Question

Mention any four causes of the Greenhouse effect.

Discuss the causes of green house effect.

Answer 1

Following are the causes of greenhouse effect:

1. Carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is released into the environment every time fossil fuels are burnt for energy by factories, power plants and automobiles. The amount of carbon dioxide is increasing rapidly due to increasing number of vehicles, factories and power plants. Deforestation and burning of firewood also release carbon dioxide in the air.
2. Water Vapour: Atmospheric water vapour is a significant greenhouse gas. Increased water vapour and changes in atmospheric circulation could also create changes in cloud cover.
3. Chlorofluorocarbons: Halocarbons are well known as the depleters of stratosphere ozone but they are also significant as greenhouse chemicals. Their use mainly takes place in the industries that manufacture refrigerators, air conditioners, paints and other sprays. Chlorofluorocarbons have 15000 times the impact of carbon dioxide. They are responsible for about 25 per cent overall greenhouse effect.
4. Nitrogenoxides: The heat absorbing capacity of nitrogen oxide is about 230 times more than that of carbon dioxide. But due to its lower concentration in the atmosphere its contribution to greenhouse effect is only 6 per cent. Nitrogen oxide is released by excessive use of nitrogen fertilisers in agriculture and intensive vehicular traffic
5. Methane: Hydroelectric reservoirs, and bacterial decomposition of flooded peat and forest biomass generate methane. Methane's capacity to absorb heat is about 25 times more than that of carbon dioxide. Methane contributes about 12 per cent of greenhouse effect.
6. Ozone: Ozone also has a role in the greenhouse effect. Global warming potential -of ozone is about 2000 times that of carbon dioxide.