Aha! Chemistry with Prof Bob
  • HOME
  • NAVIGATION
    • Table of contents
    • Index
    • TALK WITH PROF BOB?
  • LEARNING MODULES
    • Chapter 02 Stuff, matter: What is it? >
      • 0200 Stuff, matter: A theory of atoms
      • 0201 Atoms: The building blocks of all stuff
      • 0202 People classifying stuffs. Why?
    • Chapter 05 Chemical reactions, chemical equations >
      • 0500 Chemical reactions vs. chemical equations. Overview
      • 0501 Chemical amount and its unit of measurement, mole
      • 0502 The Avogadro constant: How many is that?
      • 0503 The Avogadro constant: Why is it that number?
      • 0504 Chemical formulas: What can they tell us??
      • 0505 Chemical equations: What can they tell us?
      • 0506 Limiting reactants: How much reaction can happen?
      • 0507 Balanced chemical equations: What are they?
      • 0508 Chemical reactions as competitions
    • Chapter 09 Aqueous solutions >
      • 0901 What is a solution? And what is not?
      • 0902 Miscibility of liquids in each other
      • 0903 Like dissolves like? Shades of grey
      • 0905 Dissolution of ionic salts in water: A competition
      • 0906 Can we predict solubilities of salts?
      • 0907 Solution concentration
      • 0908 Chemical species, speciation in aqueous solution
      • 0909 Solutes: Electrolytes or non-electrolytes?
      • 0910 Electrolytes - strong or weak?
      • 0911 Concentrated, dilute, strong, weak
      • 0912 Species concentration vs. solution concentration
      • 0913 Weak electrolytes: Getting quantitative
    • Chapter 11: Dynamic chemical equilibrium >
      • 1100 Dynamic chemical equilibrium: Overview
      • 1101 Visualising dynamic chemical equilibrium
      • 1102 The jargon of chemical equilibrium
      • 1103 Equilibrium constants: The law of equilibrium
      • 1104 The law of equilibrium: an analogy
    • Chapter 22 Spectroscopy >
      • 2200 Spectroscopy: Overview and preview
      • 2201 Quantisation of forms of energy
      • 2202 Light: Wave-particle "duality"
      • 2203 Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy
      • 2204 Beer’s law: How much light is transmitted?
    • Chapter 27 The greenhouse effect, climate change >
      • 2700 The greenhouse effect: overview
      • 2701 Is Earth in energy balance?
      • 2702 CO2 in the atmosphere before 1800
      • 2703 So little CO2! Pffft?
      • 2704 Does CO2 affect Earth's energy balance?
      • 2705 The "greenhouse effect"
      • 2706 Why does CO2 absorb radiation from Earth?
      • 2707 The "enhanced greenhouse effect"
      • 2708 Why doesn't CO2 absorb the radiation from the sun?
      • 2709 Why are N2 and O2 not greenhouse gases?
      • 2710 Doesn't water vapour absorb all the IR?
      • 2711 Carbon dioxide from our cars
      • 2712 The source of energy from combustion
      • 2713 Comparing fuels as energy sources
      • 2714 Methane: How does it compare as a GHG?
      • 2715 Different sorts of pollution of the atmosphere
      • 2716 "Acidification" of seawater
    • Chapter 27 Communicating chemistry >
      • 2700 Overview, preview
      • 2703 The jargon we use
  • TEACHERS' CORNER
    • T01 Communicating chemistry
    • T02 Beer's law
    • T03 Professional amnesia of the chemistry teaching professio
    • T04 Law of equilibrium
    • T05 Visusalizing dynamic chemical equilibrium
    • Information vs. knowledge
  • PERSONAL GALLERY
    • Family
    • Travel
    • Playful dolphins
    • The University of Western Australia
    • Kings Park
    • Perth
    • At work
    • 999 Thermodynamics

Environmental chemistry


​




​Chapter 27

The greenhouse effect, climate change

​Is climate change real?
​

​If it is, what contribution to change has been brought about by human activities?
​

What is the "greenhouse effect"?
​

And the "enhanced greenhouse effect"?
​

Which substances are "greenhouse gases"? Why?
​

​Is carbon dioxide in our atmosphere good or bad?

​

Another term used for the phenomenon discussed in this chapter is global warming.


On its own, none of the recent photos below can prove that climate change is real - but the total story is convincing, especially in conjunction with the measurements that reputable scientific communities are making.

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Credit: NASA

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Image by Peggychoucair from Pixabay

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Image by Gerd Altmann from ​Pixabay

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
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Image by Duyệt Trần Văn from Pixabay

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Image by WikiImages from Pixabay
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Image by Gabe Raggio from Pixabay

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Image by Hermann Traub from Pixabay

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UN climate report, April 2022: It’s ‘now or never’ to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees
Let the science lead discussions ....

Almost all scientists accept that climate change is real and a danger to humanity - as do I - because the science makes sense, and the data is undeniable. But when was the last time that you heard our decision-makers discussing the science of climate change? The science has been buried under politics, economics and short-term self-interest.On this site, I will not be discussing political (non-)responses to the threat, nor the serious economic and social consequences, nor ways to limit climate change. Just the underlying science of the phenomenon.
​

​
The science of climate change through questions

With regard to climate change, the following are some questions posed by curious people, doubters, deniers, and those who have a self interest in the fossil fuel industries. Sometimes the questions are asked out of curiosity, and sometimes they are intended to mislead or confuse people. Sensible responses depend on a knowledge of the basics of the relevant science - mainly chemistry and physics.
​
Many people, including our decision-makers at the highest levels, know only that “carbon dioxide ‘captures’ heat”. What does that mean? And so what?

In this chapter we will address, module by module, the science underlying some of the commonly asked questions. Click to go directly to the module (if the question is in bold and blue), or use the LEARNING MODULES tab at the top of the pages.
​

  1.  What is meant by the “energy balance” of Earth? Is Earth in energy balance?
  2.  Was carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere before the industrial revolution? 
  3. Since the concentration of carbon dioxide is so small, can it significantly affect what happens in the atmosphere?
  4. Does carbon dioxide in the atmosphere affect the energy balance of Earth?
  5. How does carbon dioxide in the atmosphere affect the energy balance of Earth? What is the greenhouse effect” What are “greenhouse gases”?
  6. How/Why do carbon dioxide molecules “trap” the radiation which is emitted from the surface of Earth?
  7. How much has the concentration of carbon dioxide increased since 1800. So what?
  8. Carbon dioxide molecules absorb outgoing radiation from Earth. Why, then, don’t they absorb the incoming radiation from the sun?
  9. Nitrogen and oxygen are not greenhouse gases. Why do carbon dioxide molecules absorb outgoing radiation from Earth, but nitrogen and oxygen molecules do not?
  10. Water vapour is the most important greenhouse gas It absorbs 60% of outgoing infrared radiation. The concentration of water vapour in the atmosphere (average 4%) is many times higher than the concentration of carbon dioxide. So, how can an increase in the small concentration of carbon dioxide significantly increase absorption of the outgoing radiation?
  11. What is the source of carbon dioxide from our vehicles? How is it formed? How much is formed?
  12. Combustion of petrol produces heat. Where does the energy come from?
  13. Petrol, coal and natural gas are fuels. How are they different in terms of (i) the amount of carbon dioxide produced, (ii) energy produced, and (iii) “dirty” products of combustion?
  14. Methane is also a “greenhouse gas”. How does it compare with carbon dioxide?
  15. What relationships are there between these environmental problems , all of which occur in the atmosphere: (i) the “greenhouse effect”, (ii) depletion of the ozone layer, (iii) acid rain, and (iv) photochemical smog?
  16. How does an increase in concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere lead to “acidification” of sea water? In this context, what does “acidification” mean? So what?
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LEARNING CHEMISTRY FOR UNDERSTANDING
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  • HOME
  • NAVIGATION
    • Table of contents
    • Index
    • TALK WITH PROF BOB?
  • LEARNING MODULES
    • Chapter 02 Stuff, matter: What is it? >
      • 0200 Stuff, matter: A theory of atoms
      • 0201 Atoms: The building blocks of all stuff
      • 0202 People classifying stuffs. Why?
    • Chapter 05 Chemical reactions, chemical equations >
      • 0500 Chemical reactions vs. chemical equations. Overview
      • 0501 Chemical amount and its unit of measurement, mole
      • 0502 The Avogadro constant: How many is that?
      • 0503 The Avogadro constant: Why is it that number?
      • 0504 Chemical formulas: What can they tell us??
      • 0505 Chemical equations: What can they tell us?
      • 0506 Limiting reactants: How much reaction can happen?
      • 0507 Balanced chemical equations: What are they?
      • 0508 Chemical reactions as competitions
    • Chapter 09 Aqueous solutions >
      • 0901 What is a solution? And what is not?
      • 0902 Miscibility of liquids in each other
      • 0903 Like dissolves like? Shades of grey
      • 0905 Dissolution of ionic salts in water: A competition
      • 0906 Can we predict solubilities of salts?
      • 0907 Solution concentration
      • 0908 Chemical species, speciation in aqueous solution
      • 0909 Solutes: Electrolytes or non-electrolytes?
      • 0910 Electrolytes - strong or weak?
      • 0911 Concentrated, dilute, strong, weak
      • 0912 Species concentration vs. solution concentration
      • 0913 Weak electrolytes: Getting quantitative
    • Chapter 11: Dynamic chemical equilibrium >
      • 1100 Dynamic chemical equilibrium: Overview
      • 1101 Visualising dynamic chemical equilibrium
      • 1102 The jargon of chemical equilibrium
      • 1103 Equilibrium constants: The law of equilibrium
      • 1104 The law of equilibrium: an analogy
    • Chapter 22 Spectroscopy >
      • 2200 Spectroscopy: Overview and preview
      • 2201 Quantisation of forms of energy
      • 2202 Light: Wave-particle "duality"
      • 2203 Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy
      • 2204 Beer’s law: How much light is transmitted?
    • Chapter 27 The greenhouse effect, climate change >
      • 2700 The greenhouse effect: overview
      • 2701 Is Earth in energy balance?
      • 2702 CO2 in the atmosphere before 1800
      • 2703 So little CO2! Pffft?
      • 2704 Does CO2 affect Earth's energy balance?
      • 2705 The "greenhouse effect"
      • 2706 Why does CO2 absorb radiation from Earth?
      • 2707 The "enhanced greenhouse effect"
      • 2708 Why doesn't CO2 absorb the radiation from the sun?
      • 2709 Why are N2 and O2 not greenhouse gases?
      • 2710 Doesn't water vapour absorb all the IR?
      • 2711 Carbon dioxide from our cars
      • 2712 The source of energy from combustion
      • 2713 Comparing fuels as energy sources
      • 2714 Methane: How does it compare as a GHG?
      • 2715 Different sorts of pollution of the atmosphere
      • 2716 "Acidification" of seawater
    • Chapter 27 Communicating chemistry >
      • 2700 Overview, preview
      • 2703 The jargon we use
  • TEACHERS' CORNER
    • T01 Communicating chemistry
    • T02 Beer's law
    • T03 Professional amnesia of the chemistry teaching professio
    • T04 Law of equilibrium
    • T05 Visusalizing dynamic chemical equilibrium
    • Information vs. knowledge
  • PERSONAL GALLERY
    • Family
    • Travel
    • Playful dolphins
    • The University of Western Australia
    • Kings Park
    • Perth
    • At work
    • 999 Thermodynamics