6. Glossary

Greenhouse effect; Effet de serre

The phenomenon whereby energy from the Sun reaching the Earth is trapped and eventually transformed into heat. Incident solar radiation is mainly in the visible spectral range (wavelengths between 380 and 780 nm). The Earth's atmosphere is transparent to this radiation, which is mostly absorbed by the Earth's surface, which in turn emits infrared radiation that is absorbed by the so-called "greenhouse gases" (water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, etc.) present in the atmosphere. The higher the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere, the more effectively the incident energy is trapped.

Electrolysis; Electrolysis

A method of transforming chemical compounds by the action of an electric current. It is a process of converting electrical energy into chemical energy.