Carbon dioxide and the greenhouse effect. Causes, current state and ways to solve the problem of increasing the greenhouse effect

Is there really nothing that can regulate the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere? Of course it can. Oxygen does this job perfectly. But the problem is that the planet’s population is growing inexorably, which means that more and more oxygen is being consumed. Our only salvation is vegetation, especially forests. They absorb excess carbon dioxide and release much more oxygen than humans consume.

Greenhouse effect and Earth's climate

When we talk about the consequences of the greenhouse effect, we understand its impact on the Earth's climate. First of all, this is global warming. Many people equate the concepts of “greenhouse effect” and “global warming”, but they are not equal, but interrelated: the first is the cause of the second.

Global warming is directly related to the oceans. Here is an example of two cause-and-effect relationships.

1. The average temperature of the planet is rising, liquid begins to evaporate. This also applies to the World Ocean: some scientists are afraid that in a couple of hundred years it will begin to “dry up.”
2. Moreover, due to high temperature glaciers and sea ​​ice will begin to actively melt in the near future. This will lead to an inevitable rise in sea levels.

We are already observing regular floods in coastal areas, but if the level of the World Ocean rises significantly, all nearby land areas will be flooded and crops will perish.

Impact on people's lives

Do not forget that an increase in the average temperature of the Earth will affect our lives. The consequences can be very serious. Many areas of our planet, already prone to drought, will become absolutely unviable, people will begin to migrate en masse to other regions. This will inevitably lead to socio-economic problems and the outbreak of the third and fourth world wars. Lack of food, destruction of crops - this is what awaits us in the next century.

But does it have to wait? Or is it still possible to change something? Can humanity reduce the harm from the greenhouse effect?

Actions that can save the Earth

Today, all the harmful factors that lead to the accumulation of greenhouse gases are known, and we know what needs to be done to stop it. Don't think that one person won't change anything. Of course, only all of humanity can achieve the effect, but who knows - maybe a hundred more people are reading a similar article at this moment?

Forest conservation

Stopping deforestation. Plants are our salvation! In addition, it is necessary not only to preserve existing forests, but also to actively plant new ones.

Every person should understand this problem.

Photosynthesis is so powerful that it can provide us with huge amounts of oxygen. It will be enough for the normal life of people and the elimination of harmful gases from the atmosphere.

Use of electric vehicles

Refusal to use fuel-powered vehicles. Each car highlights great amount greenhouse gases per year, so why not make healthier choices environment? Scientists are already offering us electric cars - environmentally friendly cars that do not use fuel. The minus of a “fuel” car is another step towards eliminating greenhouse gases. All over the world they are trying to speed up this transition, but so far the modern developments of such machines are far from perfect. Even in Japan, where such cars are used the most, they are not ready to completely switch to their use.

Alternative to hydrocarbon fuels

Invention alternative energy. Humanity doesn't stand still, so why are we stuck using coal, oil and gas? Burning these natural components leads to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, so it's time to switch to an environmentally friendly form of energy.

We cannot completely abandon everything that emits harmful gases. But we can help increase oxygen in the atmosphere. Not only a real man should plant a tree - every person must do this!

What is the most important thing in solving any problem? Don't close your eyes to her. We may not notice the harm from the greenhouse effect, but future generations will definitely notice it. We can stop burning coal and oil, preserve the natural vegetation of the planet, abandon a conventional car in favor of an environmentally friendly one - and all for what? So that our Earth will exist after us.

Greenhouse effect - the process of rising temperatures at the earth's surface due to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases (Figure 3).

Greenhouse gases- these are gaseous compounds that intensively absorb infrared rays(heat rays) and contribute to heating the surface layer of the atmosphere; these include: primarily CO 2 (carbon dioxide), as well as methane, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), nitrogen oxides, ozone, water vapor.

These impurities prevent long-wave thermal radiation from the earth's surface. Some of this absorbed thermal radiation returns back to the earth's surface. Consequently, with an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the ground layer of the atmosphere, the intensity of absorption of infrared radiation emanating from the earth’s surface also increases, and therefore the air temperature increases (climate warming).

An important function of greenhouse gases is to maintain a relatively constant and moderate temperature on the surface of our planet. For maintaining favorable temperature conditions At the Earth's surface, carbon dioxide and water are primarily responsible.

Figure 3. Greenhouse effect

The earth is in thermal equilibrium with its surroundings. This means that the planet radiates at space energy at a rate equal to the absorption rate solar energy. Since the Earth is a relatively cold body with a temperature of 254 K, the radiation of such cold bodies falls on the long-wave (low energy) part of the spectrum, i.e. The maximum intensity of the Earth's radiation is located near the wavelength of 12,000 nm.

Most of this radiation is retained by CO 2 and H 2 O, which absorbs it in the infrared region, thereby preventing heat from dissipating and maintaining a uniform temperature suitable for life at the Earth’s surface. Water vapor plays important role in maintaining the temperature of the atmosphere at night, when earth's surface emits energy into outer space and does not receive solar energy. In deserts with a very arid climate, where the concentration of water vapor is very low, it is unbearably hot during the day, but very cold at night.

The main reasons for the strengthening of the greenhouse effect– significant release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and an increase in their concentrations; what happens due to the intensive burning of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, petroleum products), removal of vegetation: deforestation; drying out of forests due to pollution, burning of vegetation during fires, etc. As a result, the natural balance between the consumption of CO 2 by plants and its intake during respiration (physiological, decay, combustion) is disrupted.

As scientists write, with a probability of more than 90%, it is human activity in burning natural fuels and the resulting greenhouse effect that largely explains global warming in the last 50 years. Processes caused by human activity are like a train that has lost control. It is almost impossible to stop them; warming will continue for at least several centuries, or even a whole millennium. As ecologists have established, until now the lion's share The world's oceans absorbed heat, but the capacity of this gigantic battery was running out - the water warmed up to a depth of three kilometers. The result is global climate change.

Concentration of the main greenhouse gas(CO 2) in the atmosphere at the beginning of the 20th century was » 0.029%, by now it has reached 0.038%, i.e. increased by almost 30%. If current impacts on the biosphere are allowed to continue, by 2050 the concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere will double. In this connection, it is predicted that the temperature on Earth will increase by 1.5 °C - 4.5 °C (in the polar regions up to 10 °C, in the equatorial regions - 1 °C -2 °C).

This, in turn, can lead to a critical increase in atmospheric temperature in arid zones, which will lead to the death of living organisms and a decrease in their vital activity; desertification of new territories; melting of polar and mountain glaciers, which means raising the level of the world ocean by 1.5 m, flooding coastal zones, increased storm activity, population migration.

Consequences of global warming:

1. As a result of global warming, it is predicted change in atmospheric circulation , changes in precipitation distribution, changes in the structure of biocenoses; in a number of areas, a decrease in agricultural yields.

2. Global climate change . Australia will suffer more. Climatologists predict a climate catastrophe for Sydney: by 2070, the average temperature in this Australian metropolis will rise by about five degrees, forest fires will devastate its surroundings, and giant waves will destroy sea beaches. Europe will be devastated by climate change. The ecosystem will be destabilized by relentlessly rising temperatures, EU scientists predict in a report. In the north of the continent, crop yields will increase as the growing season and frost-free period increase. The already warm and arid climate of this part of the planet will become even warmer, which will lead to droughts and drying out of many reservoirs fresh water (Southern Europe). These changes will pose a real challenge for farmers and foresters. In Northern Europe warm winters will be accompanied by increased precipitation levels. Warming in the north of the region will also lead to positive phenomena: the expansion of forests and increased yields. However, they will go hand in hand with flooding, the destruction of coastal areas, the disappearance of some animal and plant species, and the melting of glaciers and permafrost areas. IN Far Eastern and Siberian regions the number of cold days will decrease by 10-15, and in the European part - by 15-30.

3. Global climate change is already costing humanity 315 thousand lives annually, and this figure is constantly increasing every year. It causes diseases, droughts and other weather anomalies that are already killing people. The organization's experts also provide other data - according to their estimates, currently more than 325 million people, usually from developing countries, are affected by climate change. Experts estimate the impact of global warming on the global economy at $125 billion in damage annually, and by 2030 this amount could rise to $340 billion.

4. Examination 30 glaciers V different regions A survey of the globe by the World Glacier Watch showed that in 2005 the thickness of the ice cover decreased by 60-70 centimeters. This figure is 1.6 times higher than the annual average of the 90s and 3 times – average 1980s Some experts believe that, given that the thickness of the glaciers is only a few tens of meters, if their melting continues at this rate, in a few decades the glaciers will disappear completely. The most dramatic processes of glacier melting have been observed in Europe. Thus, the Norwegian Breidalblikkbrea glacier lost more than three meters in 2006, which is 10 times more than in 2005. Threatening melting of glaciers has been noted in Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, France, Italy and Spain. In the area of ​​the Himalayan mountains. The current trend of melting glaciers suggests that rivers like the Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra (the highest river in the world) and other rivers crossing the northern plain of India may become seasonal rivers in the near future due to climate change.

5. Swift thawing permafrost due to climate warming today poses a serious threat to Russian northern regions, half of which are located in the so-called “permafrost zone”. Experts from the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation give forecasts: according to their calculations, the area of ​​permafrost in Russia over the next 30 years will decrease by more than 20%, and the depth of soil thawing - by 50%. The greatest changes in climate may occur in the Arkhangelsk region, the Komi Republic, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug and Yakutia. Experts predict that the thawing of permafrost will lead to significant changes in the landscape, flooding of rivers, and the formation of thermokarst lakes. In addition, due to the thawing of permafrost, the rate of erosion of the Russian Arctic coasts will increase. Paradoxically, due to changes in the coastal landscape, the territory of Russia may be reduced by several tens of square kilometers. Due to climate warming from erosion coastline others suffer too Nordic countries. For example, the process of wave erosion will lead [http://ecoportal.su/news.php?id=56170] to the complete disappearance of the northernmost island of Iceland by 2020. Kolbeinsey Island, which is considered the most northern point Iceland will completely disappear under water by 2020 as a result of accelerating the process of abrasion - wave erosion of the coast.

6. World ocean level by 2100 could rise by 59 centimeters, according to a report by a UN expert group. But this is not the limit; if the ice of Greenland and Antarctica melts, then the level of the World Ocean may rise even higher. The location of St. Petersburg will then be indicated only by the top of the dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral and the spire of the Peter and Paul Fortress sticking out of the water. A similar fate will befall London, Stockholm, Copenhagen and other major coastal cities.

7. Tim Lenton, a climate expert at the University of East Anglia and his colleagues, using mathematical calculations, found that an increase in average annual temperature of even 2°C over 100 years would cause 20-40% of the deaths. Amazonian forests due to the impending drought. A 3°C rise in temperature will cause the death of 75% of forests within 100 years, and a 4°C rise in temperature will cause the disappearance of 85% of all Amazon forests. And they absorb CO 2 most efficiently (Photo: NASA, presentation).

8. At the current rate of global warming, up to 3.2 billion people on the globe will face the problem by 2080 shortage drinking water . Scientists note that water difficulties will primarily affect Africa and the Middle East, but a critical situation could also develop in China, Australia, parts of Europe and the United States. The UN has published a list of countries that will be most affected by climate change. It is led by India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

9. Climate migrants . Global warming will lead to the fact that by the end of the 21st century various categories For refugees and migrants, another one may be added - climate change. By 2100, the number of climate migrants could reach about 200 million people.

None of the scientists doubt that warming exists - it is obvious. But there are alternative points of view. For example, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, doctor geographical sciences, professor, head of the department of rational environmental management, Moscow State University Andrey Kapitsa, considers climate change normal natural phenomenon. There is global warming, it alternates with global cooling.

Supporters "classical" approach to the problem of the greenhouse effect are based on the assumption of the Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius about the heating of the atmosphere as a result of the fact that “greenhouse gases” freely transmit solar rays to the surface of the Earth and at the same time delay the radiation of the earth’s heat into space. However, heat exchange processes in the earth's atmosphere turned out to be much more complicated. The gas “layer” regulates the flow of solar heat differently than the glass of a home greenhouse.

In fact, gases such as carbon dioxide do not cause the greenhouse effect. This has been convincingly proven by Russian scientists. Academician Oleg Sorokhtin, working at the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was the first to create a mathematical theory of the greenhouse effect. From his calculations, confirmed by measurements on Mars and Venus, it follows that even significant emissions of man-made carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere practically do not change the Earth’s thermal regime and do not create a greenhouse effect. On the contrary, we should expect a slight, fraction of a degree, cooling.

It was not the increased CO2 content in the atmosphere that led to warming, but As a result of warming, gigantic volumes of carbon dioxide were released into the atmosphere - mind you, without any human participation. 95 percent of CO 2 is dissolved in the world's oceans. It is enough for the water columns to warm up by half a degree - and the ocean will “exhale” carbon dioxide. Volcanic eruptions and forest fires also make a significant contribution to pumping CO 2 into the earth's atmosphere. Despite all the costs of industrial progress, the emission of greenhouse gases from the pipes of factories and thermal power plants does not exceed several percent of the total carbon dioxide turnover in nature.

There have been ice ages that were followed by global warming, and now we are in a period of global warming. Normal climate fluctuations, which are associated with fluctuations in the activity of the Sun and the Earth's orbit. Not at all with human activity.

We were able to look 800 thousand years ago into the Earth's past thanks to a well drilled into the thickness of a glacier in Antarctica (3800 m).

Using air bubbles preserved in the core, they determined the temperature, age, and carbon dioxide content and obtained curves for approximately 800 thousand years. Based on the ratio of oxygen isotopes in these bubbles, scientists determined the temperature at which snow fell. The findings cover most Quaternary period. Of course, in the distant past, man could not influence nature. But it was found that the CO 2 content then changed very much. Moreover, each time it was warming that preceded an increase in CO 2 concentration in the air. The theory of the greenhouse effect suggests the reverse sequence.

There are certain ice ages that alternate with periods of warming. Now we are just in a period of warming, and it has been going on since the Little Ice Age, which was in the 15th - 16th centuries; since the 16th century, there has been a warming of approximately one degree per century.

But what is called the “greenhouse effect” is not a proven fact. Physicists show that CO 2 does not affect the greenhouse effect.

In 1998 ex-president Frederick Seitz of the US National Academy of Sciences submitted a petition to the scientific community calling on the governments of the United States and other countries to reject the signing of the agreements reached in Kyoto to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The petition was accompanied by a survey from which it follows that the Earth has been warming over the past 300 years. And influence human activity climate change has not been reliably established. In addition, Seitz argues that increased CO2 stimulates photosynthesis in plants and thereby contributes to increased agricultural productivity and accelerated forest growth. The petition was signed by 16 thousand scientists. However, the Clinton administration brushed aside these appeals, making it clear that the debate about the nature of global climate change was over.

In fact, Cosmic factors lead to serious climate changes. Temperature is changed by fluctuations in solar activity, as well as changes in the tilt of the earth's axis and the period of revolution of our planet. Fluctuations of this kind are known to have led to ice ages in the past.

The issue of global warming is a political issue. And here there is a struggle between two directions. One direction is those who use fuel, oil, gas, coal. They prove in every possible way that harm is caused by the transition to nuclear fuel. And supporters nuclear fuel prove the opposite, that just the opposite - gas, oil, coal release CO 2 and cause warming. This is a struggle between two large economic systems.

Publications on this topic are full of gloomy prophecies. I do not agree with such assessments. An increase in average annual temperature within one degree per century will not lead to fatal consequences. It takes a huge amount of energy to melt the ice of Antarctica, the boundaries of which have practically not shrunk over the entire period of observation. At least in the 21st century, climate disasters do not threaten humanity.

If its growth is not stopped, the balance on Earth may be disrupted. The climate will change, hunger and disease will come. Scientists are developing various measures to combat a problem that should become global.

The essence

What is the greenhouse effect? This is the name for an increase in the temperature of the planet’s surface due to the fact that gases in the atmosphere tend to retain heat. The Earth is heated by radiation from the Sun. Visible short waves from the light source penetrate unhindered to the surface of our planet. As the Earth heats up, it begins to emit long heat waves. They partially penetrate through the layers of the atmosphere and “go” into space. reduce throughput, reflect long waves. The heat remains at the surface of the Earth. The higher the concentration of gases, the higher the greenhouse effect.

The phenomenon was first described by Joseph Fourier at the beginning of the 19th century. He suggested that the processes occurring in the earth's atmosphere are similar to what exists under glass.

Greenhouse gases are steam (from water), carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide), methane, ozone. The former takes the main part in the formation of the greenhouse effect (up to 72%). The next most important is carbon dioxide (9-26%), the share of methane and ozone is 4-9 and 3-7%, respectively.

IN Lately You can often hear about the greenhouse effect as a serious environmental problem. But this phenomenon also has positive side. Due to the existence of the greenhouse effect, the average temperature of our planet is approximately 15 degrees above zero. Without it, life on Earth would be impossible. The temperature could only be minus 18.

The reason for the effect is the active activity of many volcanoes on the planet millions of years ago. At the same time, the content of water vapor and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased significantly. The concentration of the latter reached such a value that a super-strong greenhouse effect arose. As a result, the water of the World Ocean practically boiled, its temperature became so high.

The appearance of vegetation everywhere on the Earth's surface caused a fairly rapid absorption of carbon dioxide. Heat accumulation has decreased. Balance has been established. The average annual temperature on the surface of the planet turned out to be at a level close to the present.

Causes

The phenomenon is enhanced by:

• Industrial development – main reason the fact that carbon dioxide and other gases that enhance the greenhouse effect are actively emitted and accumulate in the atmosphere. The result of human activity on Earth is an increase in average annual temperature. Over the century it has risen by 0.74 degrees. Scientists predict that in the future this increase could be 0.2 degrees every 10 years. That is, the intensity of warming is increasing.
• – the reason for the increase in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. This gas is absorbed by vegetation. Massive development of new lands, coupled with deforestation, accelerates the rate of accumulation of carbon dioxide, and at the same time changes the living conditions of animals and plants, leading to the extinction of their species.
• The combustion of fuel (solid and oil) and waste leads to the release of carbon dioxide. Heating, electricity production, and transport are the main sources of this gas.
• Increased energy consumption is a sign and condition of technical progress. The world's population is increasing by about 2% per year. Energy consumption growth – 5%. The intensity increases every year, humanity needs more and more energy.
• An increase in the number of landfills leads to an increase in methane concentrations. Another source of gas is the activity of livestock farms.

Threats

The consequences of the greenhouse effect can be detrimental to humans:

• Melting polar ice, and this is the cause of sea level rise. As a result, coastal fertile lands are under water. If flooding occurs at a high rate, there will be a serious threat agriculture. Crops are dying, the area of ​​pastures is shrinking, and sources of fresh water are disappearing. First of all, the poorest segments of the population, whose lives depend on crops and the growth of domestic animals, will suffer.
• Many coastal cities, including highly developed ones, may be under water in the future. For example, New York, St. Petersburg. Or entire countries. For example, Holland. Such phenomena will necessitate massive displacement of human settlements. Scientists suggest that in 15 years the sea level may rise by 0.1-0.3 meters, and by the end of the 21st century - by 0.3-1 meter. For the above-mentioned cities to be under water, the level must rise by about 5 meters.
• An increase in air temperature leads to a reduction in the period of snow within the continents. It begins to melt earlier, just as the rainy season ends sooner. As a result, the soils become overdried and unsuitable for growing crops. Lack of moisture is the cause of land desertification. Experts say that an increase in average temperature by 1 degree in 10 years will lead to a reduction in forest areas by 100-200 million hectares. These lands will become steppes.
• The ocean covers 71% of the surface area of ​​our planet. As the air temperature rises, the water also heats up. Evaporation increases significantly. And this is one of the main reasons for the strengthening of the greenhouse effect.
• As water levels in the world's oceans and temperatures rise, biodiversity is threatened and many species of wildlife may disappear. The reason is changes in their habitat. Not every species can successfully adapt to new conditions. The consequence of the disappearance of some plants, animals, birds, and other living beings is a disruption of food chains and the balance of ecosystems.
• Rising water levels cause climate change. The boundaries of the seasons are shifting, the number and intensity of storms, hurricanes, and precipitation are increasing. Climate stability is the main condition for the existence of life on Earth. Stopping the greenhouse effect means preserving human civilization on the planet.
• High air temperatures can negatively affect people's health. Under such conditions, cardiovascular diseases worsen and the respiratory system suffers. Thermal anomalies lead to an increase in the number of injuries and some psychological disorders. An increase in temperature entails a faster spread of many dangerous diseases, such as malaria and encephalitis.

What to do?

Today, the problem of the greenhouse effect is a global environmental issue. Experts believe that the widespread adoption of the following measures will help solve the problem:

• Changes in the use of energy sources. Reducing the share and quantity of fossils (carbon-containing peat, coal), oil. Switching to natural gas will significantly reduce CO2 emissions. Increasing the share of alternative sources (sun, wind, water) will reduce emissions, because these methods allow you to obtain energy without harming the environment. When using them, gases are not released.
• Changes in energy policy. Increase in coefficient useful action at power plants. Reducing the energy intensity of manufactured products at enterprises.
• Introduction of energy saving technologies. Even the usual insulation of house facades, window openings, heating plants gives a significant result - fuel savings, and, therefore, less emissions. Resolving the issue at the level of enterprises, industries, and states entails a global improvement in the situation. Each person can contribute to solving the problem: saving energy, proper waste disposal, insulating their own home.
• Development of technologies aimed at obtaining products in new, environmentally friendly ways.
• The use of secondary resources is one of the measures to reduce waste, the number and volume of landfills.
• Restoring forests, fighting fires in them, increasing their area as a way to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The fight against greenhouse gas emissions today is carried out at the international level. World summits are being held dedicated to this problem, documents are being created aimed at organizing a global solution to the issue. Many scientists around the world are searching for ways to reduce the greenhouse effect, maintain balance and life on Earth.

Many people have probably noticed that winters have recently become not as cold and frosty as in the old days. And often on New Year, and on Christmas (both Catholic and Orthodox), instead of the usual snow, it drizzles. The culprit may well be a climatic phenomenon such as the greenhouse effect in the Earth's atmosphere, which is an increase in the surface temperature of our planet due to heating of the lower layers of the atmosphere through the accumulation of greenhouse gases. As a consequence of all this, gradual global warming occurs. This problem is not so new, but recently, with the development of technology, many new sources have appeared that feed the global greenhouse effect.

Causes of the greenhouse effect

The greenhouse effect occurs for the following reasons:

• The use of hot minerals such as coal, oil, natural gas in industry, when burned, enters the atmosphere a large number of carbon dioxide and other harmful chemicals.
• Transport - a large number of both cars and trucks emitting exhaust gases also contribute to the greenhouse effect. True, the emergence of electric vehicles and the gradual transition to them can have a positive impact on the environment.
• Deforestation, because it is known that trees absorb carbon dioxide, and with each destroyed tree, the amount of this same carbon dioxide only grows (including right now our wooded Carpathians are no longer so wooded, no matter how sad).
• Forest fires are the same mechanism as in deforestation.
• Agrochemicals and some fertilizers also cause the greenhouse effect, since as a result of the evaporation of these fertilizers, nitrogen, which is one of the greenhouse gases, enters the atmosphere.
• The decomposition and combustion of garbage also contributes to the release of greenhouse gases, which increase the greenhouse effect.
• The increase in population on planet Earth is also an indirect cause associated with other reasons - more people, which means there will be more garbage from them, industry will work harder to satisfy all our rather small needs, and so on.

The influence of the greenhouse effect on climate

Perhaps the main harm of the greenhouse effect is irreversible climate change, and as a consequence the negative impact from it: evaporation of seas in some parts of the Earth (for example, the disappearance of the Aral Sea) and, conversely, flooding in others.

What can cause flooding, and how is the greenhouse effect related? The fact is that due to rising temperatures in the atmosphere, glaciers in Antarctica and the Arctic are melting, thereby increasing the level of the world's oceans. All this leads to its gradual advance onto land, and the possible disappearance in the future of a number of islands in Oceania.

Territories that are little moistened by precipitation, due to the greenhouse effect, become very dry and practically uninhabitable. The loss of crops creates hunger and a food crisis; we are now seeing this problem in a number of African countries, where drought is causing a real humanitarian catastrophe.

The impact of the greenhouse effect on human health

Besides negative influence on the climate, the greenhouse effect can have an impact on our health. So in the summer, due to this, abnormal heat occurs more and more often, which from year to year increases the number of people with diseases of the cardiovascular system. Again, due to the heat, people’s blood pressure increases or, on the contrary, decreases, heart attacks and epilepsy attacks, fainting and heat strokes occur more often, and all these are the results of the greenhouse effect.

Benefits of the greenhouse effect

Is there any benefit from the greenhouse effect? A number of scientists believe that such a phenomenon as the greenhouse effect has always existed since the birth of the Earth, and its benefit as an “additional heating” of the planet is undeniable, because as a result of one of such heating, life itself once arose. But again, here we can recall the wise phrase of Paracelsus that the difference between medicine and poison is only in its quantity. That is, in other words, the greenhouse effect is useful only in small quantities, when the gases leading to the greenhouse effect, their concentration in the atmosphere is not high. When it becomes significant, this climatic phenomenon turns from a kind of medicine into a real dangerous poison.

How to minimize the negative consequences of the greenhouse effect

To overcome a problem, you need to eliminate its causes. In the case of the greenhouse effect, the sources that cause global warming must also be eliminated. In our opinion, first of all, it is necessary to stop deforestation, and, on the contrary, to plant new trees, shrubs, and create gardens more actively.

Refusal from gasoline cars, a gradual transition to electric cars or even bicycles (both good for health and for the environment) is also a small step in the fight against the greenhouse effect. And if many conscious people take this step, then this will be significant progress for improving the ecology of planet Earth - our common home.

Scientists are also developing a new alternative fuel, which will be safe for the environment, but when it will appear and become ubiquitous is still unknown.

And finally, you can quote the wise Indian leader White Cloud from the Ayoko tribe: “Only after the last tree is cut down, only after the last fish is caught and the last river is poisoned, only then will you understand that money cannot be eaten.”

Greenhouse effect, video

And finally thematic documentary about the greenhouse effect.

The greenhouse effect is an increase in the temperature of the earth's surface due to the heating of the lower layers of the atmosphere by the accumulation of greenhouse gases. As a result, the air temperature is higher than it should be, and this leads to irreversible consequences such as climate change and global warming. Several centuries ago this ecological problem existed, but was not so obvious. With the development of technology, the number of sources that provide the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere increases every year.

Causes of the greenhouse effect

the use of combustible minerals in industry - coal, oil, natural gas, the combustion of which releases huge amounts of carbon dioxide and other harmful compounds into the atmosphere;

transport – cars and trucks emit exhaust gases, which also pollute the air and increase the greenhouse effect;

deforestation, which absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, and with the destruction of every tree on the planet, the amount of CO2 in the air increases;

forest fires are another source of destruction of plants on the planet;

An increase in population affects an increase in demand food, clothing, housing, and to provide this, it is growing industrial production, which increasingly pollutes the air with greenhouse gases;

agrochemicals and fertilizers contain varying amounts of compounds, the evaporation of which releases nitrogen, one of the greenhouse gases;

The decomposition and combustion of waste in landfills contributes to the increase in greenhouse gases.

The influence of the greenhouse effect on climate

Considering the results of the greenhouse effect, we can determine that the main one is climate change. As the air temperature increases every year, the waters of the seas and oceans evaporate more intensely. Some scientists predict that in 200 years the phenomenon of “drying” of the oceans, namely a significant decrease in water levels, will become noticeable. This is one side of the problem. The other is that rising temperatures lead to the melting of glaciers, which contributes to rising water levels in the World Ocean and leads to the flooding of the coasts of continents and islands. An increase in the number of floods and coastal inundation indicates that the level ocean waters is increasing every year.

An increase in air temperature leads to the fact that areas that are little moistened by precipitation become arid and unsuitable for life. Crops are destroyed here, which leads to a food crisis for the population of the area. Also, there is no food for the animals, since plants die out due to lack of water.

First of all, we need to stop deforestation and plant new trees and shrubs, as they absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. By using electric vehicles, the amount of exhaust gases will be reduced. In addition, you can switch from cars to bicycles, which is more convenient, cheaper and better for the environment. Alternative fuels are also being developed, which, unfortunately, are slowly being introduced into our daily lives.

19. Ozone layer: meaning, composition, possible causes of its destruction, protective measures taken.

Earth's ozone layer- this is the region of the Earth's atmosphere in which ozone is formed - a gas that protects our planet from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation.

Destruction and depletion of the Earth's ozone layer.

The ozone layer, despite its enormous importance for all living things, is a very fragile barrier to ultraviolet rays. Its integrity depends on a number of conditions, but nature nevertheless came to a balance in this matter, and for many millions of years the Earth’s ozone layer successfully coped with the mission entrusted to it. The processes of formation and destruction of the ozone layer were strictly balanced until man appeared on the planet and reached the current technical level in his development.

In the 70s twentieth century, it was proven that many substances actively used by humans in economic activities can significantly reduce ozone levels in Earth's atmosphere.

Substances that destroy the Earth's ozone layer include fluorochlorocarbons - freons (gases used in aerosols and refrigerators, consisting of chlorine, fluorine and carbon atoms), combustion products during high-altitude aviation flights and rocket launches, i.e. substances whose molecules contain chlorine or bromine.

These substances, released into the atmosphere at the surface of the Earth, reach the top within 10-20 years. ozone layer boundaries. There, under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, they decompose, forming chlorine and bromine, which, in turn, interact with stratospheric ozone, significantly reducing its amount.

Causes of destruction and depletion of the Earth's ozone layer.

Let us consider again in more detail the reasons for the destruction of the Earth's ozone layer. At the same time, we will not consider the natural decay of ozone molecules. We will focus on human economic activity.