Final answer:
Burning fossil fuels contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, which trap heat in the atmosphere and lead to global climate change. This increase in carbon dioxide disrupts the natural carbon cycle and enhances the greenhouse effect.
Step-by-step explanation:
Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures. This process increases levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which contributes to the greenhouse effect, leading to global climate change. The term “greenhouse effect” is used because greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, function much like the glass panels of a greenhouse, allowing shortwave solar radiation to enter but preventing the long-wave radiation of heat from escaping into space.
Since the Industrial Revolution, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas has released large amounts of carbon dioxide, upsetting the natural carbon cycle. This imbalance has led to a steady increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, which enhances the greenhouse effect and results in elevated surface temperatures. It is essential to understand this mechanism because human activities continue to contribute to climate change, with potential consequences including the melting of ice caps and rising sea levels.