The Greenhouse Effect and Our World Today

The Evolution of Earth and the Atmosphere

So far it is known that our estimated 4.5 billion year old Earth has undergone series of violent transformations over time to evolve to its current state. It is believed that volcanic outgassing probably created the primordial atmosphere and then the ocean; while the atmosphere contained almost no oxygen and would have been toxic to most modern life including humans.

Sometime just before the CambrianPeriod (Time when most of the major groups of animals first appeared in fossil record.), atmospheric oxygen reached levels close enough to what we have today to allow for the rapid evolution of the higher life forms. For the rest of geologic time, the oxygen in the atmosphere has been maintained by the photosynthesis of the green plants, much of it by green algae in the surface waters of the ocean. The constant change in the atmosphere is closely regulated on the earth with oxygen as a key atmospheric constituent due entirely to life processes.

A common characteristic of all earthly bodies is the need for protection and self-preservation, the earth being the chief container of all other bodies is no exception. Protecting life on earth, is a key function of the atmosphere which absorbs ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention (greenhouse effect), and reducing temperature extremes between day and night.

Greenhouse Effect, Natural Phenomenon Turned Disaster

The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the Earth’s surface. When the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is reflected back to space and the rest is absorbed and re-radiated by greenhouse gases. Greenhouse Gases or GHG’s are mostly unwanted gases that exist in our atmosphere and as such contribute to global climate change, either directly or indirectly by trapping the Earth’s heat and making our planet warmer. Greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and some artificial chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).The absorbed energy warms the atmosphere and the surface of the Earth. This process maintains the Earth’s temperature at around 33 degrees Celsius warmer than it would otherwise be, allowing life on Earth to exist.

Stages of the Greenhouse effect

Step 1: Solar radiation reaches the Earth's atmosphere - some of this is reflected back into space.

Step 2: The rest of the sun's energy is absorbed by the land and the oceans, heating the Earth.

Step 3: Heat radiates from Earth towards space.

Step 4: Some of this heat is trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rather than being returned to space and this further heats up the Earth. 

The challenge of Enhanced Greenhouse Effect (Global Warming)

While the greenhouse effect is a natural earth preserving phenomenon, the problem we now face is that human activities – particularly burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas), agriculture and land clearing – are increasing the concentrations of greenhouse gases. This enhancing of the greenhouse effect contributes to the excessive warming of the earth.

Fossil Fuel

Fossil fuel is the energy generated by the burning of buried dead organisms that contain high percentages of carbon and they include petroleum, kerosene, propane, coal, and natural gas. Fossil fuels are the major contributor of Greenhouse gases and the most common source of fuel used in the world.

Statistics

Global Greenhouse Gas by Gas Content

• Carbon Dioxide (Fossil Fuel & Industrial Processes) 65%
• Methane 16%
• Carbon Dioxide 11%
• Nitrous Oxide 6%
• Others 2%

Global Greenhouse Gas Emission by Economic Sector

• Agriculture, Forestry and other Land Use 24%
• Electricity and Heat Production 25%
• Industry 21%
• Transportation 14%
• Buildings 6%
• Others 10%

These stats if not checked can spiral the Earth and its occupants into an irreversible situation of which some regions have reported that heat is at an all-time high and the climate is becoming fast unpredictable. It begs the question that, if these activities and conventional means to getting energy are crippling our planet, what then will be a sustainable solution? The answer to that question lies in the exploration and exploitation of Alternative Energy.

In an interview with Vanguard, the Distinguished Prof. Hilary Inyang, a world-renowned researcher, states that “A third of Niger Delta will be lost to climate change in the next 30-50 years”

Also, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in an article “Climate Change and Disasters” says the Earth’s climate is changing at a rate that has exceeded most scientific forecasts. Some families and communities have already started to suffer from disasters and the consequences of climate change, forced to leave their homes in search of a new beginning.

These facts if not checked can spiral the Earth and its occupants into an irreversible situation of which some regions have reported that heat is at an all-time high and the climate is becoming fast unpredictable. It begs the question that, if these activities and conventional means to getting energy are crippling our planet, what then will be a sustainable solution? The answer to that question lies in our next article where we highlight the exploration and exploitation of Alternative Energy.