How does carbon dioxide affect the climate of the earth?

Answer 1

Carbon dioxide is a necessary constituent of the earths atmosphere. It is a gas that helps to maintain the temperature of the earth. Without it life would not exist.

Popularly known as a greenhouse gas, it reduces the amount of heat radiated to space.

There are problems associated with our civilizations production of carbon dioxide in that it is becoming increasingly unbalanced according to many sources. Others deny this is the case.

However it is vitally important that it is closely monitored and, if necessary, regulated.

Answer 2

In low quantities (below 200 ppm) it is generally agreed that it allows the warming of the planet to occur and life to become possible. As a minor contributor to the greenhouse effect, it is a vital requirement for life on this planet.

Above 200 ppm the issue becomes more debated. Many feel that a linear relationship between CO2 levels and temperature could exist, and the possibility is certainly there. Others contend that levels above 200 ppm are above the saturation value of CO2 and that further increases do not correspond to further increases in temperature. Looking at the historical levels of CO2, this is also a distinct possibility.

A: Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is added to the atmosphere by nature through the carbon cycle. The carbon cycle also moves all that CO2 out of the atmosphere and back into oceans and vegetation.

Human activity like the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) and deforestation (cutting down trees which previously removed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere) increases the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. About half of this additional CO2 is removed by the carbon cycle, but the rest remains, about 15 gigatons of CO2 a year. This has been slowly building up year by year, trapping more and more of the sun's heat, and is the reason for global warming, which is causing climate change.

An extreme case of global warming can be seen on the planet Venus which has a thick atmosphere mainly consisting of carbon dioxide. It is closer to the Sun than the Earth is, but not close enough to explain the surface temperatures of 400-500 degrees C.

Answer 3

The main effect of carbon pollution (that is, carbon dioxide emissions) on the atmosphere is to trap heat. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which retains infrared radiation (heat) rising from the earth's surface. More carbon dioxide emissions means that more heat is trapped. This is what is causing global warming.

There are many other agents that may be categorized as types of "carbon pollution" such as hydrocarbons like methane (natural gas) formed during microbial action on decaying organic matter or from what escapes while capturing underground natural gas, isoprene compounds such as pinene that are released naturally from living plants and hundreds or thousands of compounds released from plants during fires, gasoline vapors that escape while people are filling their gas tanks, from spilled gasoline, crude oil and diesel fuel, and unburned gasoline, diesel fuel and kerosene present in the exhaust of cars, trucks and planes; carbohydrates (alcohol vapors from biogenic and human sources), natural plant-based oils, various industrial emissions, the burning of coal and other fossil fuels; and oxides of carbon, of which there are only two: carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2).

The effect of CO, hydrocarbons, carbohydrates, and other volatile organic compounds, unlike CO2, react with the nitrogen oxides present in the air, most of which comes from automobile exhaust, and UV light from the sun to produce "smog" and ozone. The ozone produced at ground level up to approximately 1000 ft above ground level is not beneficial. Rather than protecting us from ultraviolet light, the ozone in smog accelerates the oxidation of many materials, particularly rubber, and is also corrosive to animals' lung, eye, and mucus membrane tissues.

The EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) designated CO2 as a pollutant in 2012. It is well known and proven that very high concentrations of atmospheric CO2 act to trap heat on a planetary scale as it has on Venus.

Answer 4

Most of CO2 is produced by the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil) for energy and transportation, although certain industrial processes. Increment in CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion are influenced by many factors, including population growth, economic growth, changing energy prices, new technologies, changing behavior, and seasonal temperatures.