The Greenhouse Effect is the name given to the process by which a layer of gases in the atmosphere traps and prevents heat generated by the Earth from being released. This phenomenon is both natural and beneficial: if it weren’t for these gases, our planet would be a ball of ice with an average temperature of 15 degrees below zero. But nothing is good in excess: human activity over the last two centuries has made this layer too thick, leading to an imbalance in energy and rising temperatures.