Greenhouse gases are atmospheric constituents that absorb and emit infrared radiation, thereby contributing to the greenhouse effect and Earth’s radiative energy balance. Major greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), ozone (O₃), and various halogenated compounds, along with water vapour (H₂O) as a feedback agent. Their radiative forcing depends on concentration, spectral absorption properties, atmospheric lifetime, and overlap with other absorbers. In climate research, greenhouse gases are quantified via metrics such as global warming potential and effective radiative forcing to assess their contribution to anthropogenic climate change and to inform emissions mitigation strategies.
Satellites circling Earth have many different functions, including navigation, communications and Earth observation. About 8%–10% of all active satellites are military or "dual use" serving intelligence or reconnaissance ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 16, 2025
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According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 30% to 40% of the nation's food supply ends up being wasted. That adds up to billions of pounds every year rotting in landfills and emitting greenhouse gases like methane and ...
Biotechnology
Jul 15, 2025
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Carbon emissions continue to increase at record levels, fueling climate instability and worsening air quality conditions for billions in cities worldwide. Yet despite global commitments to carbon neutrality, urban policymakers ...
Environment
Jul 14, 2025
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A new Europe-focused study reveals that polyethylene (PE), the most widely used packaging material in Europe, has lower life cycle global warming potential (GWP)—often used to assess greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—than conventional ...
Environment
Jul 11, 2025
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A new study conducted by geologists from the University of Florida and the University of Maryland reveals that, as land is exposed by melting glaciers, chemical reactions in the newly uncovered glacial sediments initially ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 10, 2025
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A new study from the University of Nottingham has looked at how the anesthetic gases breathed out by animal patients are released into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.
Environment
Jul 10, 2025
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Adding lime to agricultural soils can remove CO2 from the atmosphere, rather than cause CO2 emissions, claims new research.
Ecology
Jul 9, 2025
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310
A large increase in atmospheric methane between 2020 and 2022 raised concerns that tropical wetland emissions had surged in response to a changing climate, but a study led by the University of Michigan shows that this was ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 8, 2025
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Ten years ago, the world committed itself to keeping global warming well below 2°C (and preferably below 1.5°C) above the pre-industrial era. This would be done by reducing greenhouse gas emissions significantly by 2030 and ...
Environment
Jul 8, 2025
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Since 2019, the UK has been committed to the target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Legally binding net zero targets form the basis for national efforts to meet the international goals of limiting global warming ...
Environment
Jul 8, 2025
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