Name: Green Chemistry
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 3 min 28 s
Description: Green Chemistry is a new branch of chemistry that works to bring about a reduction in the production of pollutants. On what techniques does it work? Let’s ex...

Question

Define greenhouse effect. Discuss its causes and effects. Suggest some remedial measures to control it.

Accepted Answer

The greenhouse effect may be defined as the progressive warming up of the atmosphere at the surface of the earth due to the blanketing of infrared radiation from the earth's surface by the greenhouse gases, which is otherwise termed global warming.

Due to rapid industrialisation, gases like ${CO}_{2}$ , chlorofluorocarbon's (CFC's) methane, nitrogen oxides, ozone, etc. are accumulated in the atmosphere which behaves like a wall of the greenhouse and transmits short wave solar radiations. this all causes the greenhouse effect.

Effects of the greenhouse effect are as follows:

(i) Average global level of CO2 has been reported to have increased by $26 %$ between $1960$ and $1986$ leading to an average increase of global temperature by $1.5 ° C - 4.5 ° C$ .

(ii) Increase in temperature is more prominent in the polar region which will lead to the melting of glaciers and polar ice caps raising the level of sea water by about $1.5$ meter and flooding low lying areas all over the earth.

(iii) Global warming causes evaporation of terrestrial water content leading to a shortage of drinking water.

(iv) It may decrease crop productivity due to the reduction of soil moisture.

(v) Increase in the global temperature increases the incidence of infectious diseases like malaria, dengue, yellow fever and sleeping sickness.

We can minimise the use of automobiles by using a bicycle, public transport system or go to carpool so that consumption of fossil fuels can be drastically reduced. And this is how we can reduce global warming.

Define greenhouse effect. Discuss its causes and effects. Suggest some remedial measures to control it.

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