First of all, it’s important to understand that the greenhouse effect is the natural process that, when balanced, maintains the Earth’s surface at a comfortable temperature, which allows life to exist by keeping the planet at about 91ºF (33ºC) warmer than it would really be. Otherwise, our planet would be a frozen place, impossible to inhabit.

As the name suggests, the greenhouse effect works pretty much like a greenhouse that stays warm on the inside: When the energy coming from the sun touches the Earth’s atmosphere, some of this energy is reflected and goes back into space, while some of it gets trapped and re-radiated by greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, ozone, methane, and certain artificial chemicals, like chlorofluorocarbons. This absorbed energy warms the Earth’s surface and the atmosphere.

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