Difference Between Global Warming and Greenhouse Effect

The key difference between global warming and greenhouse effect is that global warming is the average rise in temperature near the surface of the earth whereas greenhouse effect pertains to increased concentration of gases within the atmosphere of the earth.

Global warming and greenhouse effect have been topics of heated discussion among environmentalists and conservationists. Basically, global warming takes place when the rays of the sun are trapped within the atmosphere of Earth due to the emission of many greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. However, this explanation does not cover all the aspects and this is why we need to analyze the two terms closely. The fact of the matter is, the greenhouse effect is not detrimental for us or the environment; it is only harmful due to the high concentration of greenhouse gases.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Greenhouse Effect
3. What is Global Warming 
4. Side by Side Comparison – Global Warming vs Greenhouse Effect in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Global Warming?

Global warming refers to the average rise in temperature of the earth’s surface over the last 50 years. This global warming is a cumulative effect of many factors such as deforestation, pollution, burning of fossil fuels, and greenhouse effect. This issue has been under the scrutiny of the entire world, especially the western world that has been blaming poor countries for higher emission levels of carbon dioxide and methane gases.

Global warming is not a natural phenomenon and has to do with the activities of mankind. This is why there have been so many conferences and summits between nations to come to terms with this problem. Industrialization process inevitably leads to global warming as to meet the growing energy demands of developing nations.

Although there are time periods with high-temperature variations, this term specifically refers to the observed and continuing increase in average air and ocean temperature. Some people use the terms global warming and climate change interchangeably, but there is a difference between them; climate change includes both global warming and its effects. Some effects of global warming are as follows:

• Rising sea level
• Regional changes in precipitation
• Frequent extreme weather conditions
• Expansion of deserts

What is Greenhouse Effect?

Normally, the rays of sun coming down to earth are reflected back to outer space by the surface of the earth. Some of these reflected rays get trapped within the atmosphere surrounding the earth by gases that make up the earth’s atmosphere. We call this greenhouse effect and it is a natural and healthy phenomenon. The existence of this greenhouse effect is vital for maintaining life forms on earth. If there was no greenhouse effect, the earth would have become too cold to have any life.

Though the greenhouse effect is vitally important for us, too much of it is harmful to us. This is because an enhanced greenhouse effect means higher average temperatures of the surface of the earth, which is not good for our ecosystem. There is a very thin and delicate balance that we need to maintain as neither the absence nor too much of the greenhouse effect is good for life on earth.

What is the Difference Between Global Warming and Greenhouse Effect?

The average rise in temperature of the earth’s surface due to the greenhouse effect is global warming. The greenhouse effect is the trapping of the sun’s warmth in a planet’s lower atmosphere, due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet’s surface. The key difference between global warming and greenhouse effect is that global warming is the average rise in temperature near the surface of the earth whereas greenhouse effect pertains to increased concentration of gases within the atmosphere of the earth.

Global warming is a slow and consistent increase in temperature in the last 10 years, whereas the greenhouse effect is faster in comparison. When considering the effects of these two concepts, both have similar effects because global warming occurs due to the greenhouse effect.

Summary – Global Warming vs Greenhouse Effect

Global warming and greenhouse effect are closely related concepts. Moreover, global warming arises due to the greenhouse effect. The key difference between global warming and greenhouse effect is that global warming is the average rise in temperature near the surface of the earth whereas greenhouse effect pertains to increased concentration of gases within the atmosphere of the earth.

Reference:

1. Denchak, Melissa. “How You Can Stop Global Warming.” NRDC, 13 Mar. 2019, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “1059195” (CC0) via Pxhere
2. “The green house effect” By ZooFari – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia