greenhouse gas

noun

: any of various gaseous compounds (such as carbon dioxide or methane) that absorb infrared radiation, trap heat in the atmosphere, and contribute to the greenhouse effect

Water vapor is an important gas for the study of climate and weather because of its role as a natural greenhouse gas as well as its relationship to clouds and precipitation.

—Mohi Kumar

Scientists now recognize tropospheric ozone—a component of smog—as a greenhouse gas as well as an eye and lung irritant.

—Science News

While it may not be possible to eliminate all greenhouse gas emissions, it is possible to offset some of the emissions that do still occur. Offsetting involves supporting projects that reduce or sequester greenhouse gas emissions in another location.

—Tyson Miller

Livestock emit 14.5 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions each year. Most of that is from cows.

—Marley Walker

Examples of greenhouse gas in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To fight the threat, countries across the globe joined the U.S. and signed on to the Paris Agreement, where more than 100 countries committed to a range of actions to reduce the risk of climate change by cutting greenhouse gases and fossil fuels. —Stanley S. Litow, New York Daily News, 2 Feb. 2025

Temperatures in urban settings have been projected to rise between 1.9 degrees and 4.4 degrees by the year 2100 due to greenhouse gas emissions, according to the study. —Dr. Christopher Wachuku, ABC News, 31 Jan. 2025

And that can have a huge impact - research in Nature in 2021 reported that the global agri-food system accounts for approximately 34% of total greenhouse gas emissions. —Felicia Jackson, Forbes, 31 Jan. 2025

The International Maritime Organization has been trying to clean up the shipping's act for a few years now by enforcing greenhouse gas regulations, but recently buckled down to set ambitious net-zero emissions targets for the global industry by 2050. —Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 30 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

greenhouse gas

noun

: any of various gases (as carbon dioxide or methane) that absorb infrared radiation, trap heat in the atmosphere, and contribute to the greenhouse effect