Be Ready for Hotter Summers

A group of 76 scientists in 15 countries wrote in the findings in the Global Carbon Project, that, carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry, the bulk of man made green house gases, were on track to gain 2 % in 2017 from 2016 levels to a record high of about 37 billion tonnes. China is the top green house gas emitter ahead of the US , accounts for almost 30% of the world emissions.

It is a well known fact that the greenhouse effect occurs as the gases reach Earth’s surface. As the short wave energy heats the surface, some of the longer wave energy radiates back into the atmosphere and back into space. Greenhouse gases absorb some of the energy and trap it in the lower atmosphere. Less heat radiates into space, and Earth is warmer.

Solar energy heats the earth’s surface. But the energy does not stay bound up in the earth’s environment forever. Instead, as the earth warms, it emits thermal radiation. This thermal radiation, which is largely in the form of long-wave infrared rays, eventually finds its way out into space, leaving the earth and allowing it to cool. However, not all of the infrared rays pass into space. Some of the infrared rays are absorbed by greenhouse gases and warm the atmosphere. So the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is directly related to the temperature of the atmosphere. Increased concentrations of greenhouse gases increase the temperature of the atmosphere leading to the warming of the earth’s surface.

Matter Courtesy: Times of India, Ahmedabad, Tuesday, 14th Nov., 2017.

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