This blog contains All the Information About Sources and Impacts of Carbon Dioxide CO2. It includes information and properties of Carbon Element. This also covers Natural and Anthropogenic Sources of Carbon Dioxide. At the end, it elaborates the Major Impacts of Carbon Dioxide on the Environment. Also learn about the Policies, Agreements and Case Studies on Carbon dioxide Reduction Initiatives.
1. What is Carbon?
Carbon is a chemical element that has atomic number 6 in the Periodic Table in Chemistry. Its symbol is C. It is non-metallic and tetravalent in nature. Carbon is made up of a nucleus of neutrons and six protons surrounded by six electrons.
Carbon is one of the most Famous Elements in the Periodic Table. The most important quality and ability of carbon is that, it can combine with other elements in order to form different compounds consisting of wide varieties. Most of the Natural compounds on Earth contains Carbon in them. We can say that it exists on Earth more than any other Element on the Earth. So we can call Carbon as the building block of Earth and Nature. Carbon is naturally produced and emitted into the atmosphere by Geological Cycles and Climatic Systems. Carbon Accounting or Carbon dioxide equivalents are also important to consider.
The Natural Concentration and existence of Carbon is suitable for the Environment and in the Atmosphere. But as they increase Artificially or Anthropogenically, they create disturbance in every cycle of the Earth whether it is related to Climate Change, Living Cycles or other phenomena on the Earth. It seems that excessive Carbon present in the atmosphere, can be a great danger for the Environment. One of the main reason behind this is that, Carbon is already present in bulk quantities in every building block of Earth. So, its excessive concentration can cause many Disruptions in Natural Environments. This blog is all about Carbon dioxide, Its Causes and impacts on Earth System.
Black Carbon:
Black carbon is a light absorbing, sooty-material that is a major contributor of Climate Change on Earth. Main sources of Black carbon includes Burning of Fossil Fuels, Biomass burning, Wildfires etc. It is extremely toxic for the Environment and even more dangerous that normal CO2 in the air. It is a significant part of Particulate Matter (PM).
Carbon Pricing:
Carbon Pricing is an instrument that captures the external costs of Greenhouse Gas emissions. This is referred to as the price that people pay for it. It includes the cost that is used to mitigate or restore the impacts of GHG emissions on different parts of the Environment. This can also be considered as Social Cost of Carbon. The impacts that requires us to pay a price includes:
- Crop Damage
- Healthcare costs for drought and heatwaves
- Recovery of Property loss as a result of Natural Disasters
- Rising Sea Level etc.
All of these includes in the Impacts of GHG emissions that need a huge financial cost to recover every year. This cost end up in billions in different regions of the world.
2. What are the special abilities of Carbon?
Carbon element has many unique and special abilities. Some remarkable abilities of Carbon are as follows:
i. Tetravalent Nature:
The Carbon element has the ability to form Tetravalent bonds; it means that it can form four covalent bonds because it has 4 electrons in its outer shell. So it can make four covalent bonds at the same time with many other elements and atoms.
ii. Catenation Capacity:
Catenation capacity is the ability that let carbon make bonds with other Carbon atoms to form chains, branches or rings. This ability helps it to make larger and longer chains when in need. It is a special ability of carbon.
iii. Easy Bonding with other Elements:
Another unique ability of Carbon is that it can combine or form bonds with many of the other elements. Carbon atom not only combine with other elements, but can make variety of different molecules. The elements that combines with carbon are Oxygen, Hydrogen and Halogen.
iv. Strong Bonds:
Carbon atom is also famous for combining with the help of strong forces ending up creating stronger and reliable bonds between molecules. This makes carbon a powerful element among the elements of the Periodic Table. This is a magnificent Property of Carbon.
These are few specialized abilities of Carbon. This blog is all about Sources and Impacts of Carbon Dioxide.
3. What do you know about Carbon Dioxide and Its harmful Properties?
Carbon dioxide CO2 is a colorless gas composed of one Carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is a non-flammable gas at normal temperature and pressure.
Carbon Dioxide is a Green House Gas that is present in the Environment in bulk. It is an important factor that contributes in natural Green House Effect of the Earth. CO2 is one of the most found gas after Oxygen and Nitrogen in the Atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is produced by many Natural and Anthropogenic Sources. Following are some of the harmful Properties of CO2 that contributes in harming the Atmosphere and Environment:
1. Health Impacts of CO2 on Humans:
CO2 is a harmful gas that cause a variety of health effects in Living organisms and animals. The Health Effects caused by CO2 in living organisms includes:
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Ringing of ears
- Increased Heart rate
- Coma
- Convulsions etc.
2. Impacts of CO2 on the Atmosphere:
This gas is very dangerous in high concentrations and its Anthropogenic concentration is very bad for the Natural Environment and also in Atmosphere Composition. It produce warming effects in the atmosphere, accelerate evaporation and also contributes in Ozone Depletion. Then it leads to severe atmospheric conditions such as Heat Waves.
3. Environmental Impacts of CO2:
CO2 is a warming gas. It is one of the biggest contributors of Climate Change and Global Warming so it is the reason why Global average temperature increases every year. This cause heating effect on Earth and plays important roles in the Climatic changes caused by Heat and Extreme Temperatures. It is also at the top in triggering the Weather events and Air Pollution on Earth.
4. CO2 the Cause of Fatalities:
Carbon dioxide gas is one of the significant cause of Fatalities. This may occur under specific conditions. As we know that, CO2 is heavier than air. So, it can displace oxygen in confined or closed places without any visible changes. In this condition, the people who are stuck in the closed places can suddenly die because of the displacement of CO2 in high concentration.
5. Workplace Exposure of CO2:
Carbon dioxide is responsible for many Occupational diseases and workplace Accidents or Fatalities. The people who are exposed to even little concentrations of CO2, can easily get severe Respiratory Disorders such as Asthma, Pneumonia etc. The workplace accidents in Industries and Factories can also cause Deaths or fatalities of thousands of worker due to Gas leak.
These are the few harmful properties of Carbon Dioxide, that makes CO2 one of the Major Air pollutants that cause Global warming and also risks of deaths in different conditions of exposure. This blog is about Sources and Impacts of Carbon dioxide.
What are some of the CO2 Measuring Technologies?
Following are some of the CO2 measuring technologies that help in detecting CO2 concentration:
1. Sensors:
The Non-dispersive infrared sensors are accurate and cost-effective way to measure Carbon dioxide in the air. They are used worldwide because they are fast, long-lasting and low cross-sensitivity to other gases. Different types of sensors senses the CO2 concentration in the Environment and guides us about the concentration of CO2. Optical CO2 sensors are also effective in sensing CO2.
2. Tracers:
Tracers are the device that find that are used to identify and quantify CO2 in the atmosphere. These helps us to measure the concentration of Air Pollutants into number or quantitative form. Tracers are effective in the identification of the pollutants that are present in the air.
3. Capture Systems:
Natural Carbon sinks such as Forests and Oceans, work as Capture Systems for CO2 emissions. All the natural and artificial Capture Systems are a great weapon against Carbon dioxide emissions in the Environment. Artificial Capture systems include; Giant Air Filters, Saline Aquifers, Chemical looping etc. All of these system store CO2 and then it can be used to produce Energy in different ways. These systems are also called as Carbon Capture and Storage systems (CCS).
These were some of the techniques to measure CO2 emissions. This blog is all about Sources and Impacts of Carbon Dioxide.
4. What are the Natural Sources of Carbon Dioxide Emissions?
There are many Natural sources of Carbon Dioxide that can be considered as Natural Concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. Following are some of the Natural Sources of CO2:
Oceans as Carbon Sinks:
Oceans are two way contributor in the context of CO2 gas. They are natural Carbon sinks, that works for the absorption of excessive CO2 from the atmosphere. But on the other hand, Ocean is the biggest Natural emitter of CO2 in the Environment. This is the outgassing of the Ocean that emits CO2.
Decomposition is Carbon Emitter:
The decomposition process that is performed by Micro organisms release CO2 during the process of conversion of Organic Matter and Biodegradable materials into simpler products. This process is also a Natural Source of CO2 emissions.
Respiration :
Respiration is the living process of Biodiversity, it includes exchange of gases from the body of the organism. Living organisms takes up oxygen and exhales CO2 as a By-product of Cellular Respiration in living organisms so this is a significant Source of CO2 emissions.
Volcanoes:
Volcanoes are the openings on the surface of the Earth that connects the depth of the Earth with Earth’s surface. They are the pathways for Green House Gases including CO2 and also the lava from the deep layers of the Earth. This emits a large amount of Carbon Dioxide in the Environment or Upper Atmosphere.
Wildfires:
Wildfires are incontrollable and spreading fires that spreads over the Forests and Wild areas. These fires are very destructive as they cause extreme levels of Loss of Biodiversity. These wildfires emits a lot of Carbon Dioxide, because it is the gas that produces when Biodiversity is burnt.
These are some of the Natural Sources of CO2 production so these sources have a significant contribution in the Environmental Concentrations of CO2. This blog is all about Sources and Impacts of Carbon Dioxide.
5. What are some Anthropogenic Sources of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions?
Unfortunately with the increase in population, the Anthropogenic Sources of CO2 emissions contributes much more than the Natural Sources of CO2. Following are some of the Anthropogenic Sources of CO2 emissions:
Industrialization and CO2:
Most of the industrial processes use Fossil Fuels and other Non-renewable resources for heating processes. The fossil fuels emits large amount of CO2 during its burning. The emissions that you see emitting from the industries, are mostly CO2. The Carbon dioxide Concentration has drastically increased after the start of Industrial Era on the Earth.
Transportation and CO2:
Every person on Earth is in search of his personal transport and vehicles. But these vehicles are harming the Environment at great extents. Because they burn Fuel in their engines and emits CO2, NOx and SOX type of harmful and Major Air pollutants into the Atmosphere. As the number of Vehicles and means of Transportation are increasing, the Concentration of CO2 is also increasing every year.
Deforestation and CO2:
People are cutting trees for Industrial, Urbanization and Commercial Purposes or to take Economic advantages from the Forest Resources. This deforestation is causing the Natural absorption of CO2 to reduce. And most of the CO2 is left into the Environment. Deforestation does not only increase the Concentration of CO2 but also reduce the Concentration of Oxygen that Forests emits.
Carbon Footprint and CO2:
Carbon Footprint is the evaluation Carbon emissions per person. This includes the products we use, the Electricity Consumption, Efficiency of the Appliances and other such things that we do in our daily life that includes Carbon emissions. The Carbon Footprint of people are increasing every year because of Over-exploitation of Natural Resources, Inefficient energy utilization and other such Activities.
Farming and Agricultural Practices in CO2 emissions:
Due to increase in population, the existing farmers are using Non-sustainable Farming and Agricultural Practices in order to increase their yield and fulfil the needs of the Population. These non-sustainable farming practices are good for better yield, but have Negative Impacts on the Natural Environmental Qualities of a land. These unsuitable Farming Practices emits a lot of concentration of CO2.
These are some of the Anthropogenic Sources of CO2 emissions. The Anthropogenic Sources of CO2 production contributes much more, than the Natural Sources according to present data. This blog is all about Sources and Impacts of Carbon Dioxide.
6. What are the Environmental Impacts of Carbon dioxide when in excess concentrations?
CO2 is also a reason of severe Long-term Environmental Consequences. Following are some of the Impacts of CO2 emissions when in excess concentration in the Environment:
1: Role of CO2 in Global Warming:
As we have discussed earlier, that CO2 is a gas with high Warming Potential. This gas has ability to trap heat because it is one of the most concentrated Green House Gas in the Atmosphere. So, the gas responsible for increasing the Earth’s Average Temperature and heating up the planet, is CO2 because it is present in most Concentration than any other GHGs. It is also a big reason of Air Pollution.
2: Ocean Acidification and CO2 Emissions:
CO2 is a big source of Ocean Acidification. This condition exists because Oceans are the Major Carbon sinks and all the excessive CO2 in the atmosphere is added into the Ocean at the end of the cycle. This cause decrease in the pH of the ocean and make it acidic and it also destroys the Ocean Composition, Dissolves the skeletons of Marine Species and Damages the Coral Reefs.
3: Extreme Weather Events and CO2 Emissions:
CO2 adds reactivity to the upper atmosphere. When there is a drastic addition of CO2 in the upper atmosphere, it may result in Extreme Weather Events such as Heavy Rainfalls, Smog, Acid Rain, Hail Storms and many other such extreme events regarding Air Pollution. This cause sudden changes in the Environmental Conditions and also make them reactive that are harmful for Biodiversity on Earth and Ecosystems.
4: Sea Level Rise and CO2 Emissions:
As CO2 contributes in raising the temperature and Global warming, it automatically contributes in Melting of Glaciers. These Glaciers are melting with great speed like never before. The melted glaciers adds water to the Ocean and also cause the condition of Rising Sea Levels. This Sea level rise is very speedy and can submerge the coastal areas at any moment.
5: CO2 Emissions a Threat to Biodiversity :
All the impacts of Increased CO2 concentration are collectively Threat to Biodiversity. Because Biodiversity is very sensitive to Extreme Weather Events, Extreme Temperatures, Heat Waves and Change in the Composition of the Environment. These phenomena are causing deaths and illnesses of many Species of Biodiversity in the Environment. Air Pollution also cause many difficulties in lives of living organisms.
6: CO2 Greenhouse Effect:
Excessive CO2 emissions are one of the crucial reason for Greenhouse Effect. As it is a warming gas as well has Heat-trapping gas. This gas is emitted in highest concentration among all the Greenhouse gases, so it play an important role in trapping heat of the sun within the atmosphere. This is why the excessive concentrations of CO2 leads to Enhanced Greenhouse effect that is Cancer for Earth. To know about What is Greenhouse Effect, click the mentioned link.
7: Climate Change and CO2 Emissions:
Climate Change is defined as the variation in the climatic conditions over a long period of time in any region of the world. CO2 is the visible reason behind the enhanced and extreme impacts of Climate Change. CO2 and Climate Change is directly related to each other. As CO2 is a reactive gas and it enhance the heat and weather events on Earth, so it is the main reason behind climate change. This also triggers Air Pollution.
These are some of the Impacts of Increased CO2 in the Environment. This blog is all about Sources and Impacts of Carbon Dioxide.
Strategies of Reducing CO2 Emissions:
- Reforestation and Afforestation
- Green Infrastructure
- Renewable Energy Adoption
- Sustainable Agricultural and Farming Practices
- Carbon Capture and Storage
- Promote Electric Vehicles
- Sustainable Transportation
- Increasing Energy Efficiency
- Promote Sustainable Businesses and Local Products
- Awareness and Education about CO2 reduction etc.
If you want to learn more about How to Reduce Carbon Footprint? Or Mitigation Measures for reducing CO2 emissions? click the mentioned link. This blog contains Sources and Impacts of Carbon dioxide.
7. What is the role of Policies and International Agreements in reducing CO2 emissions?
Policies and International Agreements can help in the reduction of CO2 emissions at a great extent. These policies build pressure in the populations to work for the reduction of CO2 emissions. So, they avoid the activities contributing in CO2 emissions or limit their activities. Following are some of the International Agreements for reduction of CO2 emissions:
i. Paris Agreement:
Paris Agreement is a famous International Agreement that was adopted in 2018. The aim of this Agreement is to reduce the Global Warming below 2°C above pre-industrial level with efforts of limiting it to 1.5°C. Countries submit their own Climate Action Plan and they are forced to enhance their performance every five years.
ii. Kyoto Protocol:
This protocol was adopted to set binding emission reduction targets for Developed Countries. It was the agreement that was the first one in reducing emissions around the world. This agreement was adopted in 1997. Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty to mandate country-to-country reduction in Greenhouse gas emissions.
iii. COP28:
COP stands for Conference of Parties. The 28th COP was held in Dubai in the year 2023 by UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). This convention took world leaders to reaffirm their commitment of reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions along with dealing with Climate Change. This was recent convention in reducing emissions.
All of these counts in the agreements for the reduction of Greenhouse gas emissions including CO2 emissions worldwide.
This blog is all about Sources and Impacts of Carbon Dioxide.
8. What are some of the Case studies on successful Carbon dioxide reduction initiatives?
Following initiatives have turned successful in the Carbon Dioxide CO2 Reduction in the world:
India’s Solar Power Expansion:
India has expanded their Solar Power massively. They have also implemented policies to support growth of Solar energy. This has proved very useful in the reduction of CO2 and other Greenhouse Gases.
Mexico’s Waste-to-Energy Projects:
Waste-to-energy projects in Mexico, are effective in the production of affordable and clean energy. This not only reduce CO2 emissions but also work as a successful Waste Management System.
Colombia Green Construction Industry:
Colombia has made many efforts in the industry of Green Construction by producing advance Green Infrastructure. This region also promote Sustainable Building Practices and CO2 reduction in construction activities.
Climeworks’ Direct Air Capture Technology:
Climework is a Swiss based company. It is introducing and using DAC Technology or Direct Air Capture in order to remove CO2 and GHGs from the air. Their goal is to remove 1 gigaton CO2 by year 2050.
These are some of the Case studies showing Success of Carbon dioxide reduction initiatives. These are effectively reducing CO2 emissions on the planet. This blog is about Sources and Impacts of Carbon dioxide.
9. Conclusion:
Carbon Dioxide is a great threat to Natural Environment and Biodiversity. As it has some Harmful properties such as Heat Trapping, Cause of Death, Environmental Impacts etc. Some Natural Sources of CO2 includes Volcanoes, Oceans, Decomposition, Respiration etc. While some Anthropogenic Sources of CO2 includes Transportation, Industrialization, Deforestation, Carbon Footprint etc. All these Sources adds CO2 Concentrations into the atmosphere.
The Harmful impacts of Increased CO2 includes, Global Warming, Threat to Biodiversity, Ocean Acidification, Sea Level Rise etc. For maintaining and also protecting our Environment, we should control and prevent the CO2 emissions into the Environment. This blog is all about Sources and Impacts of Carbon Dioxide.
To learn about more topics, Click the links below:
Comments