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Global Warming and the Greenhouse Gases

venn99 | Dec 17, 2009 |

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Our surrounding is normally filled with different forms of air or gases. Oxygen, being one of these gases, is a very important gas necessary for the sustenance and support of life on earth. Unfortunately, not all of these everyday gases are beneficial to life and they even pile up in quantity through the years creating catastrophic problems like global warming. The gases that are named to have caused this phenomenon are collectively known as greenhouse gases.

Of all these dangerous gases, the most regular of which is water vapor. This state of matter is actually produced from the evaporation of water thus elevating the general humidity of the environment. This particular vapor is originally beneficial to keep earth from becoming iced. Being directly proportional with water vapor, the overall temperature of the planet will increase when the water vapor rises and thus leading to global warming.

Next, one of the most prevalent gases today that is probably the major cause of global warming is CO2 or carbon dioxide. A U.S. based environment protection organization even sighted that it is one of the most rapid emerging gas around, growing high up to significant percentages each year. Being one of the elusive greenhouse gases, CO2 is formed when the earth's oldest natural resources termed as fossil fuels are burned. Ironically, these fuels are the driving force for energy production today like natural gas and even coal. Along with trees and wastes, when all of these are burned they tend to produce carbon dioxide. Although the earth is richly endowed with plants that make use of this excess CO2 for their biologic processes, still they aren't enough to cover all the harmful CO2 released up into the atmosphere daily.

Similarly, there is another type of gas that contributes to global warming. This gas is termed as methane and it is more popularly identified as the gas that is formed from biodegradable wastes in certain dumps. Like, CO2 it can also be produced from fossils. In addition, big power plants for natural gas and even facilities for wastewater management are among the biggest producers of this gas.

Moreover, there are many unmentioned minor greenhouse gases that constitutes global warming. Hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons are good examples. Although rarely produced, they are dangerously powerful gases that can match the effects of more prevalent ones like CO2. Both are actually regarded as synthetic gases that are utilized to replace certain compounds destructive to earth's ozone layer.

All in all, the greenhouse gases namely methane, CO2, water vapor and many others are becoming more and more widespread today. They occupy a huge chunk in being the greatest contributing factors to global warming. It has already been a global concern and these gases, being the causes of such, must be the top area of priority.