What's the greenhouse effect?
The greenhouse effect is a natural feature of the Earth's environment, keeping our planet's surface at a warm average temperature of 15 ºC.
Most of the Sun's energy that reaches the Earth's surface is absorbed and re-emitted as heat. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap some of the rising heat, radiating it back to the planet's surface. Without the greenhouse effect, the average temperature would plummet
to -18 ºC - too cold for most life.
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The greenhouse effect
Image: Crown copyright |
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