There has been much debate in recent years about the severity of the greenhouse effect. What is it? Is it currently our biggest environmental problem? Please explain, thank you!
Submitted by: Ian Galloway
Answer:
The term "greenhouse effect" is defined in our Global Change Dictionary, along with many other words that are used to describe related concepts. You can also learn more about it by perusing the reports we post in our Subject Index section. Although we do not believe it is a problem, it has indeed generated the biggest environmental debate of recent years. And this is the major reason we created our website: to provide sound scientific input to the ongoing evaluation of this phenomenon. We also report on the positive biological effects of atmospheric CO2 enrichment in our Subject Index, as this aspect of the debate is often neglected by those who want to portray the rising CO2 content of the air as a problem.