Consequences of increased greenhouse effect

The greenhouse effect is a natural process which is essential for life on Earth. However, human activity is increasing the greenhouse effect, which could have drastic implications for the Earth's climate. The consequences of this increase in greenhouse effect, known as the enhanced greenhouse effect can be many and grave. There is uncertainty in scientific circles about the true impact of this in the future, but the general consensus is that human activity that increases the greenhouse effect should be minimized and avoided.

Global warming
Global warming is perhaps the most infamous consequence of an enhanced greenhouse effect. It is the process of the Earth's temperature rising at a speed and to an extent that natural causes cannot account for, and is therefore typically considered man-made. It is a phenomenon directly caused by the gases that act as insulation around the planet, making sure that the heat that comes in, stays in.

It is important to note that the greenhouse effect, in itself, is a natural event, without which the planet would not be inhabitable by humans. It is vital because it keeps the temperature warm and stable enough for Earth to be able to sustain life. In essence, the greenhouse effect only becomes an issue when it occurs to an extent that is beyond what it would naturally be; only the enhanced greenhouse effect is cause for alarm by scientists. Since about two hundred years ago, around the start of the industrial revolution in Europe, humans have been releasing an excess of the gases that contribute to the insulation in the atmosphere. The planet has gradually been warming up at a steady pace since this, slowly heating it up.

Region-specific consequences
In many areas, the environmental changes attributed to the enhanced greenhouse effect are very specific to that region or habitat. It affects urban areas very differently than in nature. Additionally, the areas by the poles, such as in the Arctic, which is not continental mass but rather floating ice, can be especially vulnerable to the greenhouse effect.

Opposers of the increased greenhouse effect
It can also be argued that certain consequences of the greenhouse effect are not negative or unnatural occurrences. For instance, it is a known fact that the Earth is in a constant cycle of hotter and cooler periods, which is what opposers of global warming attribute the obvious changes in temperature to. However, the rising temperature, and by extension the gases causing them, is occurring at a rate that cannot be accounted for when looking at the Earth's atmosphere over a longer period of time. The changes occurring now are more drastic, and most scientists will agree that they are, in fact, man-made.