Enhanced greenhouse effect

• Human activities are responsible for the excessive release of greenhouse gases which intensifies the greenhouse effect. This is known as enhanced greenhouse effect.
• Since the Industrial Revolution, in the late 1700s, the use of fossil fuels has increased considerably.
• Forests are regarded as large carbon sinks.
• The trees in the forests absorb large amounts of CO2 for photosynthesis from the atmosphere and store it as food in the form of carbohydrates.
• When forests are cut down on a large scale (deforestation), less CO2 is removed from the atmosphere and the CO2 levels in the atmosphere rise.
• Industrialisation (use of fossil fuels) as well as deforestation (reduction o carbon sinks) are forms of human impact on the environment
• The higher CO2 levels in the atmosphere result in an enhanced greenhouse effect which in turn leads to a further increase in the earth's temperature. This is known as global warming
• Possible actions to reduce the release of greenhouse gases:

  • Improve international cooperation and legislation
  • Introduce incentives