Nowadays, public discourse and scientific interest seem to be dominated by one topic: climate change. The facts are stubborn, extraordinary atmospheric and geological phenomena have multiplied in recent decades and are occurring with unusual intensity. It is foolish to deny their objectivity. However, a meaningful discourse could be conducted about the underlying causes. Are the fluctuations in the climate the result of a series of events superimposed on each other, or is it just a matter of repeating cycles?
According to the followers of the dominant hypothesis, the anthropogenic strengthening of the atmospheric greenhouse effect is responsible for the fact that the average temperature of the Earth is rising. The main reason for this is the proven upward trend in the atmospheric concentration of so-called greenhouse gases. Of these, carbon dioxide and methane are attributed a prominent role. Are they right? The purpose of the following calculation is to clarify the role of carbon dioxide and methane in the increase in atmospheric temperature. Our method is to use only measured and derived data, we ignore all model calculations, we rely only on our physical-chemical knowledge. We do not look for errors in the subtleties of complex climate models or theories. Our arguments are easy to understand even without a mathematical or natural science background. In our calculations, we use physical and chemical relationships taught at university.