One of the factors that affects the world's environmental conditions is the greenhouse effect. Climate scientists often blame the greenhouse effect for contributing to Earth's environmental woes, but it has a vital positive effect on the planet as well. Without this atmospheric condition, life on Earth would be vastly different, or even nonexistent.
The Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect refers to the ability of the atmosphere to trap the sun’s heat, increasing the temperature of the planet. When the sun’s energy reaches Earth, the atmosphere absorbs some of it on the way down, and then absorbs more when that energy reflects back off the surface during the day. This trapped energy heats up the atmosphere, increasing the temperature of the planet and distributing warmth to its night side, when solar heating is unavailable. The denser the atmosphere, and the higher the concentration of energy-holding molecules like water vapor and carbon dioxide, the more energy the atmosphere can trap.
Positive Effects