A common misconception held by most people is that the "greenhouse effect" is a phenomenon mainly caused by human CO2 production. This is a gross misunderstanding; actually, the greenhouse effect is a natural occurrence. Certain gases in the atmosphere trap infrared radiation, or heat, that would otherwise escape from the earth's atmosphere into outer space, this heat is a result of the greenhouse effect which is absolutely essential to the survival of every species on earth. .

             The greenhouse gas that is most abundant, not to mention hating the largest effect on climate, is water vapor. Water vapor makes up 97% of all greenhouse gases. Of the 3% of greenhouse gases not comprised of water vapor, the largest component is carbon dioxide. About 4% of the carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere is due to man-made carbon dioxide coming from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. These fossil fuels have been trapped deep beneath the earth's surface so their introduction in to the earth's atmosphere causes an imbalance which has been alleged to cause adverse effects on the environment. In addition to CO2, Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (N2O), Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), Perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) also constitute greenhouse gases. .

             The natural CO2 production corresponding to the greenhouse effect is known as the carbon cycle. Carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere into plants when they breathe, and that carbon gets stored in the body of the plant itself. When plants are burned or when alcohol made from plants is burned, the carbon dioxide that results does not necessarily represent a man-made addition to the greenhouse effect, since the carbon in plants originally came from the air, and therefore already existed as a part of the carbon cycle which transfers carbon back and forth between the atmosphere and the surface of the earth.