Everyone knows that stuff like Co2 warms the atmosphere (shocking I know). But I recently heard that if there was none of the natural Co2 we already have, the average temperatures on earth would be around -15 degrees Celsius (could be wrong about that number). I would assume that this is not ideal for life, and if this is the case, is Earth really in the habitable zone, or is it just habitable because of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that make it warmer? Is the variablity of the amount of greenhouse gases accounted for when calculating how big the band of the zone of habitability?
Edit: Got my answer, thanks everybody!
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The habitable zone is merely a possibility that a planet in the area could have liquid water, which is the critical component to life as we know it. This is determined by the star’s luminosity (brightness) and the planet’s orbital radius. It is not an actual guarantee that the planet is habitable. For instance, Mars is technically in the habitable zone, yet it’s clearly not capable of supporting life as we know it. Likewise Venus skirts the edge of the habitable zone, but its atmospheric pressures, atmospheric composition, and temperature is incredibly destructive.
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