But, it s such a simple connection it s hard to get around, he said. Greenhouse gases, including CO2, moderate earth s temperature in a process called the Greenhouse Effect. Sunlight passes through atmospheric greenhouse gases and is reflected off the surface of the earth. Some of this light energy is trapped by the blanket of protective gases and radiated back towards earth, warming the atmosphere. Without the greenhouse effect, earth s temperature would remain well below freezing, White said.
Many people miss that basic fact.
Of course it s real. We would not have a habitable planet without it, White said. It s the increase of greenhouse gases, especially CO2, that heightens the greenhouse effect and drives global warming, White said. In the late 1800s, the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere hovered around 280 parts per million. Since then, CO2 increase has been almost astronomic, jumping to the current concentration of 360 ppm, White said.