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Global Warming
The chief danger greenhouse gases pose is their ability to reflect and trap the sun's heat. The more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are present in the atmosphere, the denser it becomes and the more heat it can absorb. Since the Industrial Revolution, the average surface temperature of the planet has risen by 0.85 degrees Celsius (1.5 degrees Fahrenheit), and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects that a doubling of the density of carbon dioxide would raise that by another 1.5 to 4.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 to 8.1 degrees Fahrenheit).
Secondary Effects
A few degrees of warming may seem insubstantial, but even 2 degrees Celsius could trigger massive repercussions worldwide. Every degree of warming could raise sea levels by as much as 2.3 meters (7.5 feet), devastating coastal areas and islands. Excessive warming may also disrupt normal climate patterns, drastically changing the amount of rainfall that areas of the globe receive and triggering ecological changes. A few degrees of warming could result in lowered crop yields, a crucial problem as world populations increase and place more pressure on vulnerable agricultural land.
Ocean Acidification
Not all the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere stay there. The oceans have absorbed around one-third of the excess carbon dioxide humans have produced, and this dissolved gas has altered the pH of the oceans, gradually making the waters more acidic. Over time, this affects shellfish and coral, weakening their shells and making the organisms more vulnerable to predators. The excess carbon dioxide can also cause overgrowth of marine plant life, altering the food web beneath the waves and leading to changes in ecosystems normally protected from humanity's excesses.
Greenhouse Gas Benefits
Greenhouse gases are not entirely detrimental to life and are one of the reasons living things are able to survive on Earth. The moon has no atmosphere to trap the sun's energy, and as a result, the temperature can swing from 123 degrees Celsius (253 degrees Fahrenheit) in the sunlight to minus 153 degrees Celsius (minus 243 degrees Fahrenheit) in the shade. The greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere trap about 30 percent of the sun's energy and distribute it over the surface, raising the average temperature from a chilly minus 18 degrees Celsius (0 degrees Fahrenheit) to its current average of 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit).