Green House Gases

The greenhouse gases and the resulting greenhouse effect are important. If the greenhouse gases were not present in the atmosphere, our Earth would be an icebox. We would have climate similar to that in Mars. The average temperature on Earth would have been about -18 degrees Celsius, which is below the freezing point of water. If this was the Earth's temperature, there would hardly be any liquid water on Earth and life as known today would not be possible. Therefore the greenhouse effect is important because it is a natural temperature control system that keeps the planet warm enough to allow life comfortably on Earth.
The effects caused by the burning of fuels like coal; oil, wood, and gas produce carbon dioxide which is released into the atmosphere. Carbon Dioxide is one of the gases primarily responsible for the greenhouse effect. The rise in population, the demand for fuel, oil, gas, housing and, transportation raises the Carbon Dioxide level, and increases global warming. According to scientists humans are releasing more Carbon Dioxide by deforestation and burning fossil fuels. Carbon Dioxide concentrations are rising and have been rising since the beginning of the industrial age. The more Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere means that the atmosphere is absorbing and retaining more heat, and global temperatures are rising.

Global warming will increase desertification in dry areas, but will increase rain fall in damp areas. The frequency of extreme weather conditions such as droughts and hurricanes will likely rise. If land based ice melts than sea levels will rise and flood low lying areas. It has even been suggested that melting ice might alter oceanic currents, turning off the Gulf Stream for example, which would make Northern Europe colder than it currently is. The end result is so complicated it is almost impossible to predict, but these are examples of things that scientist believe could occur. Overwhelming consensus is that global warming is