How do greenhouse gases help or harm the earth?

The greenhouse effect is what makes our planet habitable. If we had no atmosphere, which acts as a blanket that traps heat, the average temperature all over the globe would be 0 C (32 F). read more

The greenhouse effect increases the temperature of the Earth by trapping heat in our atmosphere. This keeps the temperature of the Earth higher than it would be if direct heating by the Sun was the only source of warming.1 When sunlight reaches the surface of the Earth, some of it is absorbed which warms the ground and some bounces back to space as heat. read more

We need some greenhouse gasses to be in the atmosphere, but the problem is that industry and agriculture are putting more greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, which is warming up the Earth, potentially too much. read more

Greenhouse gases are transparent to incoming (short-wave) radiation from the sun but block infrared (long-wave) radiation from leaving the earth's atmosphere. This greenhouse effect traps radiation from the sun and warms the planet's surface. read more