are gases in the earth’s atmosphere that trap solar radiation and keep it from reflecting back into space. When they build up in the earth’s 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 (especially that of carbon).

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 cycles. In particular, these gases result from the burning of fossil fuels like gas and coal.
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Read up on methane capture and carbon sequestration.
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Approximately two-thirds of the world’s population (along with critical infrastructure such as transportation routes, energy processing facilities, and major urban centers) are located near coastlines. All face significant threats from sea level rise.
CNA, “National Security and the Threat of Climate Change,” http://securityandclimate.cna.org/
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