About climate change: Greenhouse effect
Some of the energy from the sun is trapped inside our atmosphere as it is reflected back from the earth towards space. This natural process is called the greenhouse effect, as the atmosphere acts like the glass walls of a greenhouse, which allows the sun's rays to enter but keeps the heat in.
The gases which make this happen ("greenhouse gases") are mainly water vapour and carbon dioxide. As humans emit more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere the greenhouse effect becomes stronger. This causes the earth's climate to change unnaturally.
Page last modified: 12 March 2007
Page published: 01 December, 2005