The Enhanced Greenhouse Effect (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Environmental Management): Revision Note

What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?

• The enhanced greenhouse effect occurs when there are higher levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) than usual in the atmosphere

• The more greenhouse gases there are in the atmosphere, the more solar radiation is absorbed and less thermal (heat) energy escaping into space

• This leads to global warming

  • The effect is caused by human activities that have produced excessive greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere, trapping heat and increasing global warming

    • Human activity has increased CO₂ levels in the atmosphere by more than 100 parts per million (ppm) to 420 ppm in 2020

    • Which has increased global average temperatures by over 1°C since pre-industrial times

Is climate change the same as global warming?

• The simple answer is no, but they are related to each other

• Climate change is a long-term change in average temperatures and weather patterns that define local, regional and global climates, usually over a 30-year period

• Global warming is the rise of Earth's average surface temperatures because of the increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels

• The rise of global temperatures can and is changing global climates

• Therefore, excess greenhouse gases in the atmosphere leads to a variety of environmental, social and economic problems