Greenhouse Gases Flashcards
what’s the process behind greenhouse gases and global warming
1) The sun emits short wavelength infrared radiation that enters the atmosphere and travels towards the Earth’s surface.
2) The Earth absorbs some of this radiation, but long wavelength radiation is reflected back into the atmosphere.
3) Greenhouse gases can’t absorb the frequency of radiation emitted by the Sun, but they can absorb the longer wavelength reflected radiation.
4) The gases then re-radiate this energy in all directions, including back towards Earth.
5) This increases the temperature at the Earth’s surface.
which certain human activities cause the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases to increase
1) Landfill sites - mounds of waste decompose = methane
2) Deforestation - less photosynthesis means less carbon dioxide is being removed
3) Agriculture - Farm animals release methane during digestion
4) Burning FF - releases carbon in the form of carbon dioxide
What motives might people have to play down the contribution of greenhouse gas emissions to climate change?
1) A common bias is that an individual is involved in an industry which relies on, for example, burning fossil fuels.
Burning fossil fuels is central to this individual’s profession but it is also known to release lots of carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas.
Therefore, it is in the individual’s interest to play down the negative effects of greenhouse gases in order to avoid more regulation of the relevant industry.
