The Greenhouse Effect in More Detail micro-lesson

A greenhouse is made of glass and allows the sun's rays in, heating up the air inside and trapping in that warm air. The greenhouse effect works in the same way, to keep the planet warm. Around the earth is a layer of different gases, and we call this the earth's atmosphere. As the sun shines through the atmosphere in the day, it warms the Earth's surface. As the earth cools when the sun goes down at night, gases in the atmosphere help trap some of the heat. These gases are known as greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor are all examples. We need these gases to help keep the earth at a temperature suitable for living things. This is the natural greenhouse effect. The problem is the amounts of these gases in the atmosphere has increased over the past hundred or so years. This is due to things like burning, taking away trees that take in carbon dioxide, using more electricity, more cars, traveling by planes, creating more rubbish, intensive farming with animals producing methane by farting, and factories. This means the atmosphere is keeping in more heat and the planet is warming up. We call this the increased greenhouse effect. This has serious consequences for the planet. Although this isn't great, scientists are working on ways that we can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released such as recycling, renewable energies, and taking excess carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.