What is called the additional greenhouse effect comes from human activities that lead to an increase in the concentration of the famous greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This explosive cocktail is one of the factors of global warming. On the dock, the dreaded carbon dioxide (CO2) but it is not alone…
We often hear about greenhouse gas because they are responsible for what is called the additional greenhouse effect, as I explain here. But what are these greenhouse gases? It is important to know exactly what we are talking about.
A pest cocktail
This is why I have prepared the recipe for the cocktail with greenhouse gases.
For a tasty cocktail, choose exceptional ingredients. Here are the most essential:
- H₂O (water vapour)
- CO₂ (carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide)
- CH4 (methane)
- N₂O (nitrous oxides)
Take a spoon of fine methane, a pinch of fresh CO2, a tear of H2O and a dash of N2O. Mix! Now your cocktail is ready!
What are greenhouse gases?
As in any good self-respecting recipe, we will focus on the origin of our ingredients, greenhouse gases:
- the carbon dioxide (CO2) is emitted when burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. I think everyone is more and more aware of that!
- the methane (CH4) is mainly emitted by rice fields and the digestion of cattle. Our friends the cows have in one of their 4 stomachs (the rumen) bacteria that degrade cellulose: a solid vegetable fiber. This natural fermentation produces methane which is emitted in their belching (and not in their flatulence, as we often hear). The greenhouse effect of methane is approximately 30 times more powerful than that of carbon dioxide.
- the nitrous oxide (N2O) is emitted by the use of nitrogen fertilizers in conventional agriculture (these fertilizers are not used in organic agriculture). The general public knows him well under the name of ” laughing gas » because it is commonly used in culinary products for its function as a propellant (whipped cream siphons) and for its anesthetic properties in the hospital environment.
- Content water vapour (H2O) of the atmosphere does not depend on human activities but rather on the classical balance between the gaseous and liquid forms of water.
What happens once the gases are emitted?
Well, now that we have prepared a good cocktail, we have to understand how we taste it.
The CO2 that is emitted goes into the atmosphere but not only. Half of the CO2 emitted remains in the atmosphere but the other half is absorbed by what are called carbon sinks.
What are carbon sinks?
- Plants : With photosynthesis, plants absorb CO2 for their growth.
It is therefore mainly the growing plants which absorb CO2. A forest with mature trees does not absorb that much (but it has other advantages, I’m not saying that we can do without mature forests!). - The oceans : CO2 is absorbed by the oceans in which it will dissolve.
Read also:
2°C, what does it change for the planet?
A little greenhouse cocktail?
The tree will fall (deforestation is in full swing)
The oceans are warming up, so what?
Acting for the environment takes time…
Now that we have a better understanding of what greenhouse gases are and what they become, in the next article I propose to analyze in more detail and in figures the emissions of these gases by human activities.
