Our life is extremely dependant on Earth’s environment.  The ozone layer and greenhouse effect are two important factors when thinking about our life on Earth.  When these are unbalanced, our very existence is at risk.

The ozone layer is a protective blanket around the Earth that absorbs most ultraviolet rays from the sun.  This layer is continually replenished and destroyed.  However, in the past it seems to be decreasing faster than it is reproducing.  The decrease is thought to be caused by chemicals that are emitted by air conditioning, refrigerators, and cleaning products.  With this reduction in the ozone layer, more ultraviolet rays are penetrating the Earth’s surface and causing harm to life.

The greenhouse effect occurs when infrared radiation from the sun is bounced back to the Earth’s surface by water vapor and trace gas.  The greenhouse effect has potential to increase the Earth’s surface temperature.  This increase would cause glaciers and the polar ice caps to melt.  Ultimately causing less land surface for people to live and grow food.