Greenhouse Effect

• The greenhouse effect is the trapping of heat near Earth’s surface by gases in the atmosphere, particularly CO2.
• The solar radiant energy received by the Earth is concentrated in the 400 - to 700 - nm range ( visible region of the spectrum).
• The thermal radiation emitted by Earth’s surface is characterized by wavelengths longer than 4000 nm ( IR region).
• Carbon dioxide is produced by burning of any form of carbon or a carbon-containing compound in an excess of O2.
• Many carbonates give off CO2 when heated and when treated with acid.
• CO2 is a by-product of fermentation of sugar.
• CO2 is released as an end product of metabolism of animals during respiration.
• Volcanic activity is another major source of CO2.
• Sources of CO2 include the thermal radiation emitted by Earth’s surface and can be absorbed by water and CO2, but not nitrogen and oxygen.
• In addition to CO2 and H2O, other greenhouse gases such as the CFCs, CH4, NOx and N2O contribute to the warming of the atmosphere.
• N2 and O2 do not contribute to the greenhouse effect because they have no vibration modes.
• The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan in Dec 1997 and entered into force on Feb 16, 2005.
• On Dec 12, 2015, parties reached an agreement to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future.
• 175 countries signed the Paris Agreement on Earth Day 2016, including the USA under the Obama administration.
• The Montreal Protocol, finalized in 1987 in Montreal, Canada, sets limits on the production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons and related substances that release chlorine or bromine to the ozone layer of the atmosphere.
• The Montreal Protocol has significantly contributed to the healing of the ozone hole, as evidenced by a 40% reduction in the size of the ozone hole by 2013.
• Radon (Rn) is a naturally occurring, colorless, tasteless, odorless, radioactive gas that comes out of the ground all around and below us.
• Rn comes from the natural (radioactive) breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets into the air.
• Radon is ubiquitous and can get into any type of building, homes, offices, schools, and result in high indoor radon levels.
• The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that high levels of Radon causes lung cancer more often than second-hand tobacco smoke.
• The Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 provides the policy framework for the country’s air quality management program and seeks to uphold the right of every Filipino to breathe clean air by addressing air pollution from mobile and stationary sources.
• The Paris Agreement is a global agreement to protect the stratospheric ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS).