Pros And cons Of Greenhouse Effect: A Thorough Study
What is a Greenhouse?
The customized airtight glass buildings used to grow plants in inhabitable cold weather are called greenhouses. Botanists and traders majorly use these constructions.
Working principle of a Greenhouse
The major working principle behind greenhouses is the scientific theory that the earth’s surface emits the heat absorbed from the sunlight as thermal radiation, which is further absorbed by the greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere. The heat absorbed by greenhouse gases is circulated in every direction. The major gases which come under the category of greenhouse gases are ozone, water vapour, methane, and carbon dioxide. Likewise, the roof of the greenhouses is created with translucent substance, which though allowing the entrance of the sunlight, would not allow the absorbed heat to escape from the building. It is seen in these disadvantages and advantages of the greenhouse effect article that it is the infrared energy with a higher wavelength that heats the walls of the greenhouses. Houses in nations with cold climates use this technology which has proven to save up to 35 % of the domestic electricity bill.
The gases in the atmosphere of the earth cannot absorb the heat directly from the sunlight. It is why the earth gets heated first because of solar radiation. As mentioned in the above section of this article on the disadvantages and advantages of the greenhouse effect, it is the resultant radiation coming out of the earth’s surface that heats up the greenhouse gases. The whole process is altogether termed as the greenhouse effect. Until there was human intervention or exploitation of the ecosystem, there was an appropriate balance between the heat absorbed by the earth and radiation expelled into space. The increase in carbon dioxide because of activities like deforestation, inconsiderate combustion of fossil fuels, etc., has considerably increased the impact of the greenhouse effect.
Below are listed the Pros and Cons of the greenhouse effect.
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Pros (Advantages) |
Cons (Disadvantages) |
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– Makes it possible to cultivate seasonal crops even in an inhabitable environment. – Helps sustain appropriate temperature on earth by acting as a filter towards escaping thermal radiation to space. – It is the greenhouse effect that sustains the livable environment on earth. In its absence, the earth would have been hostile for life. |
– Leading towards abrupt climatic alterations that have led to unforeseen natural disasters. The effect of global warming is that frequent droughts and hurricanes are striking various parts of the earth. – The increase in fossil fuel combustion has increased the level of carbon dioxide in the environment. The increase in global temperature has led to the decline of many species. – The increased level of carbon dioxide in the environment is slowing down the pace of photosynthesis in animals. It further adds to the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the environment. |
As mentioned above in this article on the Disadvantages and advantages of greenhouse effects, the major greenhouse gases are: –
- H2O (Water)
- CO2 (Carbon dioxide)
- O3 (Ozone)
- CH4 (Methane)
- N2O (Nitrous Oxide)
Though the high rate if human intervention in the ecosystem has introduced more potential greenhouse effects in the atmosphere. They are: –
- CF4 (Tetrafluromethane)
- CHCLF2 (Chlorodifluromethane)
- Freon – 12
- CCL2F2 (Dichlorodifluromethane)
- Hexafluoroethane
Now let us move on to the detailed discussion of the disadvantages and advantages of the greenhouse effect.
Advantages
Though the greenhouse effect is considered as the major villain in the global scenario because of its considerable role in hiking global warming, the phenomenon itself is the exclusive factor that sustains life on our planet. Hence there are some evident advantages of the greenhouse effect. The appropriate temperature to sustain life on earth is made possible by the phenomenon of the greenhouse effect. If there was no filter for escaping terrestrial heat radiations, the earth would have been a cold and barren planet.
It is by dint of the greenhouse effects that the water level of the planet is sustained at a particular level. It is by the appropriate regulation by the greenhouse effect that the ice at the poles still remains intact with the same volume. The melting of the polar ice would considerably increase the sea level and even destroy the terrestrial life forms.
One of the most crucial greenhouse gases is ozone which prevents the entry of harmful Ultraviolet rays to the surface of the earth. Exposure to ultraviolet rays would result in the extinction of the majority of life forms from the earth.
Various harmful radiations fail to reach the earth’s surface because of the presence of various greenhouse gases. The layer of greenhouse gases acts as the filter to avoid any entry of harmful radiation to the surface of the earth.
These are some of the major advantages of greenhouse effects on earth. The prolonged effect of greenhouse effects through millennia has transformed the earth into an inhabitable land. The greenhouse effect act as a balancing agent between the incoming energy and reflected energy.
Disadvantages
The evident impact of the greenhouse effect on global warming is now undeniable. The increasing greenhouse effect is creating a lot of menacing effects all around the world. The major negative effect of the greenhouse effect is the rising sea level which would risk the lives of millions of people living on islands and seashores. The increased rate of melting in polar ice because of the fluctuating global climate has contributed a lot to the increasing sea level. Scientists have also observed that the increased level of carbon dioxide is sabotaging marine biomes and disrupting the rate of photosynthesis among vegetation. Though we have discussed numerous advantages of the greenhouse effect in the previous section of this article named as disadvantages and advantages of the greenhouse effect, let us have a look at some of its evident disadvantages: –
- The current global scenario has made clear the socio-economic impact of the greenhouse effect on the global platform. The change in global temperature in the previous decade was around 3 %. The change in climate would vaguely cause a total of trillion worth of loss in the global market.
- The change in sea level because of the melting of polar ice would affect millions of people living at seashores and islands. Countries like the Maldives would be affected first because of the rise in sea level.
- Since the weather pattern has been random throughout the world, the farmers face most of the brunt. Unprecedented rains have caused immense damage to seasonal farming. A lot of the farmlands all around the world are on the verge of desertification.
- The water bodies are becoming more acidic by the absorption of a high level of carbon dioxide. By the significant change in the pH level of the water, marine resource is getting depleted at a very fast rate. Similarly, the increasing temperature is endangering the ecosystem in polar regions. Animals like penguins and polar bears are on the verge of extinction.
The above-mentioned disadvantages reveal the significance of taking the issue of the greenhouse effect as a serious matter among the global community.
Major initiatives were taken to address the impact of global warming
The menace caused by the greenhouse effect on the global level has grabbed the attention of environmentalists, and global organizations have taken major steps to counter it. The interventions made by the UN international bodies like IPCC- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in the year of 1990 and 1992 is highly commendable in the field of environmental conservation. It is by the efforts of IPCC that led to the establishment of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). The UNFC body was decided at the United Nations Conference in Environment and Development (UNCED). The function was organized in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. The conference is also termed Earth Summit.
Many interventions to be made were suggested at this conference. They are: –
- Unite all the nations towards the course of curbing carbon emissions.
- To encourage the use of renewable energy at the domestic level.
- Regenerating energy by processing the household wastes
- Using clean fuel like CNG in automobiles – was termed as Green Commute.
- Educating the public towards the need to curb the indiscriminate use of fossil fuels so that a green future could be ensured.
- Keeping a check on the parties who inconsiderately commence the construction activities by wrecking the ecosystem (Doomsday builders).
- Instantly start afforestation activities on behalf of local governments to secure Green Earth.
- Maintaining strong surveillance over the industries to track their carbon footprints.
Paris Agreement
In this agreement, various countries ensured the imminent need to check the emission of greenhouse gases. The Paris agreement is considered a milestone towards the efforts to save the earth’s environment by sustaining its natural environment. The agreement was signed around by 175 countries who were curious about the future of the global environment.
Do you need help with the disadvantages and advantages of greenhouse effect assignments?
The abrupt change in climate conditions has made the topic of the greenhouse effect the most debated worldwide. The influence of it could be easily observed in academic assignments since they are frequently assigned to the students. You could directly contact us on HomeworkStand for any academic assistance. Our expert panels always stay updated regarding the subject of environmental issues and are viable to provide you with an impeccable piece of academic solutions.
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