How is carbon harmful to animals?

Answer 1

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas; too much of it can cause global warming. It also increases the acidity of the oceans, since it forms carbonic acid when it dissolves in water, and that has a bad effect on some sea life.

Carbon dioxide does not harm us directly, but instead it causes green house effect which causes global warming. Global warming leads to melting of the polar ice caps and sea level rise.

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Due to human activities such as the combustion of fossil fuels and deforestation, and the increased release of CO2 from the oceans due to the increase in the Earth's temperature, the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased by about 35% since the beginning of the age of industrialization.

There is about 50 times as much carbon dissolved in the oceans in the form of CO2 and CO2 hydration products as exists in the atmosphere. The oceans act as an enormous carbon sink, having "absorbed about one-third of all human-generated CO2 emissions to date." Most of the CO2 taken up by the ocean forms carbonic acid. Some is consumed in photosynthesis by organisms in the water, and a small proportion of that sinks and leaves the carbon cycle. There is considerable concern that as a result of increased CO2 in the atmosphere the acidity of seawater will increase and may adversely affect organisms living in the water. In particular, with increasing acidity, the availability of carbonates for forming shells decreases.

Carbon dioxide can contribute to acid rain in much the same way that CO2 in soft drinks and beer makes those beverages acid. Pour a glass and drop a nail in it for a nice visual. Check back in a day or so and see what's left of the nail! Acid rain is not good for trees.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) also contributes to smog in cities.

The ambient condition in environment requires a certain level of Carbon Dioxide for autotrophs like plants for photosynthesis, however a high level is harmful as it creates a carbon di oxide blanket in the atmosphere to increase 'global warming' as a green house effect. Moreover if humans and other life forms breathe in more carbon di oxide the blood cells that require oxygen to become oxy haemoglobin with become carboxyhaemoglobin causing death .

Answer 2

CO2 is a waste product of animal respiration, therefore animals get rid of it as it is of no use to them, it get in the way of us(them) acquiring more oxygen.

Answer 3

It could hit them on the head, or they could get buried and crushed by it. Other than physical injury, it's hard to imagine how carbon might hurt an animal.