What is the Greenhouse Effect and How Can It Be Reduced?

Natural processes that have been in balance for thousands of years are being disrupted as a result of various external factors. As a consequence of this destruction, the frequency of unexpected natural disasters is increasing. The formation of the greenhouse effect is also a direct or indirect result of the damage caused to nature. Although its current damages are not immediately noticed, the greenhouse effect threatens living organisms in the long term. So, what is the greenhouse effect? Let us examine the causes, consequences, and how to reduce the greenhouse effect in detail.

What is the Greenhouse Effect?

The Earth warms up as the solar rays reflected from the Earth's surface are trapped in the atmosphere. The trapping of these reflected solar rays by greenhouse gases, keeping the warm air inside just like a greenhouse, is defined as the greenhouse effect. In other words, the greenhouse effect is actually a natural process.

When the greenhouse effect remains as a "natural greenhouse effect," it is a necessary condition for the Earth. The greenhouse effect is a natural and necessary process for the Earth to warm up and maintain its current temperature. What makes the greenhouse effect dangerous is the disruption of natural processes and the increase in human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. 90% of greenhouse gases are generated as a result of human activities.

Greenhouse gases such as methane, water vapor, carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, aerosols, and nitrous oxide are gases that must exist within the natural ecosystem. Although the amounts of these gases in the atmosphere are small, their effects on weather and temperature are undeniable. These gases are needed for the Earth to remain at a certain temperature.

Why Does the Greenhouse Effect Occur?

Many activities that people carry out in their individual lives cause the greenhouse effect to increase. In addition, the activities of industrial enterprises, and chemical and biological processes occurring in nature also cause the greenhouse effect.

Some of the causes that lead to the greenhouse effect include:

• An increase in the amount of carbon dioxide as a result of the destruction of forest areas,

• The use of fossil fuels,

• Gases released into the air from vehicle exhausts,

• Commonly used perfumes and deodorants,

• Irregular use of agricultural land and soil,

• Unconscious grazing of animals,

• Chemical processes and decomposition in the soil,

• The production of methane gas by waste accumulated in wild landfills,

• Disruption of nitrogen and carbon cycle balances,

• Industrial enterprises neglecting environmental pollution protocols,

• Increased plankton as a result of the disruption of the aquatic ecosystem,

• Unconscious product selection and overconsumption.

Greenhouse Gases and Their Effects

Greenhouse gases account for only 1% of the gases in the atmosphere. However, the impact of each gas, in addition to its quantity, is quite significant. Changes in the volume of even one of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere intensify the greenhouse effect. In order to understand how the greenhouse effect can be reduced, it is necessary to examine what greenhouse gases are and their effects in detail.

Water Vapor

Compared to other greenhouse gases, water vapor is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere. At the same time, the volume of water vapor in the atmosphere is more variable than other gases, but this rate does not exceed approximately 4%. Water vapor has the property of retaining excess heat and carbon dioxide on the earth. Therefore, it must be said that it is an effective greenhouse gas.

When water changes from one phase to another (such as from water to water vapor or ice), it absorbs or releases heat. This is characterized as latent heat. Water vapor in the atmosphere allows latent heat to move from one region to another. The increasing latent heat is transported, causing severe weather events such as storms, tornadoes, or tropical cyclones. Therefore, water vapor is closely related to global warming.

Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide is the most well-known greenhouse gas and the one most emitted into the atmosphere by human activities. It is important to monitor it and prevent its amount from increasing. It is generally emitted into the atmosphere through fossil fuel use, industrial activities, plant respiration, and decomposition of organic matter. Carbon dioxide, which has a very low absorption rate, is powerful in retaining the energy emitted by the Earth. Therefore, it causes the Earth to warm up. Consequently, an increase in its amount triggers the greenhouse effect.

On the large island of Hawaii, the Mauna Loa Observatory is located on the Mauna Loa volcano. There is a carbon dioxide device here that has been performing regular measurements since 1958. When the measurement results of the device are analyzed, it is seen that the carbon dioxide rate has increased from past to present. Developing technology and the accompanying increase in industrialization can be shown among the most fundamental reasons for this.

Among greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide has the highest share. This share constitutes 76% of the greenhouse effect. Part of this amount is absorbed by the oceans or used by plants for photosynthesis. However, about half of the anthropogenic (human-induced) carbon dioxide emissions remain in the atmosphere. For this reason, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring that excess carbon is removed from the atmosphere is extremely critical for efforts to prevent human-induced climate change.

Methane

Methane can occur in nature through anthropogenic or natural processes. Methane gas is naturally released as a result of rotting and decomposition in an oxygen-free environment. Microorganism activities in wetlands, stomach fermentation of wild or domestic animals create natural methane emissions.

Methane gas is released as a result of human activities such as municipal landfills, agricultural activities, and biomass burning. According to a study, 50-65% of methane gas originates from human activities. The biggest reasons for the increase in methane gas are rice cultivation, cattle farming, and waste accumulation areas.

Methane, which has a 16% share among greenhouse gas emissions, is 25 times more effective in global warming compared to carbon dioxide. Its high capacity to retain infrared radiation is the main reason for this.

The residence time of methane in the atmosphere is shorter compared to other greenhouse gases. This period has been reported as 11 years. However, the amount of methane reaching the atmosphere from natural sources depends on many factors such as temperature and precipitation. In addition, the rapid melting of soils frozen in cold regions triggered by global warming can cause a sudden and high release of methane.

Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous oxide, whose most important source is the soil, reaches the atmosphere through biological processes. Another source is the oceans. Since nitrogen oxides exhibit both emission and dissolution characteristics in soil, it is particularly difficult to examine in this source. Nevertheless, it is known that the majority of the released methane gas is soil-derived.

Nitrogen-containing fertilization processes used for agricultural activities increase nitrous oxide emissions in the soil. Biomass burning and fossil fuel use also play a role in nitrous oxide emissions, although not as much as fertilization.

Chlorofluorocarbons

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which cause the thinning of the ozone layer, are among the greenhouse gases. These chemically inactive, stable gases tend to hold on when released into the atmosphere. They are difficult to remove. They are emitted into the atmosphere through human activities. All chlorofluorocarbons, which have different types, have a long residence time in the atmosphere. This period can extend up to 130 years.

The thinning effect of chlorofluorocarbons on the ozone layer has been proven. Most of the ozone gas is found in the stratospheric layer. The use of chlorofluorocarbons (devices and substances such as aerosol sprays, foam blowing agents, refrigerants, and solvents) affects the amount of ozone in the atmosphere.

An increase in the amount of ozone gas kept in the atmosphere causes climate change. Following this determination, the "Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer" and then the "Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer" were established. These documents, signed by many countries, aim to carry out studies to reduce CFCs. However, because the residence time of these substances in the atmosphere is long, it takes a long time to see the results.

Aerosols

Events occurring in natural environments cause solid and liquid particles to hang in the air. While some of these particles can be seen with the naked eye, some are too small to be seen, on a micron scale. For example, it is possible to see the particles formed by dust storms coming from deserts with the wind. However, particles released into the air during a chemical process carried out by human activities are too small to be seen. These particles can remain suspended in the air for long periods.

Aerosols can be emitted into the atmosphere by natural means or as human-induced. Human-induced ones can be listed as fossil fuel use, forest fires, thermal power plants, cement factories, and volcanic eruptions. Aerosols that can trap solar rays cause the greenhouse effect to increase.

Consequences of the Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect causes problems in many different dimensions. The consequences of the greenhouse effect can be listed as follows:

• The balance of seasons is disrupted and temperatures increase.

• Increasing temperatures trigger forest fires.

• Water resources are depleted rapidly and access to clean drinking water becomes difficult.

• With the increasing rise in temperature, glaciers melt rapidly. Glacial melting causes natural disasters such as floods by raising the sea level.

• The balance of ecological life is disrupted.

• The drought effect causes destruction of agricultural areas.

• Migrating animals may lose track of migration periods due to changing climates.

• Respiratory diseases increase with the increase in temperature and deterioration of air quality.

• Desertification in agriculture is experienced as a result of the deterioration of soil structure. This situation causes food shortages.

• Epidemic diseases based on bacteria, viruses, and similar organisms spread rapidly.

• The risk of landslides increases and the soil loses its productivity.

Methods to Minimize the Greenhouse Effect

To reduce the greenhouse effect, the processes leading to the emission of greenhouse gases must be analyzed in detail. Measures can be taken to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

Energy Sector

The energy sector is one of the sectors where the greenhouse effect is highly increased by human hands. Sustainability practices to be made in this area play an important role in reducing the greenhouse effect. The use of clean energy sources is efficient at this stage.

Clean energy sources such as solar-based systems, wind energy utilization, geothermal energy use, and hydroelectric energy reduce the greenhouse effect. However, it is important here not to confuse renewable energy with clean energy.

The detail that distinguishes clean energy from renewable energy is that no greenhouse gas emissions occur during energy production processes. For example, if you benefit from a geothermal energy source and greenhouse gas emissions occur at any point in the energy production, this may be a renewable energy source but it cannot be a clean energy source.

Food Sector

About one-fifth of global carbon emissions originate from raising farm animals for meat. Wrong feeding and breeding choices are the most fundamental reasons for this. In addition, the digestive functions of cattle and the methane gas they release also increase the greenhouse effect.

In addition, it is important to strengthen feedlot livestock breeding by preventing pasture grazing. In this way, by preventing unconscious animal grazing, both protection of pasture lands and elimination of unnecessary feeding can be achieved.

The waste of food products and the transportation costs of these products also have an important place in greenhouse gas emissions. Significant progress can be made with initiatives such as the spread of conscious consumption habits and the support of local production.

Transportation Sector

Many vehicles used in the transportation field trigger greenhouse gas emissions. Although the production of electrically powered vehicles has gained momentum in recent years, the greenhouse effect has not been completely prevented.

Lifestyle changes such as using bicycles, preferring public transport instead of individual vehicles, and choosing direct flights in air travel are some of the steps that can be taken individually.

Industrial Sector

Production, raw material mining, and dealing with waste all require energy. Most of the purchased products are manufactured in factories that generate approximately 20% of globally emitted greenhouse gases. Therefore, changes to be made in production processes have a significant place in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Using materials that do not cause greenhouse gas emissions can be a good start. For example, bioplastics obtained from plants can be an alternative to those obtained from fossil fuels. Apart from this, industrial enterprises can prefer clean energy sources in transportation processes.

To prevent the greenhouse effect in this field, filtering factory chimneys and using recyclable packaging products are also among the important steps to be taken to prevent greenhouse gas emissions.

Waste Management in Living Spaces

Although it is stated that greenhouse gases are concentrated in landfills, the release of greenhouse gases as a result of wrong waste management in our living spaces is also at a level that cannot be underestimated. The most important greenhouse gas emitted from landfills is methane. In order to individually reduce emissions in this area, preventing excess consumption can be an important step.

Evaluating the peels of any food item, such as vegetables or fruits, and choosing less packaged products reduce waste generation and consequently greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, preferring products with recyclable contents is also an effective method.

Home gardening can reduce product purchases. In this way, packaging use will decrease and emissions of greenhouse gases will be more controlled. Besides all these, conscious afforestation to be carried out will have positive results on the greenhouse effect as it will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide.

Studies on the Storage of Carbon Dioxide

In order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which have an important place in greenhouse gas emissions, one of the measures to be taken is considered to be carbon capture and storage. This is a process aimed at separating carbon dioxide from other flue gases, transporting it, and isolating it from the atmosphere in the long term. Potential storage sites include:

• Oil and natural gas fields,

• Underground coal mines where coal cannot be extracted,

• Geological storage alternatives (such as underground salt caverns),

• The ocean floor.

The Sleipner oil and natural gas field is in the middle of the North Sea, approximately 240 km off the coast of Norway. Instead of releasing the gas emissions coming from here into the atmosphere, it is planned to inject them into the 200-meter-thick sandstones known as the Utsira Formation. Although the amount of emissions prevented is a very small part of the emissions affecting the whole of Norway, it is an important step as it is the first study carried out.

Similar studies exist in different parts of the world. It is planned to inject the carbon dioxide in the natural gas content of the Natuna field in the South China Sea underground. Studies have also been carried out on injecting carbon dioxide underground in the Gorgon natural gas field in Australia, the Snøhvit natural gas fields in Norway, and the North Slope oil fields in Alaska.

Studies in this field are ongoing. However, a major technological system and energy are required to inject the carbon dioxide gas emitted by the facilities underground. Although today's technologies are sufficient to realize the transport and injection, an intensive amount of energy is needed to perform the operation. If methods that cause greenhouse gas emissions are used to meet this energy, it is difficult to talk about a general emission reduction.

All methods to reduce the greenhouse effect can be implemented by evaluating them in terms of applicability. In this context, raising public awareness and increasing awareness on this issue are of vital importance. Innovative solutions and sustainable practices in the fight against the greenhouse effect are necessary to minimize environmental damage.

If you also want to protect the future of the world with the processes you run in your business and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in all your processes, you can start by calculating your business's corporate carbon footprint. With the software we offer as QuickCarbon, you can easily access calculations and reporting compiled according to the ISO 14064-1:2018 Standard and GHG Protocol without the need for any consultancy services. In light of the data you obtain, you can evaluate what you can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.