Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an essential component of our atmosphere and is non-toxic, colourless and odourless in gaseous form under natural conditions. The role of CO2 in our climate is crucial: it absorbs some of the heat radiated from the earth and reflects it back to the earth's surface. This natural greenhouse effect regulates the climate on our planet and creates the conditions in which flora and fauna can thrive.
CO2 is produced as a natural by-product of cellular respiration in numerous living organisms, the decay of dead organisms and the combustion of organic materials such as wood, coal and gas, or even from natural sources of CO2 (e.g. underwater volcanoes and hydrothermal vents). CO2 sinks are essential to close the natural carbon cycle. In nature, CO2 is broken down by plants through photosynthesis or physically dissolved and stored by bodies of water such as seas and oceans.
Since the beginning of industrialisation (early 19th century), primarily through the burning of coal, oil and natural gas as well as the clearing of forests and draining of wetlands, humans have left behind a considerable carbon footprint. Natural carbon sinks are not sufficient to compensate for anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. The increased greenhouse effect due to human activities, also known as the anthropogenic greenhouse effect, is causing the Earth to warm and has a negative impact on our ecosystem. These include a general increase in temperature, the melting of snow and ice, changes in the acidity of water and the extinction of flora and fauna.
Quellen:
IPCC_AR6_SYR_LongerReport.pdf
CO2, the greenhouse effect and global warming: from the pioneering work of Arrhenius and Callendar to today's Earth System Models (sciencedirectassets.com)
How much carbon dioxide does the Earth naturally absorb? | MIT Climate Portal
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