Increasing concentrations of “greenhouse gases” (GHGs) are trapping more infrared radiation within the Earth’s atmosphere, which in turn slowly heats up the planet.
Solar radiation consists of visible sunlight and infrared radiation. It heats the Earth, and the resulting heat radiation — infrared radiation — is then re-emitted from the Earth’s surface.
Fortunately, this infrared radiation “bounces” in the layers of the atmosphere — in fact, it is absorbed and re-emitted by greenhouse gases — and returns to Earth, a process that has kept Earth’s surface warm at night and preserved life from deep freeze for millions of years.
Unfortunately, a slight imbalance in greenhouse gases linked to human activity is gradually increasing the trapping of infrared radiation and causing average global temperatures to rise. This phenomenon, known as global warming or climate change, has been slowly overheating the planet since the onset of the Industrial Revolution.