Greenhouse Effect

How Global Warming Works

Gases surround the earth.  They are called greenhouse gases because they keep a portion of the radiation (heat) we get from the sun from escaping into the atmosphere.  This is known as the Greenhouse Effect and is comparable to what happens to the air inside your car when it is sitting in the sun with the windows closed.

Smog

Without the greenhouse effect the earth would not be warm enough to support life, HOWEVER, industrial activity over the last century has increased the greenhouse gases that are being produced, trapping more heat in our atmosphere and causing temperature rises around the globe to increase to dangerous levels.

It has been scientifically proven that the primary cause of warming is carbon dioxide (CO2), a potent greenhouse gas that is formed when carbon is released from burning fossil fuels.   Methane, the main component of natural gas is also a major contributor to global warming.  It is 20 to 25 times more heating trapping than carbon dioxide and is released into the atmosphere during the fracking process from wells, pipelines, compressors, and processing units.  For more details on the greenhouse effect, please go to NASA’s website.