The Earth's surface absorbs incoming solar energy to the tune of 48% and the atmosphere to the tune of 23%. The remaining portion is reflected in space. The planet's temperature is maintained by natural processes, guaranteeing that the amount of entering and outgoing energy equals.

1. Learn How Greenhouse Gases Warm the Planet
Introduction
Understanding and responding to the climate problem depend heavily on greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions data, the atmospheric chemicals that cause global warming & climatic
change. The newest Emissions Gap Report (EGR) from the United Nations Environmental
Program predicts a sharp comeback in 2021 when emissions are only marginally lower than the
record levels in 2019. Despite an initial decline in global GHG emissions data because of
COVID-19.
While most GHGs emission calculations are produced naturally, anthropogenic activities also
contributed to a concerning rise in GHG emissions data and atmospheric concentrations. In
consequence, this higher concentration may hurt the climate. Changes in the frequency and
severity of extreme weather events, such as storms, flooding, droughts, and wildfires, which
affect many people and result in trillion-dollar economic damages, are among the effects.
According to the Emissions Gap Report, it will be exceedingly difficult to keep global warming
to 1.5°C over the pre-industrial level by the turn of the era if annual GHG emissions are not cut
in half by 2030. By the end of the century, the world is on track to see a 2.7 °C increase in global
warming over pre-industrial levels based on present unconditional pledges to decrease emissions.
What are the major greenhouse gases?
The three main GHGs are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and nitrous oxide. Methane and
nitrous oxide only linger inside the atmosphere for a few years, while CO2 can linger for up to
1,000 years. Methane is 80 times more powerful than CO2 in warming the planet when measured
over 20 years, whereas nitrous oxide is 280 times more powerful.
Many regions of the world still rely on coal, oil, and natural gas for energy. These fuels mostly
consist of carbon, and when they are burned to produce heat, electricity, or power transportation,
they release CO2, an odorless and colorless gas.
55% of methane emissions created by humans come from coal mining, oil and gas production,
and waste landfills. Cows, sheep, and other ungulates that digest food in their stomachs blame
about 32% of methane emissions from human activity. Another agricultural origin of the gas is
the decomposition of manure and rice farming.

2. Agriculture practices are the main source of nitrous oxide emissions that humans cause. Nitrous
oxide is produced naturally by bacteria in water and soil, but fertilizer use and runoff accelerate
this process by introducing additional nitrogen into the ecosystem.
What are the other greenhouse gases?
GHGs that don't naturally occur include fluorinated gases like sulfur hexafluoride,
hydrofluorocarbons, and perfluorocarbons. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which destroyed the
ozone layer and were phased out due to the Montreal Protocol, were replaced by
hydrofluorocarbons as refrigerants. Commercial and industrial uses exist for the other gases.
Fluorinated gases are potent even though they are much less common than other GHGs
emissions data and therefore do not destroy the ozone layer as CFCs do. The global warming
potential of fluorinated gases is between 460 and 16,300 times larger than that of CO2 over 20
years.
Water vapor is the most prevalent GHG emission calculation in the atmosphere and the main
cause of the greenhouse effect. However, approximately all of the atmospheric water vapor is a
result of natural processes. Human emissions are quite low and have a minimum overall
influence.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The Earth's surface absorbs incoming solar energy to the tune of 48% and the atmosphere to the
tune of 23%. The remaining portion is reflected in space. The planet's temperature is maintained
by natural processes, guaranteeing that the amount of entering and outgoing energy equals.
However, GHGs emission data are impenetrable to outgoing infrared radiation, in contrast to
other atmospheric gases like oxygen and nitrogen. The energy emitted from the surface is
trapped in the atmosphere and unable to leave the planet as the quantity of GHGs in the
atmosphere rises due to human-caused emissions. This energy comes back to the surface and is
reabsorbed there. Since the globe receives more energy than it expels, surface temperatures rise
until a new equilibrium is reached. Numerous ecological systems are impacted by this
temperature increase, which has long-term effects on the climate.
Why Do Greenhouse Gases Warm the Planet?
Scientists have been tracking how greenhouse gases affect the planet's temperature for more than
a century. Earth's temperature varies naturally, but statistics from the 1800s show a dramatic
atmospheric warming trend over the twenty-first century, which can be linked to a rise in human-
caused greenhouse gas emissions. One of the key causes of global warming is frequently cited as
carbon dioxide.

3. But why would a gas that makes up less than 0.04 percent of the atmosphere be so
dangerous?
Approximately 70% of the sunlight that enters Earth heats the planet via reception by the
land, oceans, and atmosphere. The leftover 30% is returned to space by reflection. Through a
process known as infrared radiation or IR, a little portion of the heat that is absorbed is also
reflected into space. Although IR is invisible, the temperature can still detect it.
When the planet would otherwise be too cold for life forms to exist, a greater part of the heat
reflected on the Earth is absorbed by some gases in the atmosphere. During the day, sunlight
heats the globe. Greenhouse gases are substances that retain heat that escapes from the Earth's
surface at night. Gases such as methane are among the gases that effectively trap 90% of Earth’s
heat.
The word "greenhouse effect" refers to atmospheric gases like a greenhouse’s glass walls and
roof. These walls let in sunlight throughout the day and trap it within during the night and winter,
promoting plant development in chilly climates. Similar effects are produced for life on Earth by
gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, which trap heat within the troposphere, the planet's
lowest atmosphere.
So how can greenhouse gases insulate the globe and absorb radiation? Because they have three
or even more atoms, molecules like co2 and methane may twist and vibrate, unlike, for example,
N2 and O2, which have just two atoms and makeup nearly 99 percent of the atmosphere. The
temperature indicates the energy involved in the matter's molecular motion. Molecules vibrate
more when they absorb infrared light energy.
The result of this vibration is increased collisions between charged particles. These impacts
capture infrared radiation (IR) that is trying to escape the atmosphere. It resembles a game of
pinball where the flippers are greenhouse gases, and the ball is infrared radiation. Additionally,
the game is more difficult because of the flippers' continual movement and collisions with one
another. It becomes increasingly harder for IR to escape as humans metaphorically push more
flippers into the atmosphere, ultimately increasing the temperature.
What can we do to reduce GHG emissions?
To reduce GHG emissions, it is crucial to switch to renewable energy, price carbon, and phase
out coal to maintain long-term human health and the environment, stronger gross national
income (GNI contributions are ultimately required to hasten this reduction.

4. According to Radka, "We need to put in place strong policies that support the increased
objectives." "We can't keep going in the same direction and expect better outcomes. The time for
action is now.
To cut methane emissions in the fuel, agricultural, and waste sectors by 30% by 2030, over 100
nations have signed the Global Methane Pledge, which was announced by the United States and
the European Union during COP26.
To stay inside the 1.5°C warming limit, UNEP has proposed its six-sector plan, which can cut
29–32 megatonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030. Additionally, UNEP keeps an online "Climate
Note" that uses 1990 as a baseline to show how the climate changes.
Despite the difficulties, there are many reasons to be optimistic. Policies implemented between
2010 and 2021 will reduce co2 emissions by 11 gigatons through 2030 compared to what would
have happened otherwise.
UNEP pushes for effective environmental action and increases awareness through its various
global environmental agreements and reports. To set the environmental plan and promote a
significant reduction in GHG emissions, UNEP will continue to collaborate closely, including its
193 Member States and other stakeholders.