The earth’s atmosphere is all around us.
It is the air that we breathe.

Sunlight enters the earth’s atmosphere,
passing through the blanket of greenhouse gases.

As it reaches the earth’s surface, the land
and water absorbs the sunlight’s energy.

Once absorbed, the energy is sent back into the atmosphere in the form of infra-red rays.

Some of the energy passes back into space, but much of it remains trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse gases, causing our globe (earth) to warm up.

This warming is what we call Global Warming, and it is caused by the greenhouse effect.

The greenhouse effect is important. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth would not be warm enough for humans to live. But if the greenhouse effect becomes stronger, it could make the earth warmer than usual. Even a little extra warming of the earth may cause problems for humans, plants, and animals.