Heat from the sun reaches Earth, and is reflected back into space. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (like water, methane and carbon dioxide) absorb some of this heat, and can release it back to the surface, helping to keep us warm! The more of these greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the more heat they can trap, and that makes temperatures rise, which we call global warming. Greenhouse gases have been increasing since the industrial revolution, and are now at their highest level for hundreds of years. The Royal Society have a nice video about it – https://youtu.be/n4e5UPu1co0 !
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