Careful with your energy efficiency program! It may ‘rebound’!

Excerpt

In May 2013, for the first time since its inception in 1950s, Mauna Loa Observatory, on the island of Hawaii, observed that the daily average of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration exceeds 400 parts per million. It may be a small concentration in atmosphere, but it plays a significant role in dictating surface temperature on earth. Earth receives radiation from the sun and a significant portion of it is reflected and reradiated back into the space. A portion of the total radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere. To reach an equilibrium for the earth’s climatic condition, the absorbed solar radiation should be in exact balance with radiation emitted to the space. In climatic science, externally imposed perturbations that disturb this balance are collectively known as radiative forcing. Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is one of the main culprits for global warming or increase of average temperature on earth’s surface through radiative forcing. Global warming may have severe impact on earth’s climate such as change in precipitation patterns, expansion of deserts, frequent occurrence of extreme weather conditions, and rise of sea level. …