As we know it, the greenhouse effect is standard physics and confirmed by observations. The atmosphere of the Earth is less able to absorb shortwave radiation from the Sun than thermal radiation coming from the surface. The effect of this disparity is that thermal radiation escaping to space comes mostly from the cold upper atmosphere, while the surface is maintained at a substantially warmer temperature. This is called the "atmospheric greenhouse effect", and without it, the Earth's surface would be much colder.
This absorption of heat is due to trace gases which make up only a very small part of the atmosphere. Such gases are opaque to thermal radiation, and are called "greenhouse gases". The most important greenhouse gases on Earth are water vapor and carbon dioxide. In addition to CO2, there are also other gases called greenhouse gases such as NOx, Methane, CFCs, ozone, and others. If the atmosphere was simply a dry mix of its major constituents, Oxygen, and Nitrogen, the Earth would freeze over completely. At that time, the species on Earth and even our humankind are difficult to survive and grow.
William Harper, an American physicist, has stated that “Some small fraction of the 1° C warming during the past two centuries must have been due to increasing CO2, which is indeed a greenhouse gas”, but argues that “most of the warming has probably been due to natural causes.” Other scientists dispute that view. Michael Oppenheimer said that Harper’s claims are “simply not true” and that the preponderance of evidence and majority of expert opinion points to a strong anthropogenic influence on rising global temperatures. Climate Science Watch published a point-by-point rebuttal to one of Harper’s articles.
In May 2013, Harper and Harrison Schmitt published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, "In Defense of Carbon Dioxide," in which they termed elevated atmospheric CO2 "a boon to plant life."
In December 2015, Harper was targeted in a sting operation by the environmental activist group Greenpeace; posing as consultants for a Middle Eastern oil and gas company, they asked Harper to write a report touting the benefits of rising carbon emissions. In his paper ”The Truth About Greenhouse Gases”, Professor Harper criticises the misguided scare-mongering about CO2 emissions as well as the habitual exaggeration of the likely impact and risks posed by global warming.
“CO2 does indeed cause some warming of our planet. Other things being equal, more CO2 will cause more warming. The question is how much warming, and whether the increased CO2 and the warming it causes will be good or bad for the planet,” Harper writes.
There is one thing however that does concern me about Professor Harper’s statement, which is, “CO2 does indeed cause some warming of our planet.”Please note the use of the word ‘cause’. This means that Professor Harper considers that Carbon Dioxide can be a Driver of Climate. Professor Harper goes on “Other things being equal, more CO2 will cause more warming”, he asserts that CO2 is causative, if only in a small degree. But is that logical? What is the basis for claiming that Carbon Dioxide can cause warming? That Carbon Dioxide absorbs strongly in the infrared and the near infrared. Nobody will quarrel with that, as an established Fact. But what conclusion can be derived from that? Since Carbon Dioxide absorbs heat, does that infer that it causes heating? Sorry, no way is that logical. For we also know that Carbon Dioxide can also be cooled to make Dry Ice. Ergo, Carbon Dioxide is reactive and not an agent, not a Driver. This is even clearer with Water Vapour. We all can experience humidity on a hot day. Does the humidity create the heat? Obviously not, because we know that freezing fog is also Water Vapour. In both cases the gas is passive. In simple language, they both can be cooled and be heated. There is no way that they can cause heat.
We know that the average temperature of the surface of the Earth is determined by the balance between the sun's energy that hits the Earth and the amount of radiation from the ground into the universe. Solar radiation is shortwave radiation, so it is easy to penetrate the ozone layer and the CO 2 layer to reach the surface. In contrast, radiation from the Earth into the cosmos is a long, through thick carbon dioxide and CO2 + water vapor in the air absorbed. This amount of heat causes the temperature of the atmosphere to rise around the Earth. So, the CO2 layer acts as a layer of glass that keeps the Earth's atmosphere radiant on a global scale. The effect of so-called greenhouse gas at near-surface temperatures - has not been completely proven. In other words, there is no indisputable evidence of it causing the greenhouse effect, or its connection with the assumption that global warming.
About the problem in defense of carbon dioxide of Harper, I do not agree with his point of view. To understand what is happening exactly on this topic, we must first discuss what carbon dioxide is and what the effects are, specifically in our atmosphere.
CO2 — a naturally occurring gas that is also emitted at great levels by human activity — is one of several greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is one of the issues that is causing this global warming, or climate change. Why is it in our atmosphere and why is that a terrible thing? Carbon dioxide is a gas that is known as a “greenhouse gas.” These gases absorb warmth from their surroundings and re-radiate some of it back toward Earth’s surface, slowing the rate at which the planet loses heat. This is where the term “greenhouse effect” comes into play. It’s not necessarily an awful effect because the animals and plants of Earth have enjoyed the warm temperatures. Without this effect, “Earth’s average temperature would fall below freezing”Unfortunately, having too much carbon dioxide can be dangerous.
Because of our human nature, we advance in our technology and we advance in our evolution over time. With this, comes the industrial revolution. During this, humans began burning coal, natural gas, and oil to power machines for manufacturing and transportation. Since then, we have burned more fossil fuels each decade, releasing vast amounts of carbon dioxide that were previously stored in the ground into the atmosphere. Regrettably, our advancement has caused more carbon dioxide to be let into the atmosphere causing global warming to increase and climate change to take effect. Global warming and climate change are different, but they go hand in hand because global warming is just one of the effects of climate change. It is already becoming of great concern today. As mentioned above, but it can be the cause of our rising sea levels and acidity in our oceans.
Too much CO2 in the atmosphere means that we live and work in a greenhouse, but on a whole planet, you’ll run into the fact that the ecosphere is incredibly complex. That extra CO2 means a lot of extra heat, and that will have all sorts of ramifications. Everything comes with a price. Droughts, flooding, fires, rising sea levels…increasing CO2 may help some plants in some places, but it will have catastrophic effects elsewhere. That means there’s no time to adapt. Evolution takes time, which means countless species of animals and plants won’t adapt. It’ll cause a massive disruption of the planet's ecosphere on a colossal scale. Obviously, all of the carbon we have added to the atmosphere will not go away overnight. Its effects will be destructive and long-felt. But by understanding the impact of CO2, hopefully, we can take steps toward reducing our emissions and, if we're really lucky, avoid the worse effects of climate change yet to come.
What can we do to prevent this? Or at least reduce our contribution to increasing carbon dioxide. You can use "carbon-free energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and low-end power. You can also use public transport to reduce emissions from cars. The more people who ride bicycles and use less transportation, will not only remove the carbon dioxide emitted in the air but also reduce traffic, help fresh air, organisms and Human beings on Earth have a better living environment.