CO2, also known as carbon
dioxide, is a so-called green-
house gas, as it retains heat.
When the sunlight hits Earth,
Earth emits thermal energy
into space in the form of infra-
red radiation - which is just
electromagnetic radiation
with a lower frequency than
the light absorbed. At the low-
er frequencies, greenhouse
gasses absorb a major part of
the radiation energy, and the
thermal energy is sent back
to Earth. So, heat remains.
Different greenhouse gasses do not equally absorb radiation energy in the infrared spectrum. For instance, methane is much more efficient at holding heat than carbon dioxide.
Different greenhouse gasses do not equally absorb radiation energy in the infrared spectrum. For instance, methane is much more efficient at holding heat than carbon dioxide.
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