Effect of CO2

Greenhouse Gases: Lifegivers and Lifetakers

In what seems like nature’s brutal irony, the gases that make life on Earth possible now threaten our very existence. Read our greenhouse gas profiles and find out why CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide might become benevolent climate killers — and how we can react.

Greenhouse gases heat up our planet. Thy are part of Earth's atmosphere and trap warmth emitted by the sun, thus heating Earth. It is this process – the greenhouse effect – that makes life on the planet possible.

Natural greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide have always been in the atmosphere. Without them, the world’s average surface temperature would be a chilly -18 degrees Celsius. Thanks to the greenhouse effect, however, we enjoy an average temperature of 14 degrees.

Throughout Earth’s history, temperatures have varied greatly, mostly depending on the concentration of greenhouses gases in the atmosphere. All signs now suggest that a major temperature change is happening again, but this time humanity is the cause. Read our gas profiles and learn more about the causes of climate change and how we can reduce them.

Carbon Dioxide - Endless Warming

Carbon dioxide is the number-one reason for man-made climate change. But what is carbon dioxide, actually? Where does it come from? And why are governments and businesses now scrambling to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions?

Carbon dioxide has always been with us. Scientists say Earth’s earliest atmosphere was made up mostly of steam, carbon dioxide, and ammonia from volcanic eruptions. Today, carbon dioxide is mostly produced by the combustion of organic matter like coal, oil, and wood, the fermentation, and the respiration processes of living organisms.

Most CO2 is produced by energy production and transport. Cement production, among many other chemical processes, also releases the gas. Rotting materials release CO2, so landfills are contributors too. People are another source. The air we exhale is made up of about 4.5 percent CO2. Bacteria in the soil release CO2 when they digest leafs and carcasses. Even plants that usually absorb CO2 “exhale” it at night.