A Beautiful Planet calls Earth's atmosphere "a delicate cocoon of air that shields us from our star's radiation." Of course, the atmosphere doesn't completely block electromagnetic radiation from the Sun; without some sunlight reaching the surface, plants could not harvest the Sun's energy, and practically no life as we know it could exist. The atmosphere's ozone layer does filter out much of the harmful ultraviolet light (or "UV rays") produced by the Sun. UV rays can cause skin cancer, and catastrophic damage to the ozone layer may have contributed to Earth's most extensive mass extinction of species ever, the End-Permian extinction (also known
Flash-gas (petroleum) classified by their ability to absorb and emit radiation energy in atmosphere. This process of energy capture and release is what allows for the greenhouse effect, when energy trapped within the gas causes a resulting warming of the atmospheric temperature. Greenhouse gases are necessary for keeping our atmosphere warm enough to sustain life but also serve as a medium for over-heating to occur, a phenomenon referred to as global warming. GHGs are produced both directly and indirectly during many production phases of the oil and gas industry. It is estimated that 90% of GHG emissions from fossil fuels is due