The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon. Sunlight falls through the atmosphere to the earth, heating its surface. Not all of the heat remains there, however. Most of it is emitted as long-wave thermal radiation from the earth's surface into space. In this respect, the gases in the earth's atmosphere play an important role. For the most part, they allow the short-wave solar radiation through, but the long-wave thermal radiation which is coming from the surface is partly absorbed by these gases, which means that the additional heat is stored in the atmosphere, like in a greenhouse. As a result of human activity, more and more of these greenhouse gases are finding their way into the atmosphere, strengthening the greenhouse effect. The additional heat is causing climate change, with the earth heating up, and with some huge consequences for the environment and people. Carbon dioxide has by far the greatest chair of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, which means emissions that are caused by human activity. This may nearerizes when fossil fuels such as coal, crude oil or natural gas are burned. To be able to better summarise and analyse the effects of these gases, their global warming potential can be expressed in the form of CO2 equivalents. This shows how much more an individual greenhouse gas contributes to global warming in the next 100 years compared with the impact of CO2. Accordingly, the impact of methane is 25 times greater than CO2. Therefore, in the first 100 years of its emission, 1 kg of methane contributes 25 times more to the greenhouse effect than 1 kg of CO2. In Germany, methane largely arises through agricultural livestock farming and the waste sector. The impact of nitrous oxide is 298 times greater than CO2. This may nearerizes during the production and use of fertilizers and in the chemical industry. Although fluorinated gases only account for a very small proportion of total emissions, some of them have an extremely potent greenhouse impact. The CO2 equivalent of sulfur hexafluoride, for example, is 22,800. F gases are used as coolants and extinguishing agents as propellants and insolvents among others. In Germany, most greenhouse gas emissions arise when fossil fuels such as oil or coal are burned to generate energy. The primary source in this area is the energy industry. For example, the generation of electrical power and heat. This is followed by transport, industrial furnaces, private households and the commercial retail and service sectors. Other emissions are caused by the production processes in industry, agriculture and waste management. If emissions from energy production are broken down and the share accounted for by industrial furnaces and production processes are added together, it is clear that industry, as a whole, is the second biggest source of emissions. All of these emissions intensify the greenhouse effect. For this reason, it is necessary to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases as far as possible or, ideally, for them to be stopped entirely. Important political measures include a transport revolution. For example, more walking cycling and use of public transport, a switch to electro-mobility and, overall, significantly fewer cars and lorries on the roads. More efficient and more economical fertilization and lower livestock numbers in the area of agriculture. And, of course, the energy revolution, i.e. the complete phase out of coal-fired power generation in favour of renewable energies and the efficient and economical use of energy. Fewer man-made gases mean less warming and every reduction in emissions makes an important contribution to the protection of the climate.