From space the Earth is a planet which emits 235 W per square metre [W/m² or W m^-2]. If this emission is considered to be the broad spectrum emitted by an ideal blackbody, the emission temperature of the Earth can be calculated from the Stefan–Boltzmann law:

 E = sT⁴

E is the emitted flux, s the Stefan–Boltzmann constant (5.67 × 10^-8 J s^-1 K^-4) and T is the absolute temperature in Kelvins [i.e., degrees Celsius + 273.2] of the emitting surface. Applied to an emission of 235 W m^-2 this gives an emission temperature of 253.7 K (–19.5°C). The various temperature records at the thousands of irregularly placed measuring sites around the world indicate a mean surface temperature of 15°C, or 288.2 K.

That the surface temperature is higher than the emission temperature by 15 + 19.5 = 34.5°C gives an estimate for the global warming that we enjoy and which sustains all life on Earth.