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On Monday, November 30, when a global agreement is expected to be signed by countries to reduce emissions greenhouse gases. The new agreement will replace the Kyoto Protocol. The conference will last until December 11 and is attended by 150 heads of state and government.

AiF.ru talks about what greenhouse gases are.

Greenhouse gases is a group of gaseous compounds that make up the Earth's atmosphere. They practically do not allow thermal radiation emanating from the planet to pass through them. Thus, according to a number of researchers, the layer of greenhouse gases greatly affects the climate, warming the Earth's atmosphere. This process is also often called the "greenhouse effect".

Types of greenhouse gases

The list of greenhouse gases, according to Appendix A to the Kyoto Protocol, includes the following compounds:

Water vapor is the most common greenhouse gas. There is no data on an increase in its concentration in the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide) (CO2) is the most important source climate change, which may account for about 64% global warming.

Main emission sources carbon dioxide into the atmosphere are:

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is the third most important greenhouse gas under the Kyoto Protocol. It accounts for about 6% of global warming. Released during production and use mineral fertilizers, V chemical industry, in agriculture, etc.

Perfluorocarbons - PFCs. Hydrocarbon compounds in which fluorine partially replaces carbon. The main sources of emissions of these gases are the production of aluminum, electronics and solvents.

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are hydrocarbon compounds in which halogens partially replace hydrogen.

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is a greenhouse gas used as an electrical insulating material in the electrical power industry. Emissions occur during its production and use. Remains in the atmosphere for an extremely long time and is an active absorber infrared radiation. Therefore, this compound, even with relatively small emissions, has the potential to influence climate for a long time in the future.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

1. Increasing the efficiency of energy use in relevant sectors of the national economy;

2. Protection and improvement of the quality of sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases, taking into account their obligations under the relevant international environmental agreements; assistance rational methods sustainable forestry, afforestation and reforestation;

3. Encouragement stable forms agriculture in light of climate change considerations;

4. Assistance in implementation, implementation research work, development and increased use of new and renewable energy, carbon dioxide absorption technologies and innovative environmentally friendly technologies;

5. Gradual reduction or elimination of market imbalances, fiscal incentives, exemption from taxes and duties, subsidies contrary to the purpose of the Convention in all sectors that produce greenhouse gas emissions and the use of market instruments;

6. Encouraging appropriate reforms in relevant sectors to facilitate the implementation of policies and measures that limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions;

7. Measures to limit and/or reduce greenhouse gas emissions in transport;

Limit and/or reduce methane emissions through recovery and use in waste disposal, as well as in energy production, transportation and distribution.

These provisions of the Protocol are of a general nature and provide Parties with the opportunity to independently select and implement the set of policies and measures that will best suit national circumstances and priorities.

Greenhouse gases in Russia

The main source of greenhouse gas emissions in Russia is:

• energy sector (71%);
• mining of coal, oil and gas (16%);
• industry and construction (about 13%).

Thus, the greatest contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Russia can be made by realizing the enormous energy saving potential. Currently, the energy intensity of the country's economy exceeds the world average by 2.3 times, and the average for EU countries by 3.2 times. The potential for energy saving in Russia is estimated at 39-47% of current energy consumption, and it mainly falls on electricity production, transmission and distribution of thermal energy, industrial sectors and unproductive energy losses in buildings.

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement adopted in Kyoto, Japan in December 1997 to complement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It commits developed countries and countries with economies in transition to reduce or stabilize greenhouse gas emissions.

1.2.1 Greenhouse gases

Greenhouse gases are gaseous components of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, that absorb and re-emit infrared radiation.

Storage - components of the climate system in which greenhouse gases accumulate.

A sink is any process, activity, or mechanism that absorbs a greenhouse gas.

Source - any process, type of activity, as a result of which greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide - carbon dioxide, is constantly formed in nature during the oxidation of organic substances: decay of plant and animal residues, respiration. Its main source is anthropogenic processes: combustion of organic fuels (coal, gas, oil and its products, oil shale, firewood). All these substances consist mainly of carbon and hydrogen. Therefore, they are also called organic hydrocarbon fuels. Due to their combustion, up to 80% of carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere.

During combustion, as is known, oxygen is absorbed and carbon dioxide is released. As a result of this process, every year humanity emits 7 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. At the same time, forests are being cut down on Earth - one of the main consumers of carbon dioxide, and they are being cut down at a rate of 12 hectares per minute. So it turns out that more and more carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere, and less and less is consumed by plants.

Reasons for the increase in CO 2 content in the atmosphere:

1. burning fossil fuels;

2. deforestation;

3. agriculture;

4. overgrazing and a number of other violations.

The carbon dioxide cycle on Earth is disrupted, so recent years The carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere is not just increasing - the growth rate is increasing. And the more of it, the stronger greenhouse effect.

The next largest contributors to the greenhouse effect are methane CH 4 and nitrous oxide N 2 O. The concentration of both gases is determined by both natural and anthropogenic factors.

Thus, a natural source of CH 4 are waterlogged soils in which anaerobic decomposition processes occur. Methane is also called swamp gas. Vast mangroves in the tropics also supply it in considerable quantities. It also enters the atmosphere from tectonic faults and cracks during earthquakes. Anthropogenic methane emissions are also large. Natural and anthropogenic emissions are estimated to be approximately 70% and 30%, but the latter are growing rapidly.

At an altitude of 15-20 km under the influence sun rays it decomposes into hydrogen and carbon, which, when combined with oxygen, forms CO 2.

There is an assumption that methane is the main cause of warming. In particular, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences N.A. Yasamanov, suggest that methane is mainly to blame for the current global warming. Also, the concentration of methane increases during the intensification of agricultural activities.

Natural suppliers of N2O to the atmosphere include the ocean and soil. The anthropogenic additive is associated with the combustion of fuel and biomass and the leaching of nitrogen fertilizers.

The intensity of N2O release has been rapidly increasing recently (from 0.1% to 1.3% per year). This growth is mainly due to more widespread use mineral fertilizers. The lifetime of N 2 O is long - 170 years.

The contribution of each gas to global warming is shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Main greenhouse gases, their sources and contribution to global warming (2000 data).

Gas	Main sources	Share of influence on global warming, %
Carbonic	Production, transportation and combustion	64
	fossil fuels (86%) Tropical deforestation and biomass burning (12%) Other sources (2%)
	Natural gas leakage Fuel production Animal activity (digestive fermentation) Rice plantations Deforestation	20
Nitrous oxide	Application of nitrogen fertilizers	6
	Biomass combustion Fossil fuel combustion

That this is bad. Fluctuations in the amount of carbon dioxide are explained by seasonal fluctuations. Excess carbon dioxide helps increase crop yields." Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences K.Ya. Kondratiev, author of many monographs on global warming, does not share the opinion solar radiation, greenhouse effect in the atmosphere, multidimensional global changes, climatic...

Water resources and the transformation of water management mechanisms is deepening. Much attention is paid to problems related to land degradation. Are being carried out various measures to overcome these problems. 3. International cooperation of the PRC with foreign countries in the field of ensuring environmental safety China sea pollution atmosphere 3.1 International cooperation of the PRC within the framework...

It will be associated with the transition to the next technological revolution, and, in addition, with the establishment and implementation of new international institutions. Conclusion Global problems economics, as well as universal human problems have always existed, since the birth of civilization. They will continue to exist in the future. They are a consequence of the disequilibrium state of both the economy and...

And, as a result, it negatively affects the achievement of the final result - ensuring environmental safety. 3 Development of a program to increase the efficiency of state environmental control 3.1 Disadvantages of the existing system of state environmental control Problems of improving legal regulation public relations in the field of environmental protection...

The Soviet climatologist and meteorologist Mikhail Ivanovich Budyko, back in 1962, was the first to publish ideas that the burning of a huge amount of various fuels by humanity, which especially increased in the second half of the 20th century, will inevitably lead to an increase in the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. And it is known to delay the release of solar and deep heat from the Earth’s surface into space, which leads to the effect that we observe in glass greenhouses. Due to this greenhouse effect average temperature the surface layer of the atmosphere should gradually increase. The conclusions of M. I. Budyko interested American meteorologists. They checked his calculations, made numerous observations themselves, and by the end of the sixties they came to the firm conviction that the greenhouse effect in the Earth’s atmosphere exists and is growing.

The main greenhouse gases, in order of their estimated impact on the Earth's heat balance, are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and ozone, and nitrous oxide.

Rice. 3. Structure of greenhouse gas emissions by countries

Water vapor is the most important natural greenhouse gas and makes a significant contribution to the greenhouse effect with a strong positive feedback. An increase in air temperature causes an increase in the moisture content of the atmosphere while approximately maintaining relative humidity, which causes an increase in the greenhouse effect and thereby contributes to a further increase in air temperature. The influence of water vapor can also manifest itself through increased cloudiness and changes in precipitation. Economic activity Humans contribute less than 1% to water vapor emissions.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) . In addition to water vapor, carbon dioxide plays the most important role in creating the greenhouse effect. The planetary carbon cycle is complex system, its functioning at different characteristic times is determined by different processes that correspond to different rates of the CO2 cycle. Carbon dioxide, like nitrogen and water vapor, entered and continues to enter the atmosphere from the deep layers of the planet during degassing of the upper mantle and the earth's crust. These components of atmospheric air are among the gases released into the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions, released from deep cracks in earth's crust and from hot springs.

Rice. 4. Structure of carbon dioxide emissions by region of the planet in the 1990s

Methane (CH4). Methane is greenhouse gas. If the degree of impact of carbon dioxide on climate is conventionally taken as one, then the greenhouse activity of methane will be 23 units. Methane levels in the atmosphere have increased very rapidly over the past two centuries. Now the average content of methane CH 4 in the modern atmosphere is estimated as 1.8 ppm ( parts per million, parts per million). Its contribution to the dissipation and retention of heat emitted by the sun-heated Earth is significantly higher than that from CO 2. In addition, methane absorbs the Earth's radiation in those “windows” of the spectrum that are transparent to other greenhouse gases. Without greenhouse gases - CO 2, water vapor, methane and some other impurities, the average temperature on the Earth's surface would be only –23°C, but now it is about +15°C. Methane seeps out at the bottom of the ocean through cracks in the earth's crust and is released in considerable quantities during mining and when forests are burned. Recently discovered a new, completely unexpected source methane - higher plants, but the mechanisms of formation and significance this process for the plants themselves have not yet been clarified.

Nitric oxide (N2O) is the third most important greenhouse gas under the Kyoto Protocol. It is released in the production and use of mineral fertilizers, in the chemical industry, in agriculture, etc. It accounts for about 6% of global warming.

Tropospheric ozone, i Being a greenhouse gas, tropospheric ozone (trop. O 3) has both a direct effect on climate through the absorption of long-wave radiation from the Earth and short-wave radiation from the Sun, and through chemical reactions, which change the concentrations of other greenhouse gases, for example, methane (trop. O 3 is necessary for the formation of an important oxidizer of greenhouse gases - the radical - OH). Increasing concentration of trails. Since the mid-18th century, O 3 has been the third largest positive radiative impact on the Earth's atmosphere after CO 2 and CH 4 . In general, the content of the trails. O 3 in the troposphere is determined by the processes of its formation and destruction during chemical reactions involving ozone precursors, which have both natural and anthropogenic origin, as well as the processes of ozone transfer from the stratosphere (where its content is much higher) and the absorption of ozone by the earth's surface. Lifetime of the trail. O 3 - up to several months, which is significantly less than other greenhouse gases (CO 2, CH 4, N 2 O). Concentration of trails. O3 varies significantly over time, space and altitude, and its monitoring is much more difficult than monitoring well-mixed greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Scientists have made a clear conclusion that atmospheric emissions caused by human activity lead to a significant increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Based on calculations using computer models, it was shown that if the current rate of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere continues, then in just 30 years the temperature on average around the globe will increase by approximately 1°. This is an unusually large increase in temperature based on paleoclimate data. It should be noted that expert estimates are apparently somewhat underestimated. Warming is likely to increase as a result of a number of natural processes. Warming greater than predicted may be due to the inability of a warming ocean to absorb the estimated amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The results of numerical modeling also show that the average global temperature in the next century will increase at a rate of 0.3°C per 10 years. As a result, by 2050 it may increase (compared to pre-industrial times) by 2°C, and by 2100 - by 4°C. Global warming should be accompanied by increased precipitation (by several percent by 2030), as well as a rise in sea levels (by 2030 by 20 cm, and by the end of the century by 65 cm).

Greenhouse gases- gaseous components of the atmosphere of natural or anthropogenic origin that absorb and re-emit infrared radiation.

An anthropogenic increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere leads to an increase in surface temperatures and climate change.
The list of greenhouse gases subject to limitation under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992) is defined in Appendix A to the Kyoto Protocol (signed in Kyoto (Japan) in December 1997 by 159 states) and includes carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane ( CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).

water vapor- the most widespread greenhouse gas - is excluded from this consideration, since there is no data on the increase in its concentration in the atmosphere (that is, the danger associated with it is not visible).

Carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide) (CO2)- the most important source of climate change, accounting for an estimated 64% of global warming.

The main sources of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere are the production, transportation, processing and consumption of fossil fuels (86%), tropical deforestation and other biomass burning (12%), and remaining sources (2%), such as cement production and the oxidation of carbon monoxide . Once released, the carbon dioxide molecule cycles through the atmosphere and biota and is finally absorbed by oceanic processes or through long-term accumulation in terrestrial biological stores (i.e., taken up by plants). The amount of time at which approximately 63% of the gas is removed from the atmosphere is called the effective residence period. Evaluable effective period The residence time for carbon dioxide ranges from 50 to 200 years.
Methane (CH4) has both natural and anthropogenic origin. In the latter case, it is formed as a result of fuel production, digestive fermentation (for example, in livestock), rice cultivation, deforestation (mainly due to the combustion of biomass and the breakdown of excess organic matter). Methane is estimated to account for approximately 20% of global warming. Methane emissions are a significant source of greenhouse gases.

Nitrous oxide (N2O)- the third most important greenhouse gas under the Kyoto Protocol. It is released in the production and use of mineral fertilizers, in the chemical industry, in agriculture, etc. It accounts for about 6% of global warming.

Perfluorocarbons- PFCs (Perfluorocarbons - PFCs). Hydrocarbon compounds in which fluorine partially replaces carbon. The main sources of emissions of these gases are the production of aluminum, electronics and solvents. During aluminum smelting, PFC emissions occur in electric arc or with the so-called “anode effects”.

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)- hydrocarbon compounds in which halogens partially replace hydrogen. Gases created to replace ozone-depleting substances have exceptionally high GWPs (140 11700).

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)- greenhouse gas used as an electrical insulating material in the electric power industry. Emissions occur during its production and use. It persists in the atmosphere for an extremely long time and is an active absorber of infrared radiation. Therefore, this compound, even with relatively small emissions, has the potential to influence climate for a long time in the future.

Greenhouse effect from different gases can be brought to a common denominator that expresses how much more effective 1 ton of a particular gas is than 1 ton of CO2. For methane the conversion factor is 21, for nitrous oxide it is 310, and for some fluorinated gases it is several thousand.

1. Increasing the efficiency of energy use in relevant sectors of the national economy;
2. Protection and improvement of the quality of sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases, taking into account their obligations under the relevant international environmental agreements; promoting sound forestry practices, afforestation and reforestation in a sustainable manner;
3. Promotion of sustainable forms of agriculture in light of climate change considerations;
4. Promoting the implementation, research, development and wider use of new and renewable energy, carbon dioxide absorption technologies and innovative environmentally friendly technologies;
5. Gradual reduction or elimination of market distortions, fiscal incentives, exemptions from taxes and duties, and subsidies that are contrary to the purpose of the Convention in all sectors that produce greenhouse gas emissions, and the use of market-based instruments;
6. Encouraging appropriate reforms in relevant sectors to facilitate the implementation of policies and measures that limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
7. Measures to limit and/or reduce greenhouse gas emissions in transport;
Limit and/or reduce methane emissions through recovery and use in waste disposal, as well as in energy production, transportation and distribution.

These provisions of the Protocol are of a general nature and provide Parties with the opportunity to independently select and implement the set of policies and measures that will best suit national circumstances and priorities.
The main source of greenhouse gas emissions in Russia is the energy sector, which accounts for more than 1/3 of total emissions. The second place is occupied by the extraction of coal, oil and gas (16%), the third - industry and construction (about 13%).

Thus, the greatest contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Russia can be made by realizing the enormous energy saving potential. Currently, the energy intensity of the Russian economy exceeds the world average by 2.3 times, and the average for EU countries by 3.2 times. The potential for energy saving in Russia is estimated at 39-47% of current energy consumption, and it mainly falls on electricity production, transmission and distribution of thermal energy, industrial sectors and unproductive energy losses in buildings.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

Greenhouse gases

Greenhouse gases are gases that are believed to cause the global greenhouse effect.

The main greenhouse gases, in order of their estimated impact on the Earth's thermal balance, are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, halocarbons and nitrous oxide.

water vapor

Water vapor is the main natural greenhouse gas, responsible for more than 60% of the effect. Direct anthropogenic impact on this source is insignificant. At the same time, an increase in the Earth's temperature caused by other factors increases evaporation and the total concentration of water vapor in the atmosphere at almost constant relative humidity, which in turn increases the greenhouse effect. Thus, some positive feedback occurs.

Methane

A gigantic eruption of methane accumulated under the seabed 55 million years ago warmed the Earth by 7 degrees Celsius.

The same thing can happen now - this assumption was confirmed by researchers from NASA. Using computer simulations of ancient climates, they tried to better understand the role of methane in climate change. Currently, most research on the greenhouse effect focuses on the role of carbon dioxide in this effect, although methane's potential for retaining heat in the atmosphere exceeds the ability of carbon dioxide by 20 times.

A variety of gas-powered household appliances are contributing to the increase in methane content in the atmosphere.

Over the past 200 years, the content of methane in the atmosphere has more than doubled due to the decomposition of organic remains in swamps and damp lowlands, as well as leaks from man-made objects: gas pipelines, coal mines, as a result of increased irrigation and gas emissions from livestock. But there is another source of methane - decaying organic matter in ocean sediments, preserved frozen under the seabed.

Usually low temperatures And high blood pressure keep methane under the ocean in a stable state, but this was not always the case. During periods of global warming, such as the late Paleocene Thermal Maximum, which occurred 55 million years ago and lasted for 100 thousand years, the movement of lithospheric plates, particularly in the Indian subcontinent, led to a drop in pressure on the seafloor and could cause a large release of methane. As the atmosphere and ocean began to warm, methane emissions could increase. Some scientists believe that current global warming could lead to the development of events according to the same scenario - if the ocean warms up significantly.

When methane enters the atmosphere, it reacts with oxygen and hydrogen molecules to create carbon dioxide and water vapor, each of which can cause the greenhouse effect. According to previous forecasts, all emitted methane will turn into carbon dioxide and water in about 10 years. If this is true, then increasing carbon dioxide concentrations will be the main cause of warming of the planet. However, attempts to confirm the reasoning with references to the past were unsuccessful - no traces of an increase in carbon dioxide concentration 55 million years ago were found.

The models used in the new study showed that when the level of methane in the atmosphere sharply increases, the content of oxygen and hydrogen reacting with methane in it decreases (until the reaction stops), and the remaining methane remains in the air for hundreds of years, itself becoming a cause of global warming. And these hundreds of years are enough to warm up the atmosphere, melt the ice in the oceans and change the entire climate system.

The main anthropogenic sources of methane are digestive fermentation in livestock, rice growing, and biomass burning (including deforestation). Recent studies have shown that a rapid increase in atmospheric methane concentrations occurred in the first millennium AD (presumably as a result of the expansion of agricultural and livestock production and forest burning). Between 1000 and 1700, methane concentrations fell by 40%, but began to rise again in recent centuries (presumably as a result of the expansion of arable land and pastures and the burning of forests, the use of wood for heating, increased numbers of livestock, sewage, and rice cultivation) . Some contribution to the supply of methane comes from leaks during the development of coal and natural gas deposits, as well as the emission of methane as part of biogas generated at waste disposal sites

Carbon dioxide

Sources of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere are volcanic emissions, vital activity of organisms, and human activity. Anthropogenic sources include the combustion of fossil fuels, the burning of biomass (including deforestation), and some industrial processes (for example, cement production). The main consumers of carbon dioxide are plants. Normally, the biocenosis absorbs approximately the same amount of carbon dioxide as it produces (including through biomass decay).

The influence of carbon dioxide on the intensity of the greenhouse effect.

Much still needs to be learned about the carbon cycle and the role of the world's oceans as a vast reservoir of carbon dioxide. As mentioned above, every year humanity adds 7 billion tons of carbon in the form of CO 2 to the existing 750 billion tons. But only about half of our emissions - 3 billion tons - remain in the air. This can be explained by the fact that most of the CO 2 is used by terrestrial and sea ​​plants, buried in marine sedimentary rocks, absorbed sea ​​water or otherwise absorbed. Of this large portion of CO 2 (about 4 billion tons), the ocean absorbs about two billion tons of atmospheric carbon dioxide each year.

All this increases the number of unanswered questions: How exactly does seawater interact with atmospheric air, absorbing CO 2? How much more carbon can the seas absorb, and what level of global warming might affect their capacity? What is the capacity of the oceans to absorb and store heat trapped by climate change?

The role of clouds and suspended particles in air currents called aerosols is not easy to take into account when building a climate model. Clouds shade the earth's surface, leading to cooling, but depending on their height, density and other conditions, they can also trap heat reflected from the earth's surface, increasing the intensity of the greenhouse effect. The effect of aerosols is also interesting. Some of them modify water vapor, condensing it into small droplets that form clouds. These clouds are very dense and obscure the Earth's surface for weeks. That is, they block sunlight until they fall with precipitation.

The combined effect can be enormous: the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatuba in the Philippines released a colossal volume of sulfates into the stratosphere, causing a worldwide drop in temperature that lasted two years.

Thus, our own pollution, mainly caused by burning sulfur-containing coal and oils, may temporarily offset the effects of global warming. Experts estimate that aerosols reduced the amount of warming by 20% during the 20th century. In general, temperatures have been rising since the 1940s, but have fallen since 1970. The aerosol effect may help explain the anomalous cooling in the middle of the last century.

In 2006, carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere amounted to 24 billion tons. A very active group of researchers argues against the idea that human activity is one of the causes of global warming. In her opinion, the main thing is the natural processes of climate change and increased solar activity. But, according to Klaus Hasselmann, head of the German Climatological Center in Hamburg, only 5% can be explained by natural causes, and the remaining 95% is a man-made factor caused by human activity.

Some scientists also do not connect the increase in CO 2 with an increase in temperature. Skeptics say that if rising temperatures are to be blamed on rising CO 2 emissions, temperatures must have risen during the post-war economic boom, when fossil fuels were burned in huge quantities. However, Jerry Mallman, director of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, calculated that increased use of coal and oils rapidly increased the sulfur content in the atmosphere, causing cooling. After 1970, the thermal effect of long life cycle CO 2 and methane suppressed rapidly decaying aerosols, causing temperatures to rise. Thus, we can conclude that the influence of carbon dioxide on the intensity of the greenhouse effect is enormous and undeniable.

However, the increasing greenhouse effect may not be catastrophic. In fact, high temperatures may be welcomed where they are quite rare. Since 1900, the greatest warming has been observed from 40 to 70 0 northern latitude, including Russia, Europe, and the northern part of the United States, where industrial emissions of greenhouse gases began earliest. Most of the warming occurs at night, primarily due to increased cloud cover, which traps outgoing heat. As a result, the sowing season was extended by a week.

Moreover, the greenhouse effect may be good news for some farmers. A high concentration of CO 2 can have a positive effect on plants, since plants use carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, converting it into living tissue. Hence, more plants means more absorption of CO 2 from the atmosphere, slowing global warming.

This phenomenon was studied by American specialists. They decided to create a model of the world with double the amount of CO 2 in the air. To do this, they used fourteen-year-old pine forest in Northern California. Gas was pumped through pipes installed among the trees. Photosynthesis increased by 50-60%. But the effect soon became the opposite. The suffocating trees could not cope with such volumes of carbon dioxide. The advantage in the process of photosynthesis was lost. This is another example of how human manipulation leads to unexpected results.

But these small positive aspects of the greenhouse effect cannot be compared with the negative ones. Take, for example, the experiment with a pine forest, where the volume of CO 2 was doubled, and by the end of this century the concentration of CO 2 is predicted to quadruple. One can imagine how catastrophic the consequences could be for plants. And this, in turn, will increase the volume of CO 2, since the fewer plants, the greater the concentration of CO 2.

Consequences of the greenhouse effect

greenhouse effect gases climate

As temperatures rise, the evaporation of water from oceans, lakes, rivers, etc. will increase. Since heated air can contain more water vapor, this creates a powerful effect feedback: The warmer it gets, the higher the water vapor content in the air, and this, in turn, increases the greenhouse effect.

Human activity has little effect on the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. But we emit other greenhouse gases, which makes the greenhouse effect more and more intense. Scientists believe that the increase in CO 2 emissions, mainly from the burning of fossil fuels, explains why at least, about 60% of the global warming observed since 1850. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing by about 0.3% per year, and is now about 30% higher than before the industrial revolution. If we express this in absolute terms, then every year humanity adds approximately 7 billion tons. Despite the fact that this is a small part in relation to the total amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere - 750 billion tons, and even smaller compared to the amount of CO 2 contained in the World Ocean - approximately 35 trillion tons, it remains very significant. Reason: natural processes are in equilibrium, such a volume of CO 2 enters the atmosphere, which is removed from there. A human activity only adds CO 2.