SEAD (Scottish Education and Action for Development)

The most important points in understanding the greenhouse effect are:

• Different gases have different capacities to retain heat
• When we change the gases in the atmosphere, for example by burning excessive amounts of fossil fuels, or through changes in land use, we alter the way the atmosphere holds in the heat from the sun

Gases in the atmosphere allow the suns rays to pass through and warm the earth and then they affect how much of that heat is radiated back into space. Human activity since the industrial revolution has produced large amounts of greenhouse gases (gases which retain most heat), shifting the balance in the atmosphere so less and less heat can escape. This is called the greenhouse effect. It upsets the natural process for regulating the temperature of the planet. In terms of human activity, the most important greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide (CO2). Although methane and nitrous oxide are more powerful, they are found in lower concentrations.

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