What Causes the ‘Greenhouse Effect’ and How Does It Affect Earth?

Imagine Earth is like a house. The sun sends light and heat in, and the Earth keeps some of that heat inside so we can stay warm. But sometimes too much heat stays trapped, just like when you close all the windows on a hot day. That’s the greenhouse effect!

Some gases in the air, like carbon dioxide, act like curtains that let sunlight in but keep the warm air inside. They're called greenhouse gases.

When there are more of these gases, they trap even more heat. That makes Earth get warmer, and that’s why we see changes in our weather and environment.