Global Warming The term "global warming" is frequently used in the context of environmental issues. Global warming is characterized by gradual climate changes such as rising temperatures, longer heat waves, and shorter cold periods. Global warming, which is linked to greenhouse gas emissions, has a multitude of effects on the world, including a decrease in water resources, the degradation of some ecosystems, glacial melting, and the threat of plant and animal extinction. Green House Effect The Greenhouse Effect The greenhouse effect occurs when short wavelengths of visible light from the sun pass through a transparent medium and are absorbed, while longer wavelengths of infrared re-radiation from heated things cannot. Long wavelength radiation is trapped, resulting in more heating and a higher temperature. The greenhouse effect has been widely used to describe the trapping of excess heat by rising carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere, aside from the heating of a