The greenhouse effect is a phenomenon where our atmosphere traps in heat. This is caused by certain gases in the atmosphere, called greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide. This is a very serious matter, because we need a balance of hot and cold. Overheating our planet can lead to our planet having droughts, more floods, (ice caps melting), more natural disasters, etc. We have to find more ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Some examples are walking instead of driving your car, turning off the lights when you leave a room, etc. I need to also mention how people think that the greenhouse gases and global warming don't exist, that is not true! We need to learn and take action, because this is our only planet!