Air Pollution
Methane and Carbon Dioxide
- Both gases insulate the Earth and act as a 'blanket' around the atmosphere
- Higher levels of both have led to global warming and climate change
- Human activity has increased levels of both gases in the atmosphere
- Burning fossil fuels increases carbon dioxide
- Keeping livestock generates methane gas
- Global warming melts the permafrost in sub-polar regions, which results in even more trapped methane being released into the atmosphere
- Other effects include more frequent extreme weather events (floods, hurricanes, droughts) that cause damage to habitats, including human habitats
The enhanced man-made greenhouse effect