Greenhouse Effect
If we only listened to the evening news about the greenhouse effect, one might come to the conclusion that the greenhouse effect is totally made by man and we're all destroying the planet. This just isn't true!
Many scientist and engineers during their education go through an exercise to calculate what is called the average blackbody temperature of the earth. Blackbody is simply a term that refers to an object that absorbs and emits all the energy it is exposed to, applying this to the earth it's a calculation of the earth's temperature without a greenhouse effect. For the earth the average blackbody temperature is -18°C (approximately 0°F). In reality, the average temperature of the earth is approximately 15°C (59°F). The greenhouse effect of the planet is responsible for the earth being 33°C (59°F) warmer than it would be otherwise. This makes it much easier for the planet to sustain life. This calculation can be found here.
The greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring system that makes our earth able to support the abundance of life we have here. Imagine if the earth had no life at all. It would simply be a mixture of soil, rocks, and water. Everyone knows that water evaporates and forms water vapor. Water vapor is the single most important greenhouse gas we have on the planet.
Water vapor in the atmosphere traps energy trying to escape the earth and warms the planet and atmosphere. We all know that as water becomes warmer it evaporates at a faster and faster rate. Can the evaporation of water get out of control and overheat the planet? No, just think of what happens when too much water vapor gets into the atmosphere, it rains. The rain lowers the amount of water vapor in the air and allows more energy to leave our planet.
In general, the greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring system, necessary to maintain the abundance of life on the planet, based primarily on the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere with a control system (rain) that keeps the planet from overheating.
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Man Made Global Warming
Are Plants Starving for Carbon Dioxide