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.
Methane is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases, significantly contributing to global warming. It also affects the formation of other climate-relevant substances like ozone and water vapor—particularly in the stratosphere. ...
Environment
Jun 18, 2025
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A study has found New Zealand's native forests are absorbing more carbon dioxide (CO2) than previously thought. Study leader, NIWA atmospheric scientist Dr. Beata Bukosa says the findings could have implications for New Zealand's ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 17, 2025
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A natural alternative to pesticides may be hiding in a misunderstood plant compound—but it could come at an environmental cost.
Environment
Jun 13, 2025
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Methane damages the climate—in the first 20 years after it is released, it is around 80 times more harmful than CO₂. At the same time, the short-lived greenhouse gas offers enormous potential for climate mitigation, particularly ...
Environment
Jun 12, 2025
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Climate models that give a low warming from increases in greenhouse gases do not match satellite measurements. Future warming will likely be worse than thought unless society acts, according to a new study published in Science.
Environment
Jun 12, 2025
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On the road to "net zero," governments should use a separate target to control the ramp-up of atmospheric carbon removals, independently of emission reductions. Setting a political target for the volume of such planetary ...
Environment
Jun 12, 2025
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The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed repealing rules that limit planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas, an action that Administrator Lee Zeldin said would ...
Environment
Jun 11, 2025
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Data that has been lost in the weeds—or more accurately the turfgrass—could help improve estimates of carbon dioxide emissions from urban areas, according to a team led by scientists at Penn State.
Earth Sciences
Jun 9, 2025
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Methane emissions from Canada's non-producing oil and gas wells appear to be seven times higher than government estimates, according to a new study led by researchers at McGill University. The findings spotlight a major gap ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 6, 2025
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For the first time, the seasonal peak of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere exceeded 430 parts per million (ppm) at NOAA's Mauna Loa Observatory on Hawaii, scientists from NOAA and Scripps Institution of Oceanography ...
Environment
Jun 5, 2025
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