Difference Between Global Warming and Greenhouse Effect

Global warming is the long-term increase in greenhouse gases like CO₂ and methane due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels, industrialization, etc. This leads to increase in Earth’s average surface temperature.

The greenhouse effect on the other hand refers to greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane in the earth’s atmosphere that warm the earth’s surface and insulate the planet from losing heat to space.

Similarity between Global Warming and Greenhouse Effect

• Both global warming and greenhouse effect phenomena influence climate systems and planetary ecosystems.
• Both phenomena share a common human influence. Anthropogenic activities like industrialization and the burning of fossil fuels increase the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, thereby contributing to global warming.

Difference between Global Warming and Greenhouse Effect

Definition

Global Warming

When, due to human activities, the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere increases, the greenhouse effect process gets enhanced, and this results in global warming. Global warming is the process of increasing Earth’s average temperature, resulting in serious negative impacts on the environment like sea-level rise due to the melting of glaciers, extreme and severe weather events, and the destruction of biodiversity and our natural ecosystems.

Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect is defined as a natural process in which the Earth’s surface remains warm because greenhouse gases trap the heat from the sun and prevent it from escaping back into the atmosphere. The gases that are responsible for causing the greenhouse effect are known as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, and ozone.

The greenhouse effect process is quite vital for maintaining our planet’s habitable climate. It is anthropogenic activities that have raised the Earth’s atmospheric temperature and enhanced the greenhouse effect, causing global warming.

Why does it happen?

Global Warming

It is basically caused by anthropogenic activities such as industrialization, generating power and powering buildings, burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), manufacturing goods, and deforestation.

These activities enhance the natural greenhouse effect by increasing the already-present greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Greenhouse Effect

It happens because certain greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapour, are stopped from escaping back into space by trapping the sun’s heat. 

Causes

Global Warming

• Burning of fossil fuels
• Electricity generation
• Deforestation
• Industrial and agricultural processes
• Land-use changes
• Fossil fuel in transportation
• Industrial and domestic waste
• Mining processes
• Producing food
• Mining processes
• Producing food

Greenhouse Effect

• Burning of Fossil Fuels
• Deforestation
• Agricultural practices like livestock farming generate methane and nitrous oxide emissions.
• Industrial Processes: Various industrial activities, such as cement production, chemical manufacturing, and waste incineration, emit greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane.
• Land Use Changes: Urbanisation of Natural Habitats into Agricultural Land
• Waste management, which increases methane emissions
• Use of fluorinated gases, including hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).

Effects

Global Warming

• Rising temperatures are causing heatwaves and affecting ecosystems.
• Melting ice and rising sea levels pose a high-risk threat to coastal communities and infrastructure.
• Extreme weather events such as hurricanes, typhoons, floods, and droughts.
• Ocean Acidification
• Disruption of Ecosystems
• Threats to agriculture result in food shortages and an increase in the price of commodities.
• Health Impacts: vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever
• Social and economic disruption is exacerbating social inequalities and resulting in conflicts and economic instability.

Greenhouse Effect

• Warming the Earth
• Climate Change
• Melting Ice Caps and Rising Sea Levels
• Disruption of Ecosystems
• Ocean Acidification
• Impacts on Agriculture and Food Security

Summary

The points of difference between Global Warming and Greenhouse Effect have been summarized as below:

FAQ: 

How is greenhouse effect related to global warming?

Just like a greenhouse glass, greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere like Carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide etc trap and retain sun’s heat that radiates from the earth’s and prevent it from escaping back into the space by absorbing it and encasing it in the atmosphere. This increases the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere resulting in global warming.

What do greenhouse effect and global warming have in common?

• Both Global warming and Greenhouse Effect phenomena impact climate systems and planetary ecosystems.
• Both involve heat trapping, and both are exacerbated due to anthropogenic activities.

What is global warming in simple words?

When Earth’s surface continues to get warm due to anthropogenic activities like burning of fossil fuels, electricity generation, deforestation, Industrial Agricultural processes, land-use changes, Fossil fuel in transportation, industrial and domestic waste, mining processes, and producing food which increases the atmospheric concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapor, it is called global warming. 

What are the 5 main causes of global warming?

Anthropogenic causes

• Burning of fossil fuels
• Electricity generation
• Deforestation
• Industrial Agricultural processes
• Land-use changes
• Fossil fuel in transportation
• Industrial and domestic waste
• Mining processes
• Producing food

Natural causes

• Volcanic eruption
• Sun’s intensity
• Natural forest fire
• Variation in solar activity

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