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The greenhouse effect is a natural increase in the temperature of the planet as energy from sunlight is trapped by the so-called greenhouse gases - such as water vapour and CO2 - that have the ability to absorb and reflect energy.
Short wave solar radiation passes through the clear atmosphere relatively unimpeded, but long wave infrared radiation emitted by the warm surface of the Earth is absorbed partially and then re–emitted towards the earth by a number of greenhouse gases (mainly water vapour and CO2) in the atmosphere. Due to these greenhouse gases, much of the radiation does not pass straight into space, but remains to heat up the atmosphere.
Without the greenhouse effect, the world would be covered in snow and ice and lack the diversity of life that we have today. However, due to our combustion of coal, oil and gas, the level of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide, in the earth’s atmosphere increased sharply in the 20th century. As such, the natural balance between the incoming solar energy and the outgoing radiation has been disturbed, which means the greenhouse effect is reinforced.
During the last century, the earth’s average temperature increased by 0.7 degrees, an increase that is difficult to explain without taking into account the increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere. If carbon dioxide emissions are not drastically reduced, the temperature is likely to strongly increase during the new century.
Published in Vattenfall's CSR Report 2005
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