Human Activities & Carbon Dioxide
Science: KS3, topic 1.5.9
Human Activities and Carbon Dioxide
Certain human activities cause the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide to increase:
Burning fossil fuels
- Burning fossil fuels releases carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide had been stored away for millions of years previously.
Deforestation
- As we cut down more and more trees, the global rate of photosynthesis will decrease.
- Given that carbon dioxide is a reactant in the equation for photosynthesis, this means that less carbon dioxide will be removed from the atmosphere by this process.
Test yourself on Human Activities & Carbon Dioxide
Human activities that increase the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide
What is true about the carbon dioxide released by burning fossil fuels?
Why does burning fossil fuels increase the total amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
Burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests both raise the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide. How does cutting down forests cause this rise?