The greenhouse effect, first discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824, and confirmed by Svante Arrhenius in 1896, is the process by which an atmosphere warms a planet. The term greenhouse effect may be used to refer to two different things nowadays: the natural greenhouse effect, which refers to the greenhouse effect which occurs naturally on Earth, and the enhanced greenhouse effect, which results from human activities.

While the greenhouse effect is a natural process, the enhancement of this process through human activities is causing widespread concern. Nine of the ten warmest years in the instrumental record have occurred since 1990. The global average surface temperature in 2002 was approximately 0.5° C above the 1961–90 averages and replaced the 2001 record as the second warmest on record (source: World Meteorological Organisation 2002).
Since the Industrial Revolution, mankind has been releasing extra quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which trap more......

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Title: Greenhouse Effect
Approximate Word Count: 512
Approximate Pages: 3 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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