CO2 is a gas in Earth’s atmosphere and is emitted naturally through various processes, including the carbon cycle. However, human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, have increased CO2 emissions beyond natural levels. CO2 is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Individuals can take cost-effective steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as using energy-efficient appliances and performing a home energy audit.
CO2 is the chemical formula and a standard symbol for carbon dioxide, a gas that exists in Earth’s atmosphere and is an important component of various processes, including photosynthesis and ocean-atmosphere exchange. CO2 emission refers to carbon dioxide that is expelled as a product or by-product of a process or event and enters the atmosphere.
CO2 emission is the natural result of various processes and events. It is produced as part of the respiratory cycle by living organisms, including animals and plants. CO2 is also absorbed and released from the oceans in the continuous exchange of CO2 between the ocean and the atmosphere. Furthermore, CO2 emission from the interior of the Earth occurs in small quantities during volcanic eruptions. This collection of natural types of CO2 emissions is known as the “carbon cycle”.
There are, however, other types of CO2 emissions that have put more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in recent years than the carbon cycle. Chief among these is the burning of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels include coal, gas and oil and their combustion occurs in the operation of cars, industries and power plants, for example. Some particular industrial processes involving minerals, metals and petroleum-based products also lead to CO2 emissions.
Just as there are natural and man-made sources of CO2 emissions, the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere occurs through natural and invented processes. Deforestation, in part by reducing carbon sequestration, the process in which trees and plants remove CO2 from the atmosphere, also increases CO2 emission levels. Geological sequestration, the collection and storage of CO2 emissions in underground reservoirs, is a technique introduced to study the impact of processes with large CO2 emissions on the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Atmospheric CO2 levels are only part of a larger problem. CO2 is one of the so-called “greenhouse gases” that trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere. Other gases in this category include methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases. Concerns about climate change are partly focused on the current composition of the atmosphere and the level of greenhouse gases present. This concern takes note of the current level of carbon dioxide, as well as the ongoing level of CO2 emissions from human activity.
While people disagree about climate change, some steps individuals can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including CO2, are often cost-effective and can make sensible changes even for people who don’t believe climate change be a problem. Using energy efficient appliances and light bulbs and performing a home energy audit are steps that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions in your home.
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