Why carbon dioxide is so significant when considering global warming and climate change?

Answer 1

All the extra carbon dioxide that man is adding to the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) is proving too much for the natural carbon cycle to deal with. (The carbon cycle moves carbon in and out of the atmosphere, helping to keep the earth warm enough for life.)

We have also cut down billions of trees in the past 250 years that used to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, release the oxygen and store the carbon in their roots, trunks, branches and leaves, often for hundreds of years.

All this means that the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are rising, up 40% from the start of the Industrial Revolution. This is causing global warming, which causes climate change.

Because the planet requires plants and trees to absorb CO2 and put out oxygen into the atmosphere. They have a finite limit to their capability, so if we pump out more CO2 than they are capable of absorbing, there will be a buildup of surplus CO2 which is what is alleged to cause climate change.

The answer is either to plant and grow more vegetation to absorb the CO2, or reduce the CO2 output.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which means it lets heat in and it keeps most of it in.

If too much carbon dioxide is emitted in the atmosphere, the heat energy from the sun will be strongly insulated with the carbon dioxide - causing the Earth's surface to become much warmer hence "global warming."
The polluting carbon dioxide can make Earth's climates warmer.
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere provides plants with carbon for photosynthesis. its also traps heat from the sun that would otherwise escape from Earth back into space. this important property,known as the GREENHOUSE EFFECT, keeps the world climate warm enough for all living organisms.

Answer 2

Carbon dioxide is neither the most abundant nor the most potent greenhouse gas, but it is the most important greenhouse gas because it is substantially responsible for the enhanced greenhouse effect that causes global warming and climate change. Carbon dioxide differs from the most abundant greenhouse gas, water vapour, in that human activities can increase its atmospheric concentration. When we burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, we add to the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide. This has been going on since the beginning of the Industrial Age, and the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased in that time by more than 35 per cent, from the long-term range of 260-280 parts per million (ppm) to the present level of over 380 ppm.

As the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide increases, it traps more heat in the atmosphere and adds to global warming.

Answer 3

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas. The burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) and deforestation (cutting down trees which previously removed carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere) means that carbon dioxide levels are increasing in the atmosphere.

Greenhouse gases trap the sun's heat. More greenhouse gas, more heat. This is what is causing global warming.

Answer 4

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. It allows the heat radiations of the sun to come through the atmosphere but does not allow the terrestrial radiation to escape back into the atmosphere. This gradually raises the average temperature of the earth leading to global warming and climate change.

Answer 5

Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases. A greenhouse gas captures the sun's heat rising from the surface of the earth. As we add more and more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, global temperatures keep rising.

Answer 6

Carbon dioxide is significant in global warming because it is a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere, leading to a warming effect known as the greenhouse effect. The burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, amplifying this effect and contributing to climate change. Addressing carbon dioxide emissions is crucial in mitigating the impact of global warming.

Answer 7

CO2 traps heat.