The Dangers of Carbon Dioxide

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The Dangers of Carbon Dioxide

Thesis: As the environment encounters damage from increasing levels of carbon dioxide, actions on both governmental and individual levels need to be implemented in order to protect the welfare of future life.

Introduction

In an era of rising technology and increasing population, demands on the environment are continually being pushed to new levels. As a result, it becomes important for us to expand our knowledge about the environment and take appropriate actions to protect this element of most importance to human existence. One component of our environment experiencing some of the greatest abuse due to humans is the air. Air pollution has been on the rise ever since the beginning of industrialization. The climbing number of factories and use of cars worldwide are the major culprits of this environmental hazard. There are various gases released into the air that can be considered air pollutants, but one of the most prevalent and dangerous to the environment is carbon dioxide (CO2). Up to 95% of the CO2 produced is the result of natural processes (Burnett & Matthews Jr., 1998). The rest is a direct result of human activity, primarily through the burning of fossil fuels in the production of energy

Potential Effects of High Atmospheric CO2 Levels

The major effect most scientists fear as the result of increased levels of CO2 in our atmosphere is global warming. By blocking the heat reflected from the Earth's surface, greenhouse gases are able to warm the planet in a similar way to how glass warms up a greenhouse. Without this greenhouse effect, it is calculated our planet would be 35 degrees Celsius cooler worldwide, causing oceans to freeze and greatly altering life (Doyle, 1996). Accordi...

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... Carbon Traced To Northern Lands (1995, September 23). Science News, 148 (13),

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Rising Carbon Dioxide is Great For Plants. (1992, December). Consumer's Research Magazine, 75 (12), p. 25. [Online]. Available: http://insite.palni.edu/WebZ/Authorize:sessionid=0.

Singer, Fred S (1996, November 25). Dirty Climate. National Review, 48 (22), pp. 62-64. [Online]. Available: http://insite.palni.edu/WebZ/Authorize:sessionid=0.

Smog From the Middle Kingdom (1998, Summer). Earth Island Journal, 13 (3), p. 3. [Online]. Available: http://insite.palni.edu/WebZ/Authorize:sessionid=0.

Soil Seen as Missing Sink (1996, September 21). Science News, 150 (12), p. 186.

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