{"id":28,"date":"2026-03-07T18:56:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T23:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatdoesclimatechangemeanforyou.opened.ca\/?page_id=28"},"modified":"2026-04-01T22:15:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T05:15:28","slug":"greenhouse-gases","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/whatdoesclimatechangemeanforyou.opened.ca\/?page_id=28","title":{"rendered":"Greenhouse Gases"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

First, to discuss climate change, we must explore what is causing it. The main drivers for climate change are what are known as “Greenhouse Gases<\/strong>” (GHG). These are gases that are present in the atmosphere that trap the heat from the sun in the Earth’s atmosphere1<\/a><\/sup>. Heat gets trapped through a process called the Greenhouse Effect<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
From: The Greenhouse Effect<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

GHGs have always been in the atmosphere and are a crucial part of sustaining life on Earth. With the help of GHGs<\/strong>, the average temperature on Earth comes to about 15\u00b0C<\/strong>. Without these gases, the average temperature on Earth would drop to -18\u00b0C<\/strong>, and most of Earth would be frozen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Important Greenhouse Gases<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

GHGs in our atmosphere mainly consist of Carbon Dioxide<\/strong> (CO\u2082), Methane<\/strong> (CH\u2084), and Nitrous Oxide <\/strong>(N\u2082O). As seen in figure 1, there are seven GHGs<\/strong> that are currently being tracked. The green part of the pie chart represents what is known as the Fluorinated Gases<\/strong> (or F-Gases, because they all contain at least one fluoride atom).<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Figure 1: pie chart of abundance of greenhouse gases relative to each other.2<\/a><\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do Greenhouse Gases look like?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Greenhouse gases are structured simply and very stable, which is why they are a common byproduct of many processes humans do on Earth. 3<\/a><\/sup> Below, in Figure 2, you can see the structure of some of the greenhouse gases we have already explored! In this diagram, the Oxygen <\/strong>atoms are red, Hydrogen <\/strong>atoms are white, Nitrogen <\/strong>atoms are blue, and Carbon <\/strong>atoms are black\/grey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look through each molecule and see if you can find the ones we haven’t covered yet. Think about why these molecules may be on this list of ‘Greenhouse effect molecules.’<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Figure 2: molecular structure of water, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, and nitrous oxide.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

If you want to build greenhouse gases, click on the button below to visit an interactive site!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Molecule Builder<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To explore Greenhouse Gases, watch this 3-minute video that breaks down the different gases that contribute to climate change:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n