Greenhouse Gases and the Greenhouse Effect
Humans rely on energy for all sorts of things, including travel. Most commonly, these activities require fossil fuels that emit numerous greenhouse gasses, of which the most prominent is carbon dioxide (CO2). Greenhouse gasses affect the way our atmosphere filters different types of solar radiation. Infrared radiation is most peculiar in that it makes its way through the atmosphere but is then reflected back out into space.
Excess greenhouse gasses trap infrared rays above the Earth and send them back down to the planet’s surface. This radiation warms our oceans and creates the greenhouse effect that results in climate change.