NAME: ISHAAN

PATHAK

CLASS: 12 – G

SCHOOL: CITY
MONTESSORI SCHOO
L MAHANAGAR

SUBJECT:
CHEMISTRY
 ACKNOWLEDGEME
NT
• I would like to take this
opportunity to express my special
gratitude to my Chemistry teacher Mr.
Ashok Kumar who gave me the golden
opportunity to do this Chemistry
project on the topic "Effect
of Greenhouse Gases".
• The opportunity to participate
in this project has helped me
improve my research skills and I am
really grateful to them.
• I would also like to thank my
family and friends for constantly
encouraging me during this project,
which I could not have completed
without their support and continuous
encouragement.
EFFECTS OF
GREENHOUSE
GASES
 INTRODUCTION
Weather and climate have a profound impact
on living organisms on the planet. Ecological
systems have evolved over geological time
scales to suit the prevailing climate. The past
10 to 20 years have brought disturbing
evidence that human activities may cause
significant changes in future global climate.
"Global Warming" is now an issue known to
hundreds of millions of people across the
world. We provide herein an overview of the
current state of knowledge concerning
greenhouse gases and global warming.
Greenhouse effect has led to the beginning of
Climate change which can be the reason for
demolition of mankind in future. Greenhouse
effect has peaked over the years as the model
of industrialization took over the good old
world. The industries use or produce as a by-
product in numerous greenhouse gases which
are literally destroying the eco system. In this
project, I am going to discuss about some of
those gases and the threat they pose to the
coming generations.
 DISCOVERY AND
INVESTIGATION
• The existence of the greenhouse effect, while not
named as such, was proposed as early as 1824
by Joseph Fourier. The argument and the evidence
were further strengthened by Claude Pouillet in
1827 and 1838. In 1856 Eunice Newton
Foote demonstrated that the warming effect of the
sun is greater for air with water vapour than for
dry air, and the effect is even greater with carbon
dioxide. She concluded that "An atmosphere of
that gas would give to our earth a high
temperature.
• John Tyndall was the first to measure the infrared
absorption and emission of various gases and
vapors. From 1859 onwards, he showed that the
effect was due to a very small proportion of the
atmosphere, with the main gases having no effect,
and was largely due to water vapor, though small
percentages of hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide
had a significant effect. The effect was more fully
quantified by Svante Arrhenius in 1896, who made
the first quantitative prediction of global warming
due to a hypothetical doubling of atmospheric
carbon dioxide. The term greenhouse was first
applied to this phenomenon by Nils Gustaf
Ekholm in 1901.
 GREEN HOUSE
EFFECT
The name "Green-house effect" comes from the
fact that this effect is use in horticulture for the
upbringing of green plants in small house made
of glass walls and glass root.
sun’s radiations warm the plants and the air
inside the greenhouse. The heat trapped
inside can’t escape out and warms the
greenhouse which is essential for the growth
of the plants. Same is the case in the earth’s
atmosphere.
During the day the sun heats up the earth’s
atmosphere. At night, when the earth cools
down the heat is radiated back into the
atmosphere. During this process, the heat is
absorbed by the greenhouse gases in the
earth’s atmosphere. This is what makes the
surface of the earth warmer, that makes the
survival of living beings on earth possible.
However, due to the increased levels of
greenhouse gases, the temperature of the
earth has increased considerably. This has
led to several drastic effects.
 CAUSES OF GREEN
HOUSE EFFECT
The major causes of the greenhouse effect are:
• Burning of Fossil Fuels:
Fossil fuels are an important part of our lives.
They are widely used in transportation and to
produce electricity. Burning of fossil fuels
releases carbon dioxide. With the increase in
population, the utilization of fossil fuels has
increased. This has led to an increase in the
release of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere.
• Deforestation:
Plants and trees take in carbon dioxide and
release oxygen. Due to the cutting of trees,
there is a considerable increase in the
greenhouse gases which increases the earth’s
temperature.
• Farming:
Nitrous oxide used in fertilizers is one of the
contributors to the greenhouse effect in the
• Industrial Waste and Landfills:
The industries and factories produce
harmful gases which are released in the
atmosphere.
Landfills also release carbon dioxide and
methane that adds to the greenhouse
gases.
PROBLEMS FROM
GREENHOUSE
EFFECT
The main problems from increased
greenhouse gases are:
• Global Warming:
It is the phenomenon of a gradual increase
in the average temperature of the Earth’s
atmosphere. The main cause for this
environmental issue is the increased
volumes of greenhouse gases such as
carbon dioxide and methane released by
the burning of fossil fuels, emissions from
the vehicles, industries and other human
activities.
• Depletion of Ozone Layer:
Ozone Layer protects the earth from harmful
ultraviolet rays from the sun. It is found in
the upper regions of the stratosphere. The
depletion of the ozone layer results in the
entry of the harmful UV rays to the earth’s
surface that might lead to skin cancer and
can also change the climate drastically.
The major cause of this phenomenon is the
accumulation of natural greenhouse gases
including chlorofluorocarbons, carbon
dioxide, methane, etc.
• Smog and Air Pollution:
Smog is formed by the combination of smoke
and fog. It can be caused both by natural
means and man-made activities.
In general, smog is generally formed by the
accumulation of more greenhouse gases
including nitrogen and sulfur oxides. The
major contributors to the formation of smog
are automobile and industrial emissions,
agricultural fires, natural forest fires and the
reaction of these chemicals themselves.
 RUNAWAY
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
• This phenomenon occurs when the planet
absorbs more radiation than it can radiate
back. Thus, the heat lost from the earth’s
surface is less and the temperature of the
planet keeps rising. Scientists believe that
this phenomenon took place on the surface
of Venus billions of years ago.
This phenomenon is believed to have
occurred in the following manner:
• A runaway greenhouse effect arises when
the temperature of a planet rises to a level of
the boiling point of water. As a result, all the
water from the oceans converts into water
vapour, which traps more heat coming from
the sun and further increases the planet’s
temperature. This eventually accelerates the
greenhouse effect.
• In simple words, increasing the greenhouse
effect gives rise to a runaway greenhouse
effect which would increase
the temperature of the earth.
 GREENHOUSE
GASES
• Greenhouse gases are those gases in the
atmosphere that raise the surface
temperature of planets such as the Earth.
What distinguishes them from other gases
is that they absorb the wavelengths of
radiation that a planet emits, resulting in
the greenhouse effect. The Earth is warmed
by sunlight, causing its surface to radiate
heat , which is then mostly absorbed by
water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2),
methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and
ozone (O3). Without greenhouse gases, the
average temperature of Earth's surface
would be about −18 °C (0 °F), rather than
the present average of 15 °C (59 °F).
• Carbon dioxide is the cause for about three
quarters of global warming and can take
thousands of years to be fully absorbed by
the carbon cycle. Methane causes most of
the remaining warming and lasts in the
atmosphere for an average of 12 years.
• The three most powerful long lived
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are
carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. In
this section the sources, sinks, and
atmospheric concentrations of these
compounds are considered. In addition we will
consider the class of compounds known as
halogenated organic compounds (of which
CFCs are a subset), SF6, and ozone in the lower
and upper atmosphere. At this point it is
germane to note that water vapor is the single
most powerful greenhouse gas in the
atmosphere. Water vapor has approximately
twice the effect of the second most powerful
greenhouse gas-carbon dioxide.
Methane:
• Methane (CH4) is the most abundant well
mixed greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. In
contrast to carbon dioxide. Methane plays an
important role in atmospheric chemistry and it
can influence the levels of other important
trace species via its reaction with OH. Also, an
increase in methane will lead to the
production of more tropospheric ozone which
is an important greenhouse gas.
• Methane is emitted into the atmosphere by a
large number of natural and anthropogenic
sources. Natural sources are believed to
contribute approximately 30% of the methane
flux while anthropogenic sources account for the
remaining 70%. Natural sources are estimated to
contribute a total of approximately 160 Tg(CH4)
(1Tg= 10! g. 1000 Tg = 1Gt). The largest natural
sources are wetlands, termites, and oceans
which emit 115, 20, and 10 Tg(CH4), respectively.
Anthropogenic sources are natural gas facilities,
coal mines, petroleum industry, coal combustion,
enteric fermentation, rice paddies, biomass
burning, landfills, animal waste and domestic
sewage.
Carbon Dioxide:
• Discussion of the human impact on the levels of
carbon dioxide (Co2) in the atmosphere is
complicated by two factors. First, emissions of
CO2 associated with human activities, while large
on a human scale, are small when compared to
natural fluxes of CO2 associated with
photosynthesis, respiration, uptake into ocean
water, and release from ocean water.
• Second, there are several large reservoirs of Co2
(e.g. atmosphere, upper ocean, deep ocean,
biosphere) which are continually exchanging
• In such a system one needs to be very careful
when using the words "source", "sink", and
"lifetime". Instead of "source" and "sink" it is
often better to refer to "net source" and "net
sink". Thus, the oceans are both a large (90 GtC
yr .) source and a large (92 GtC yr-1) sink of
-1

atmospheric CO2. Overall the oceans provide a

net sink for CO; of 2 GtC yr-1. The unit used to
measure C02 flux is GtC which stands for Giga
(109) tonnes of carbon. The molecular weight
of CO2 is 44 while the atomic weight
ofactivities are believed to lead to emission of
5.5+0.5 GtC yr . from fossil fuel combustion
-1

and cement production and emission of 1.61.0

GtC yr . from changes in tropical land use
-1

(deforestation).
• The atmospheric burden of CO, is increasing
ata rate of 3.3+0.2 GtC yr. To balance the CO2
budget "unknown terrestrial sinks" have been
invoked and have been inferred to account for
1.3+1.5 GtC yr of CO2. This is often known as
the "missing sink". It should be noted that zero
lies within the range 1.3+1.5.
Nitrous Oxide:
• Nitrous oxide (N20) is the third most
abundant well mixed greenhouse gas after
carbon dioxide and methane. N20 is a long-
lived (130 years) trace constituent of the
lower atmosphere present in a
concentration which is currently 313 ppb
and increasing at a rate of 0.5-0.9 ppb yr-1.
• Anthropogenic emissions of N20 are
associated with biomass burning, fossil fuel
combustion, industrial production of adipic
and nitric acids, and the use of nitrogen
fertilizer, and are believed to total 3.2 TgN
yr1.
• N20 is transported through the troposphere
into the stratosphere where it reacts with
O' D) atoms and is the source of
stratospheric NOx (O D) atoms are
electronically excited oxygen atoms).
Other Gases:
• Fluorinated gases, such as hydro
fluorocarbons, per fluorocartbons,
chlorofluorocarbons, sulphur hexafluoride
(SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) have
heat-trapping potential thousands of
times greater than Co2 and stay in the
atmosphere for hundreds to thousands of
years. Accounting for about 2 percent of
all emissions, they're used as refrigerants,
solvents, and in manufacturing,
sometimes occurring as by-products.
• Other greenhouse gases include water
vapour and ozone (03). Water vapour is
actually the world's most abundant
greenhouse gas, but it is not tracked the
same way as other greenhouse gases
because it is not directly emitted by
human activity and its effects are not well
understood. Similarly, ground-level or
tropospheric ozone is not emitted directly
but emerges from complex reactions
among pollutants in the air.
 HOW TO REDUCE
GREENHOUSE GAS
EMISSIONS
• Get a home energy audit
Take advantage of the free home energy
audits offered by many utilities. Then put the
recommendations into practice. Simple
measures, such as installing a programmable
thermostat to replace your old dial unit or
sealing and insulating heating and cooling
ducts, can each reduce a typical family's
carbon dioxide emissions by about 5 percent.
Replacing single-paned windows with dual-
paned windows and installing insulated
doors will also greatly reduce heat loss from
your home.
• Purchase Solar Panels
With the federal and state governments
offering residential renewable energy
incentives, solar energy is more accessible
than ever before, not to mention an
excellent long-term investment.
• Buy Green Tags
If your energy company doesn't offer green
power, you can offset your carbon dioxide
emissions by purchasing "green tags," or
compensatory energy credits that add
renewable power to the grid equal to the power
you use. Numerous green tag programs exist
and can be readily be found on the internet.
• Install solar lights
From outside, solar lights look like small
skylights on the roof. Inside the house, they
magnify the sun, delivering strong, natural light,
with no power needed. While they are most
useful to interior rooms with no windows, they
could also be used to illuminate darker corners
of rooms with windows.
• Wash clothes in cold or warm water
You can reduce your carbon dioxide emissions
by about 550 pounds by not using hot water on
two loads of laundry a week.
• Line-dry clothes
Hanging clothes out to dry requires no electricity
or natural gas use and will greatly help in
reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
 CONCLUSION
The earth has always experienced warm and cool
phases, with natural forces-from the sun's intensity,
volcanic eruptions, and natural changes in greenhouse
gas concentrations affecting how much energy from the
sun our planet absorbs.
In other words, humans are the problem. But we may
also be the solution. We have the ability to rein in
greenhouse gas emissions, though doing so certainly
won't be easy. Overhauling our energy systems will
require transformative, aggressive global action-and
now
Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions will require
significant effort at the international, national, and
local levels. First and foremost, we must slash fossil
fuel production, consumption, and pollution by
ramping up our use of clean, renewable energy and
energy-efficient technologies and by investing in fuel
efficient and electric vehicles. We must end fossil fuel
subsidies and better leverage "cap and invest"
programs, carbon pricing, and carbon capture, storage,
and utilization technologies (which catch the carbon
dioxide from emissions sources like power plants or
directly from the air and permanently bury it
underground or convert it into other materials). We
must protect our carbon-storing forests and reduce
food waste and the emissions that go with it. And as
individuals, we must commit to taking carbon cutting
actions in our daily lives.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
These were the
websites and books used to
make this project:
• https://byjus.com
• https://www.wikipedia.org
• Balaji class 12th Chemistry
• https://www.elprocus.com
• https://www.power-and-
beyond.com