
Earth’s surface receives energy from the Sun, and its heating effect reduces with distance, described by the Stefan-Boltzmann relationship. At Earth’s distance from the Sun, the average temperature is reckoned to be about -18°C as calculated from Stefan-Boltzmann, whereas the actual average temperature is about 33°C higher than that.
A generally accepted assertion is that that 33°C difference is due to the Greenhouse Gas effect, ie the atmospheric gases that are able to absorb IR energy, known as “Greenhouse Gases”, are responsible for that 33°C difference. I haven’t seen any substantiation of that assertion. This article tests that assertion.
The name “Greenhouse Gas” (GG). It is recognised the name is not really appropriate for the heat captured in the atmosphere by such “Greenhouse” molecules as CO2 or H2O, but the name has certainly captured the attention!













