Climate change is the consequence of the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The climate will adjust to adapt to a “thicker blanket” of greenhouse gases in order to maintain a balance between the energy arriving from the sun and that escaping back into space. The result is that the heat energy trapped on the surface of the Earth will increase.
Greenhouse gases refer to gaseous constituents of the atmosphere, both natural and human-induced, that absorb and re-emit infrared radiation. The major greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and ozone (O3). They control the flow of natural energy through the climate system by absorbing infrared radiation. Without them in the atmosphere, the Earth temperature would be very low.
