h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sorry to be pedantic, but global warming and the greenhouse effect are not the same, this is a common misconception. In your entry, you start with:

"Global warming, also known as the 'greenhouse effect'..."

-But this is not true!

Global warming is a gradual increase in the earth's average temperature over time, commonly thought to be caused more or less entirely by humans.

The Greenhouse Effect is a naturally occuring phenomenon, which causes the earth to be warmer than it would be if it did not have an atmosphere. Without it, there would be little or no life on earth.

The Greenhouse Effect has been enhanced greatly in the last 200 years by human activity. In this case, it contributes a great deal to global warming, but scientists use a different term - The Enhanced Greenhouse Effect. This is why the two terms are commonly confused.

CN. Only just noticed this comment after it was pointed out to me by Recumbantman on the PR thread (For some reason I don't appear to have been subscribed to this thread .

I've sent a message to Editorial Feedback for them to modify the opening two paras to refer to 'Enhanced Greenhouse Effect'.

Many s for pointing this out.

Thanks, apart from that its a really good entry.