How Carbon Dioxide Affects The Environment

How Carbon Dioxide Affects The Environment

For the animals and plants to survive, they require carbon dioxide. But when it is too much, then it causes life on earth to die. At CarbonClick, you will learn that, not only will the animals and plants be required to utilize the carbon dioxide, but they do rely on it to ensure that they are kept warm because it is an important component to the atmosphere of the earth.

Greenhouse Gas

Though carbon dioxide plays an important role in the life of the plants and helps in ensuring that the earth remains warm, increasing it in the atmosphere is what causes global warming. This gas tends to naturally occur in greenhouses. Others that occur include methane, water vapor, and nitrous oxide.

The above are the gases, which keep the earth warm by absorbing the energy from the sun and redirecting it to the surface of the earth. When there is an increase in carbon dioxide,  it creates excesses in the greenhouse gases which trap more heat. The heat, which is trapped leads to the ice caps that are melting and ocean levels rising, which then causes flooding.

Plants

Plants are the ones that remove the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during sequestration of carbon. The gas  which is removed is then stored in biomass and released later by the plant.

In most instances, the amount which is released tends to be less than the amount that the plants consume. Glasslands, farms, and forests are normally considered as sinks of carbon dioxide, depending on the practices happening on the land. Cows produce methane which the grass on the land sequesters.

Human Health

For the survival of animals, carbon dioxide is very important. Oxygen is normally carried to the tissues of the body during breathing as carbon dioxide is released out. The gas is the one which protects the level of pH in the blood. When there is too much carbon dioxide, there are chances that the animal will die. If for some reason carbon dioxide is confined, it has the potential of reducing the oxygen which is capable of reaching the body. Any decrease or increase to the carbon dioxide amount that reaches the body can lead to coma or kidney failure.

Sources Of Carbon Dioxide

Combustible fossil fuels such as power plant gas, coal, vehicles, oil, and big industries are some of the largest sources of carbon dioxide. The production comes from various items such as cement, steel, natural gas, iron, solid waste combustion, ammonia, limestone, soda ash, cropland, titanium, petrochemical, and phosphoric acid.

Carbon dioxide accounts for about 85% of all the emissions and it is normally produced when petroleum, natural gas, and coal are used. The main areas where these  particular fuels are utilized include transportation, generation of electricity, industry and commercial and residential buildings

Conclusion

It is an open secret that pollution is an issue which is very pressing and therefore deserves immediate attention. More than 200 million people across the globe are affected by toxic pollutants and that is why CarbonClick is there to help get a solution