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The Green House Effect is a natural process that maintains the earth’s temperature at levels hospitable to life. Energy from the sun warms the earth. The earth absorbs heat from the sun and radiates it back into space in the form of infrared radiation. About one percent of the earth’s atmosphere is composed of greenhouse gases, primarily water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, methane and nitrous oxide. Together, these gases reflect enough heat back to the earth to maintain the average temperature of the atmosphere at around 60⁰ F. without the greenhouse effect, the earth would be a cold uninhabitable place. In comparison, Mars (whose thin atmosphere supports virtually no greenhouse effect) has an average temperature of 27⁰ F. At issue is humankind’s role in enhancing the greenhouse effect, contributing to overall global warming. Methane, produced when bacteria decomposes organic matter, is the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. About one quarter of global methane emissions from human activities comes from livestock and the decomposition of animal manure. Trees remove carbon dioxide from the air as part of their breathing process. The destruction of large forests has reduced the number of trees available to clean the air. When forest are cleared, most of the carbon in burned or decomposing trees escapes into the atmosphere. The supply and use of fossil fuels accounts for about three-fourths of humankind’s carbon dioxide emissions. The burning of coal, natural gas and oil yields most of the energy used to produce electricity, heat houses, run automobiles  and  power factories.