ASSIGNMENT

Waste Disposal and

Pollution Abatement
DTT-422

TOPIC- * MAJOR GREEN HOUSE

GASSES AND THEIR IMPACT ON
ENVIRONMENTS CAUSING
ENVIRONMENTL ISSUES

SUBMITTED TO- DR J BADSHAH

SUBMITTED BY – RIDHI PANDEY
SDT-20/2016

Introduction –
Greenhouse gas, any gas that has the property of absorbing infrared radiation (net heat energy)
emitted from Earth’s surface and reradiating it back to Earth’s surface, thus contributing to the
greenhouse effect.

Carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapour are the most important greenhouse gases. To a lesser
extent, surface-level ozone, nitrous oxides, and fluorinated gases also trap infrared radiation.
Concentrations of greenhouse gases have varied substantially during Earth’s history, and these
variations have driven substantial climate changes at a wide range of timescales

A number of processes influence greenhouse gas concentrations. Some, such as tectonic activities,
operate at timescales of millions of years, whereas others, such as vegetation, soil, wetland, and
ocean sources and sinks, operate at timescales of hundreds to thousands of years. Human activities
—especially fossil-fuel combustion since the Industrial Revolution—are responsible for steady
increases in atmospheric concentrations of various greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide,
methane, ozone, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
Major Greenhouse Gases
Water vapour

Water vapour is the most potent greenhouse gas in Earth’s atmosphere, but its behaviour is
fundamentally different from that of the other greenhouse gases. This distinction arises because the
amount of water vapour in the atmosphere cannot, in general, be directly modified by human
behaviour but is instead set by air temperatures. The warmer the surface, the greater the
evaporation rate of water from the surface. As a result, increased evaporation leads to a greater
concentration of water vapour in the lower atmosphere capable of absorbing infrared radiation and
emitting it back to the surface.

Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most significant greenhouse gas. Natural sources of atmospheric CO2
include outgassing from volcanoes, the combustion and natural decay of organic matter, and
respiration by aerobic (oxygen-using) organisms.

Methane

Methane (CH4) is the second most important greenhouse gas. CH4 is more potent than CO2 because
the radiative forcing produced per molecule is greater. In addition, the infrared window is less
saturated in the range of wavelengths of radiation absorbed by CH4, so more molecules may fill in
the region. However, CH4 exists in far lower concentrations than CO2 in the atmosphere, and its
concentrations by volume in the atmosphere and are generally measured in parts per billion (ppb)
rather than ppm. CH4 also has a considerably shorter residence time in the atmosphere than CO2 as
the residence time for CH4 is roughly 10 years, compared with hundreds of years for CO2.
Surface-level ozone

The next most significant greenhouse gas is surface, or low-level, ozone (O3). Surface O3 is a result
of air pollution; it must be distinguished from naturally occurring stratospheric O3, which has a very
different role in the planetary radiation balance. The primary natural source of surface O3 is the
subsidence of stratospheric O3 from the upper atmosphere. In contrast, the primary anthropogenic
source of surface O3 is photochemical reactions involving the atmospheric pollutant carbon
monoxide (CO).

Nitrous oxides and fluorinated gases

Additional trace gases produced by industrial activity that have greenhouse properties include
nitrous oxide (N2O) and fluorinated gases (halocarbons), the latter including CFCs, sulfur
hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and perfluorocarbons (PFCs).

Chlorofluorocarbon

Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), any of several organic compounds composed of carbon, fluorine, and
chlorine. When CFCs also contain hydrogen in place of one or more chlorines, they are called
hydrochlorofluorocarbons, or HCFCs. CFCs are also called Freons, a trademark of the E.I. du Pont de
Nemours & Company in Wilmington, Del. CFCs were originally developed as refrigerants during the
1930s. Some of these compounds, especially trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11) and
dichlorodifluoromethane (CFC-12), found use as aerosol-spray propellants, solvents, and foam-
blowing agents. They are well suited for these and other applications because they are nontoxic and
nonflammable and can be readily converted from a liquid to a gas and vice versa.

IMPACT OF GREEN HOUSE GASES

* THAWING OF GLACIAL MASSES- leading to rise in sea level all over the globe
*FLOODING OF ISLANDS AND COASTAL CITIES- As stated in the fifth Assessment report of the
Intergovernmental panel on climate change(IPCC,2014), during the period of 1901-2010 the global
average sea level rose 19 centimetres. It is estimated that by 2100 the sea level will be between 15-
90 centimetre higher than it is now and will threaten 92 million people.

* HURRICANES will be more devastating

*MIGRATION OF SPECIES-many animal species will be forced to migrate in order to survive the
change in the main climatic pattern altered by the progressive increase in temperature.

*DESERTIFICATION OF FERTIILE LAND- global warming is having a profound impact on soil

degradation and is contributing to the desertification of the most arid areas of thr planet.

*IMPACT ON AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK- Global warming has already altered the length of the
growing season in large parts of the planet. The same is happening with livestock.

*OZONE DEPLETION and MONTREAL PROTOCOL

Use of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in aerosol-spray propellants was banned

beginning in the late 1970s in places such as the United States, Canada, and Scandinavia.Because of
a growing concern over stratospheric ozone depletion and its attendant dangers, a ban was imposed
on the use of CFCs in aerosol-spray dispensers in the late 1970s by the United States, Canada, and
the Scandinavian countries. In 1990, 93 nations agreed, as part of the Montreal Protocol (established
1987), to end production of ozone-depleting chemicals by the end of the 20th century. By 1992 the
list of participating countries had grown to 140, and the timetable for ending production of CFCs
advanced to 1996. This goal has largely been met. HCFCs pose less of a risk than CFCs because they
decompose more readily in the lower atmosphere; nevertheless, they too degrade the ozone layer
and are scheduled to be phased out by 2030.