So what I’m reading is that these gas absorb the light from the sun and keeps it trapped on the earth.
What I don’t get is how is it letting the light and heat in from the sun in, but not the light and heat reflected from the Earth out? If it’s a barrier, shouldn’t it block both ways? If it’s not a barrier, how is it trapping the heat?
In: 950
It isn’t one way. The other side of the equation is global dimming.
There was big news (big science news) last month about the reduction in Sulphur Dioxide and how that may affect climate change. Sulphur Dioxide affected the atmosphere by seeding clouds that reflected light away from the earth. Now we’ve stopped emissions, we get to wait and see how much of an effect it will have.
Global dimming will never be enough to counter global warming, but it is enough to make climate change more difficult to predict.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/2023/03/27/climate-change-how-cleaning-up-pollution-may-heat-the-planet/dd7496b0-ccdc-11ed-8907-156f0390d081_story.html
https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-how-low-sulphur-shipping-rules-are-affecting-global-warming/
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