What Causes a ‘Greenhouse Effect’ and Why Is It Important?

The Earth is like a warm blanket because of the greenhouse effect. Imagine you're wearing a cozy blanket on a chilly night, it keeps your body warm by trapping heat. The same thing happens in our atmosphere: gases like carbon dioxide and methane act like blankets, trapping heat from the sun and keeping the Earth nice and toasty.

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Examples

A blanket keeps you warm by trapping heat, just like the atmosphere keeps the Earth warm.
Your car gets hot inside when it's parked in the sun, that’s a greenhouse effect in action!
Even on a cold night, your room stays warm because of the heat trapped under your blankets.

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Categories: Environment · greenhouse effect,climate change,atmosphere