Green House Gases

A greenhouse gas (sometimes abbreviated GHG) is a gas that absorb the sun's heat that radiates from
the Earth's surface, trap it in the atmosphere and prevent it from escaping into space. Greenhouse
gases cause the greenhouse effect on planets.

The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapour, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane
(CH4), nitrous oxide (N20). Without greenhouse gases, the average temperature of Earth's surface
would be about -18 °C (0 °F), rather than the present average of 15 °C (59 °F). The atmospheres of
Venus, Mars and Titan also contain greenhouse gases.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) - Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels (coal,
natural gas, and oil), solid waste, trees and other biological materials, and also as a result of certain
chemical reactions (e.g., manufacture of cement).

Water vapour- Water vapour is the most abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Water vapour is
also an effective greenhouse gas, as it does absorb longwave radiation and radiates it back to the
surface, thus contributing to warming. Water vapor accounts for 60-70% of the greenhouse effect
while CO2 accounts for 25%. About 90 percent of water in the atmosphere is produced by evaporation
from water bodies, while the other 10 percent comes from transpiration from plants.

Methane (CH4) - Methane is emitted during the extraction and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil.
Methane emissions also result from livestock and other agricultural practices and by the decay of
organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills. Methane comes from plant-matter breakdown in
wetlands and is also released from landfills and rice farming. Livestock animals emit methane from
their digestion and manure. Leaks from fossil fuel production and transportation are another major
source of methane, and natural gas is 70% to 90% methane.

Nitrous oxide (N20) - Nitrous oxide is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities, combustion
of fossil fuels and solid waste. Nitrous oxide can result from various agricultural soil management
activities, such as application of synthetic and organic fertilizers and other cropping practices, the
management of manure, or burning of agricultural residues. N2O primarily gets in the air from the
burning of fuel. N2O forms from emissions from cars, trucks and buses, power plants, and off-road
equipment.

Fluorinated gases - Hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulphur hexafluoride are synthetic,

powerful greenhouse gases that are emitted from a variety of industrial processes. Fluorinated gases
are sometimes used as substitutes for stratospheric ozone-depleting substances (e.g.,
chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and halons). These gases are typically emitted in
smaller quantities, but because they are potent greenhouse gases, they are sometimes referred to as
High Global Warming Potential gases ("High GWP gases"). Stationary refrigeration, air conditioning
and heat pump (RAC) equipment are some of the largest sources of Fluorinated gas emissions.

How does carbon dioxide trap heat?

You’ve probably already read that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases act like a blanket or a
cap, trapping some of the heat that Earth might have otherwise radiated out into space. That’s the
simple answer. But how exactly do certain molecules trap heat? The answer there requires diving into
physics and chemistry. When sunlight reaches Earth, the surface absorbs some of the light’s energy
and reradiates it as infrared waves, which we feel as heat. (Hold your hand over a dark rock on a
warm sunny day and you can feel this phenomenon for yourself.) These infrared waves travel up into
the atmosphere and will escape back into space if unimpeded.

Oxygen and nitrogen don’t interfere with infrared waves in the atmosphere. That’s because molecules
are picky about the range of wavelengths that they interact with. For example, oxygen and nitrogen
absorb energy that has tightly packed wavelengths of around 200 nanometers or less, whereas infrared
energy travels at wider and lazier wavelengths of 700 to 1,000,000 nanometers. Those ranges don’t
overlap, so to oxygen and nitrogen, it’s as if the infrared waves don’t even exist; they let the waves
(and heat) pass freely through the atmosphere. With CO2 and other greenhouse gases, it’s different.
Carbon dioxide, for example, absorbs energy at a variety of wavelengths between 2,000 and 15,000
nanometers — a range that overlaps with that of infrared energy. As CO2 soaks up this infrared
energy, it vibrates and re-emits the infrared energy back in all directions. About half of that energy
goes out into space, and about half of it returns to Earth as heat, contributing to the ‘greenhouse
effect.’

WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING?

Global warming is the unusually rapid increase in Earths average surface temperature over the past
century primarily due to the greenhouse gases released as people burn fossil fuels.

The global average surface temperature rose 0.6 to 0.9 ˚C between 1906 and 2005, and the rate of
temperature increase has nearly doubled in the last 50 years. Temperatures are certain to go up
further.

Global warming can cause many damaging effects on our environment and ecosystem and can lead to
various climatic changes.

1. Melting of polar ice caps can lead to a significant rise in the sea level. It can lead to submerging of
low lying coastal areas and islands

2. Oceanic temperature is rising and there is also a significant change in precipitation

3. When the temperature is warmer, there is greater evaporation. It leads to the accumulation of more
water vapour in the lower atmosphere, which absorbs infrared radiation and emits it back to the
surface

4. Global warming may lead to more unpredictable atmospheric changes. Extreme weather, drought,
storms, wildfires, El Nino, etc. may become more frequent

5. It may lead to loss of biodiversity, extinction of species, expansion of deserts and loss of various
ecosystems, e.g. marshes and swamps, etc.

6. It can lead to irreversible and irreparable changes leading to the extinction of life

What is Paris Agreement?

Paris Agreement (also known as the Conference of Parties 21 or COP 21) is a landmark
environmental accord that was adopted in 2015 to address climate change and its negative impacts.

It replaced the Kyoto Protocol which was an earlier agreement to deal with climate change.

It aims to reduce global GHG emissions in an effort to limit the global temperature increase in this
century to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing means to limit the increase to
1.5°C by 2100.

It includes:

 Addressing the financial losses vulnerable countries face from climate impacts such as
extreme weather.

 Raising money to help developing countries adapt to climate change and transition to clean
energy.

 This part of the deal has been made non-legally binding on developed countries.

Before the conference started, more than 180 countries had submitted pledges to cut their carbon
emissions (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions or INDCs).

 The INDCs were recognised under the agreement, but are not legally binding.

 India also reaffirmed its INDCs commitments to meeting the goals under the Agreement in
order to combat the climate change.